Starting passage with paint roller after stripping down (5)
I believe the answer is:
intro
'starting passage' is the definition.
(intro to a song)
'with paint roller after stripping down' is the wordplay.
'after stripping down' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue (some letters from the clue must be stripped off).
'INTRO' is hidden within 'with paint roller'.
(Other definitions for intro that I've seen before include "First notes" , "Song's opening" , "(Short) section before Chapter 1, say" , "Opening notes" , "Preamble" .)