Stormzy's perfect grime

The title sends a clear message. Head bowed, with a heavy crown, eyes fixed on the bulletproof vest designed by Banksy which defined his iconic headline performance at Glastonbury, one thing is for certain: Stormzy has reclaimed a painful throne. His kingdom is that of politically charged grime music, protesting social injustice, often in support of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

With his second album, the artist born Michael Omari, only 24 years old, punctuates an eventful year for the United Kingdom. It’s no surprise that Heavy Is The Head draws on a wide range of guest stars to ensure a mix of R&B, grime and pop, much like its predecessor Gang Signs & Prayers did in 2017. Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy enrich the catchy radio-friendly Own It, H.E.R. features on One Second as YEBBA does on Don’t Forget to Breathe.

This album sees Stormzy explore a more introspective side to himself (a surprising contrast to some of his previous material), like Lessons which broaches the subject of his very public breakup with Maya Jama. The Croydon MC does not however lose sight of his album’s main objective. With a few nods to the masters of the genre (Wiley Flow, Bronze), Stormzy charges his opus with bangers powered by inescapable beats.

If Audacity with Headie One is there to usher in a new generation of rappers, the art of using the right formula of rhymes and beats to drive home a liberal political message is the MO on Vossi Bop (see the huge crowd at Glastonbury singing back the lyrics “I could never die, I’m Chuck Norris/Fuck the government and fuck Boris”). With Shut Up and its millions of views on YouTube, Stormzy had already laid the groundwork for making grime mainstream in 2015, but now it’s a fact.

LISTEN TO "HEAVY IS THE HEAD" BY STORMZY ON QOBUZ

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