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Stormzy
Stormzy performing in 2019
Stormzy performing in 2019
Background information
Birth nameMichael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr.
Also known asWicked Skengman
The Problem
Stiff Chocolate[1]
Born (1993-07-26) 26 July 1993 (age 31)
Croydon, London, England
OriginNorbury, London, England[2]
Genres
Years active2010–present
Labels

Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. (born 26 July 1993), known professionally as Stormzy, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter. In 2014, he gained attention on the UK underground music scene through his Wicked Skengman series of freestyles over classic grime beats.[5][6]

Stormzy's "Shut Up", which was initially released as a freestyle on YouTube, became popular and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart after he launched a campaign to reach Christmas number one.[7] Stormzy won Best Grime Act at the 2014 and 2015 MOBO Awards and was named as an artist to look out for in the BBC's Sound of 2015 list.[8][5] His debut album, Gang Signs & Prayer (2017), was the first grime album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart and won British Album of the Year at the 2018 Brit Awards.[9] In 2019, Stormzy achieved his first UK number-one single with "Vossi Bop" and his headline appearance at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival was widely praised; he wore a Union Jack stab vest designed by Banksy, in light of the rise in knife crime in London.[10] His second album, Heavy Is the Head, was released on 13 December 2019.[11]

Known for his controversial and outspoken comments on UK politics, Stormzy endorsed Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in 2016.[12] On 21 February 2018, he performed a freestyle at the 2018 Brit Awards, calling out Theresa May for her inaction in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire the previous year.[13] When he performs "Vossi Bop" live - including at major events - Stormzy tends to encourage the audience to chant the lyric "Fuck the Government and fuck Boris" to him — the latter a reference to former London Mayor and now British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.[14]

Early life

Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. [15][16] was born on 26 July 1993[17][18] in Croydon, London.[19] His mother is Ghanaian,[20] and he is a cousin of rapper Nadia Rose.[21][22] He grew up in South Norwood, London, with his mother, brother, and two sisters.[19] Stormzy did not come from a particularly musical household, though he liked music.[23] He attended Stanley Tech South Norwood.[24] He began rapping at the age of 11 and would clash with older rappers at his local youth club.[25]

Stormzy has said about his school years: "I was a very naughty child, on the verge of getting expelled, but I wasn't a bad child; everything I did was for my own entertainment. But when I went into an exam I did really well."[26] He said he got six A*s, three As, and five Bs on his GCSEs, but then only achieved a "humbling" ABCDE on his A Levels: "For someone who would cuss in class and was on the verge of being expelled, it was A Levels that showed me that in life you need work ethic."[26] He studied for an apprenticeship in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, and worked in quality assurance for two years at an oil refinery in Southampton, Hampshire.[27][26]

Music career

2014–2015: Dreamers Disease and "Shut Up"

After garnering attention on the UK underground music scene via his Wicked Skengman series of freestyles over classic grime beats,[5][6] Stormzy released his debut EP Dreamers Disease independently in July 2014.[28] On 22 October 2014, Stormzy won Best Grime Act at the MOBO Awards. Later that month he became the first unsigned rapper to appear on Later... with Jools Holland performing the song "Not That Deep" from Dreamers Disease.[5]

In November 2014, Stormzy collaborated with rapper Chip and Shalo on the track "I'm Fine", also appearing in a video for the song.[29]

On 7 January 2015, Stormzy came number 3 in the "BBC Introducing top 5" on Radio 1.[16] In March 2015 he released the single "Know Me From", which entered the UK Singles Chart at number 49. In September 2015, he released a final instalment to his "WickedSkengMan" freestyle series, "WickedSkengMan 4", onto iTunes, along with a studio version of his "Shut Up" freestyle over XTC's Functions on the Low instrumental.[30] The track debuted at number 18 on the UK chart dated 24 September, becoming Stormzy's first top 40 hit and the first ever freestyle to reach the top 40 in the United Kingdom.[31]

On 12 December 2015, Stormzy performed "Shut Up" during British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua's ring-walk for his fight versus Dillian Whyte.[32] Originally, "Shut Up", released as part of the "WickedSkengMan 4" single EP in September 2015, charted at number 59. Since the performance, it began climbing up the iTunes chart and into the top 40. As a result, Stormzy launched a Christmas number 1 campaign to get the song to number 1.[7][33][34] It generated a large amount of support which made it enter the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart on 18 December 2015 at number 8, a week prior to the Christmas number-1 week, succeeding the chart position of "WickedSkengMan 4".

Stormzy on stage in 2018

2016–present: Gang Signs & Prayer, Glastonbury and Heavy Is the Head

In April 2016, Stormzy released the non-album song "Scary" before he went into hiatus.[35][36]

After a year's hiatus from social media, Stormzy returned in early February 2017 via a series of billboard campaigns across London displaying the hashtag #GSAP 24.02. The album title was announced to be Gang Signs & Prayer.[37] The album was released on 24 February 2017[38][39][40] and debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart on 3 March 2017.[41]

Stormzy's headline appearance on the Pyramid Stage at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival was widely praised.[10][42][43] The performance featured a speech by the politician David Lammy that discussed the proportion of black and minority ethnic people in the British criminal justice system[44] and, during "Vossi Bop", Stormzy encouraged the audience to join him in chanting "Fuck the Government and fuck Boris" - the latter a reference to former London Mayor Boris Johnson's Conservative Party leadership campaign.[14] The show included guest appearances by dance group Black Ballet and pop singer Chris Martin.[44] Stormzy wore a Union Jack stab vest designed by the artist Banksy, which was widely perceived as a comment on the rise in knife crime in London.[10][45]

He has reached number one on the UK Singles Chart three times; firstly as part of "Artists for Grenfell" on 23 June 2017 with "Bridge Over Troubled Water", secondly with his own solo single "Vossi Bop", which debuted at number one upon its entry, ahead of "Me!" by Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie by some 500 combined sales, and thirdly with his collaboration with Burna Boy and Ed Sheeran, "Own It". Stormzy later released the singles "Crown", "Sounds of the Skeng"[46] and "Wiley Flow", before announcing his second album, Heavy Is the Head, for release on 13 December 2019.[47] Stormzy was recognised for both his contributions to music and his activism, landing him at number 5 in the Top 10 of the annual Powerlist in 2020,[48] with an estimated net worth of £20 million in 2020.[49]

Heavy is the Head was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize 2020. This was the second nomination in his career.

Style

Stormzy describes himself as "a child of grime" influenced by the likes of Lethal Bizzle, Bruza, D Double E and Flirta D,[50] but also cites R&B singers such as Frank Ocean and Lauryn Hill as influences on his sound.[6]

Political activism

In May 2016, Stormzy endorsed Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. In an interview with the newspaper The Guardian, he spoke of his admiration for Corbyn's activism.[51]

In September 2017 after being presented with the Solo Artist of the Year award by Corbyn at the GQ Men of the Year Awards,[52] Stormzy called Theresa May a "paigon", a word used to describe an untrustworthy person.[53] Later the same month, the conservative commentator Iain Dale placed Stormzy at Number 100 on his list of "The 100 most influential people on the Left",[54] describing him as "Corbs' favourite Grime artist".

On 21 February 2018, Stormzy performed a freestyle at the Brit Awards, calling out May for her inaction in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire the previous year.[13] The following day, 10 Downing Street issued a statement defending the Prime Minister.[55]

In November 2019, along with other musicians, Stormzy endorsed Corbyn in the 2019 UK general election with a call to end austerity. He also said "people led change can be possible under a Jeremy Corbyn Labour government".[56][57] He described the Labour leader as "the first man in a position of power who is committed to giving the power back to the people" and branded Boris Johnson "a sinister man".[58] In the aftermath of the George Floyd protests, Stormzy issued a statement via his label, that he plans to donate £1 million a year for 10 years to charities, organisations and movements that are committed to fight racial inequality, justice reform and black empowerment in the United Kingdom.[59][60] In an interview with the BBC, Stormzy said, "Black people have been playing on an uneven field for far too long and this pledge is a continuation in the fight to finally try and even it".[60]

Personal life

Stormzy is a Christian,[61] on the BBC's Christmas day lineup in 2019 he read a passage from the Gospel of Luke.[62] Stormzy was involved in a long term relationship with presenter Maya Jama.[63]

Controversy

In November 2017, it was revealed that Stormzy had posted a series of messages on Twitter in 2011 that were deemed to be homophobic. These included a tweet where he referred to a gay character on the soap opera EastEnders as a "fucking fag". He also asked another user who was discussing using hair straighteners if they were a "fag" and urged his followers to "put on BBC1 this little black boy is a fucking fag".[64] He later posted a series of tweets, stating:

I said some foul and offensive things whilst tweeting years ago at a time when I was young and proudly ignorant. Very hurtful and discriminative views that I've unlearned as I've grown up and become a man. The comments I made were unacceptable and disgusting, full stop. Comments that I regret and to everyone I've offended, I am sorry, these are attitudes I've left in the past... I take responsibility for my mistakes and hope you can understand that my younger self doesn't reflect who I am today. Again, I'm sorry to everyone I've offended. To the LGBQT community and my supporters and friends, my deepest apologies.[65][66]

Scholarships

Stormzy has funded the 'Stormzy Scholarship for Black UK Students' at the University of Cambridge which covers tuition costs for two students and maintenance grants for up to four years.[67][68] He had previously approached the University of Oxford which he said “didn’t want to get involved,”[69]

Publishing imprint

In July 2018 it was announced that Penguin Random House division William Heinemann was to launch a new imprint in partnership with Stormzy, called #Merky Books. The imprint launched with Stormzy's first book, Rise Up, in autumn 2018, followed by Taking Up Space: The Black Girl’s Manifesto for Change by Chelsea Kwakye and Ore Ogunbiyi in summer 2019. That Reminds Me, a novel in verse by Derek Owusu, is the most recent, released in November 2019.[70][71]

Awards

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Stormzy

Discography

Main article: Stormzy discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

  • 168: The Mixtape (2013)

Extended plays

Tours

  • Gang Signs & Prayers Tour (2017)[72]
  • Heavy is the Head Tour (2020)[73]

References

  1. ^ "Stormzy has many god-given nicknames". Capital Xtra. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  2. ^ Reni Eddo-Lodge (10 October 2019). "'It's My Purpose to Shine a Light Where I Can.' How Rapper Stormzy Is Championing Black British Culture". Time. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  3. ^ Garfitt, Scott (16 May 2020). "Stormzy net worth — Sunday Times Rich List 2020". The Sunday Times.
  4. ^ "What Is The Grace That Stormzy's Rapping About? - Articles - Catholic Charismatic Renewal". Ccr.org.uk. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d "BBC Music – BBC Sound of, 2015 – Stormzy". BBC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Fawcett, Ben. "Exclusive Interview: Stormzy – 'It Used To Grind My Gears, But Now I Actually Love Rap'". RWD Mag. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
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  10. ^ a b c Snuggs, Tania (30 June 2019). "Banksy reveals he made Stormzy's vest for historic Glastonbury gig". Sky News. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Stormzy Details New Album Heavy Is the Head". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 20 November 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  12. ^ Damien Gayle. "Stormzy backs Labour in election with call to end austerity | Politics". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  13. ^ a b Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (21 February 2018). "Stormzy asks 'Theresa May, where's the money for Grenfell?' at Brit awards". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018. Theresa May, where's the money for Grenfell?" he asked the prime minister, adding that the government "just forgot about Grenfell, you criminals, and you got the cheek to call us savages, you should do some jail time, you should pay some damages, we should burn your house down and see if you can manage this.
  14. ^ a b Tobin, Olivia (29 June 2019). "Glastonbury 2019: Boris Johnson laughs off Stormzy's chant against him". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
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  41. ^ Peaks in the United Kingdom:
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  46. ^ Stormzy (29 August 2019). "@stormzy on Instagram". Retrieved 29 August 2019 – via Instagram.
  47. ^ Hussey, Allison; Strauss, Matthew (19 November 2019). "Stormzy Details New Album Heavy Is the Head". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 20 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  48. ^ Busby, Mattha (25 October 2019). "Meghan and Stormzy named among most influential black people in UK". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  49. ^ "Ed Sheeran tops young musicians Sunday Times Rich List with fortune of £200 million". Metro. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  50. ^ Collins, Hattie (2016). This is Grime. London: Hodder & Stoughton. p. 281. ISBN 978-1-473-63927-0.
  51. ^ Wolfson, Sam (21 May 2016). "Stormzy: 'My man Jeremy Corbyn! I dig what he says'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
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  55. ^ Elgot, Jessica (22 February 2018). "No 10 defends PM after Stormzy's Grenfell freestyle at Brits". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
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  60. ^ a b "Stormzy pledges £10m to fighting racial inequality". BBC News. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  61. ^ Premier (10 March 2017). "Stormzy: the chart-topping rapper who wears his faith on his sleeve". Premier Christianity. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  62. ^ "Stormzy Bible reading to end BBC One's Christmas Day". the Guardian. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  63. ^ "Is Stormzy married?". Capital XTRA. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  64. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (22 November 2017), Stormzy apologises for unearthed homophobic tweets Archived 11 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian.
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  67. ^ Nunn, Sam (15 August 2018). "Stormzy Scholarship for Black UK Students". www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  68. ^ "Stormzy announces second year of 'The Stormzy Scholarship', a student funding scheme with Cambridge University". University of Cambridge. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  69. ^ Marsh, Sarah; Hancox, Dan (8 November 2018). "Stormzy: Oxford University turned down my scholarship offer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
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  71. ^ Allfree, Claire (17 November 2019), "Book reviews: Thanks to Stormzy, here’s a poetic memoir of life as a black man" Archived 8 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Metro.
  72. ^ "Stormzy Announces UK Tour Ahead Of New Album 'Gang Signs & Prayer'". Capital Xtra. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  73. ^ "Stormzy 2020 World Tour: Tickets, Dates & Prices Revealed". Capital FM. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
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