HEAVY IS THE HEAD
That’s how The Guardian recorded politicians, musician and fans lauding Stormzy, the hottest new British rapper who’s proudly black and headlined the Glastonbury Festival’s Pyramid Stage with some fire verse.
Having first begun his ascent from the underground world of British rap, Micheal Ebanazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. entered the music scene by bringing his A-game to the genres of Rap, R&B and Grime. The 26-year-old rapper soon began getting the attention of big time labels and was awarded the Best Grime Act by the 2014 and 2015 MOBO Awards. He was also listed under BBC’s Sound of 2015 for music that was political, real and hard-hitting.
“I know I’m the product of bare injustice,” he said. “I feel like all those artists or public figures or celebrities who went through that, had to go through that … they didn’t have the luxury of being free with their music, and they had to bite that bullet for me.”
Popular for his controversial verse, Stormzy took the Glastonbury stage and used it as a platform to highlight the narrow door through which black artists were ushered, one by one, into the limelight. Wearing an innuendoes shirt, courtesy of artist Banksy, he stood as a voice against knife crime in the UK while holding the mic. His partnership with Penguin, where his imprint #Merky promotes writers of color, is also garnering fame. Stormzy is also lauded for his effort to support two black British students through their time at Cambridge University.
"It's mad to think I was just a kid from south London,
rapping in parks with friends.”
True to himself and hardworking, the Stormzy behind the scenes is known as just shy Mike. He spent his youth in the Croydon Library. At the age of 10, he was spitting verse with his friends, ripping music from LimeWire and exploring grime with his older sister at house parties. From then on, it was makeshift hood parties and learning how to make music with what little there was.
Today, he wakes up every day with a purpose that is the driving force behind his career. He claims that being called a leader or role model feels too overwhelming and as a man, he’s deeply flawed and learning to be a better version of himself every day.
This Southern British MC’s music has been rolling around the UK – and now, the world – with 2019 coming to a close and Stormzy being close to releasing another brilliant project, 2020 can’t wait to see what this idol is going to bring to the music scene.
Today, the rapper has over 2.5 million followers and over 76,000 likes on his social media profiles. Full of energy, duty, compassion and humility, it’s been quite a ride for Stormzy.
