The grime rapper turned pop megastar is one of the most influential artists in the limelight right now. But as his 2022 tour approaches, we investigate his politically motivated music.
28-year-old Stormzy is undoubtedly one of the most successful artists in the music industry right now. His rise to fame is exceptional, being one of the only grime artists to have made it so big in the pop industry. The ‘Shut Up’ creator skyrocketed to fame from his grime career – and his political opinions, progressive lyrics and iconic collaborations are what makes his music truly extraordinary. You might know him as Stiff Chocolate, or Big Michael, from his self-proclaiming lyrics. Back in December of 2019, the chart-topping ‘Heavy Is the Head’ album debuted at number one and its tour was planned to go ahead, but with the pandemic looming, its chance at success was bound to be questionable.
Stormzy was born in Croydon in 1993 in the heart of London. His mother is from Ghana, and he often speaks proudly about his roots in his music. The rapper has spoken about his childhood, branding himself ‘a very naughty child, but everything I did was for my own entertainment.’ Despite Stormzy’s behaviour during school, he achieved high grades at GCSE level, including an A*, three As and five Bs.
Stormzy was first in the public eye when he released his ‘Wicked Skengman’ series six years ago. These were freestyle raps over grime music that he uploaded to his YouTube channel, which now has just under two million subscribers. After these, in a very similar format came the hit freestyle ‘Shut Up’, which undoubtedly is the track that gave him notability, gaining him a following in the grime industry. The legendary tune now has a striking 121 million views on the video sharing platform. ‘Shut Up’ was originally released over XTC’s Functions on the Low instrumental. This debuted at eighteen on the UK chart, his first ever top 40. It also became the first ever freestyle in the top 40, making this one of the biggest moments in the history of grime. And then the song was released in its true form in December 2015, where it got to number eight on the UK singles chart.
The chart topper then released his debut album: ‘Gang Signs and Prayer’. It was released in the February of 2017 and debuted at number one. This successful debut meant that it was the first ever grime album to top the charts in the UK, breaking records within the industry once again. Even now he’s moved on slightly from the grime scene, Stormzy has been clear that he’ll always make music within the genre, he told Hot 97: ‘I’m always going to be an artist who does grime, 100%.’ After the renowned album’s release, Stormzy hit the stage of Glastonbury, where he headlined the festival. He featured a speech from politician David Lammy which brought attention to the proportion of black minorities in the justice system, bringing the same political awareness from within his songs, to his stage. Lammy has since hailed Stormzy for ‘speaking truth to power’ after his performance at the BRITS, where he called out Theresa May for her lack of action surrounding the Grenfell tragedy. The self-proclaimed ‘Big Michael’ has always been politically motivated through his lyrics and is a pioneer for young black men and women alike through his powerful words – ‘I’m the voice of the young black youth’. He tells GQ: ‘I’ve risen from a community. Often in British culture, there has only been one or two black people in the spotlight at one time. But, nah, that’s over now.’ He continues, ‘I need to let people know that it’s not just myself. There are bare of us’. Stormzy’s dedication to his community is evident through his music. He is a humble character and his choice of words makes this clear in many of his interviews. Perhaps this is what draws his fanbase in – his modesty and commitment to being authentic. Fans certainly can connect to his music and to the artist himself.
Stormzy released ‘Heavy Is the Head,’ his most recent album, in 2019. The album features famous faces such as Ed Sheeran, Aitch and Headie One, giving it even more credibility. It features three of Stormzy’s top ten singles, with ‘Own it’ and ‘Vossi Bop’ having been number one on the official UK chart. The album itself reached number one in January last year. It was nominated for the Mercury prize 2020, the second time for the rap legend. The cover of the record-breaking album perpetuates Michael Ebenezer Kwadio Omari Owuo Jr (also known as Stormzy) as a royal, crowned with the acronym of the album title in gold against a rich teal background. He’s holding the iconic vest, adorned with the Union Jack, that was designed for the rap mogul by fellow British creator Banksy, which he wore on the Glastonbury stage during the previous year. The album cover was criticised famously by fellow grime artist Wiley, who Stormzy has had indifferences with over his progression from grime, for pretentiously branding Owuo the ‘king of grime.’ But Stormzy has commented on this accusation, telling Hot 97 that ‘it’s more poignant than that. I’m a king in my own right, but my burdens, responsibilities and duties are my crown.’
His success has turned global, gaining him millions of listeners (eight million on Spotify, to be exact). He has two chart topping albums, twelve top tens and four number ones, showing that the Croydon born rapper is arguably the most successful of his time. The activist, who is worth 20 million in 2020 according to the Sunday Times Rich List, has had to hold back on his Heavy Is the Head tour twice already – once last September and once again in April of this year, due to the pandemic. Since the release of his phenomenal debut album, Gang Signs & Prayer, Stormzy has become a household name, so this tour has unquestionably been much awaited by his fanbase. He is planning to finally tour in March of 2022.
You can find information on the ‘Heavy Is the Head’ tour over on Stormzy’s official website: https://www.stormzy.com/#tour.