Multi-award-winning British musician, Stormzy, has said that he has made a conscious decision to promote his black peers and predecessors, to battle discrimination in the music industry.
The Superstar British rapper told DJ Trevor Nelson in a one-off BBC special that he has always understood that he is the black act, maybe the token black act.
“I want to kill that where it stands”
Stormzy
The star explained and paused his historic Glastonbury Festival set to read a list of 52 rappers who influenced him. He said it prompted him to populate the video for his recent single “Mel Made Me Do It” with musicians Little Simz, Dave, and Gabrielle; sports legends Usain Bolt, Ian Wright, and Diana Asher-Smith; and the author Malorie Blackman.
Stormzy said that there has always been a stigma of ‘let one through’ and that one black man, one black woman at a time, must die.
“I didn’t just pop out of the blue and break the matrix”
Stormzy
The musician is also supporting new generations of black talent through his Merky foundation, which offers scholarships to Cambridge University; and Merky FC, which aims to improve diversity among football managers, coaches, and other behind-the-scene roles.
The 45-minute BBC Special saw Stormzy perform a mix of classic hits and new songs, and sit down for a candid interview with Nelson about his origins, his rise to fame, and why headlining Glastonbury had calmed his inner demons.
“It gave me such peace in terms of knowing, all right, if it falls apart, you’ve done it. Now you can walk with your head high”.
Stormzy
The rapper said the performance had given him the confidence to pursue a more soulful, spiritual direction on his new album “This Is What I Mean”.
He cited Stevie Wonder, Frank Ocean, and Lauryn Hill among the record’s influences but reserved his highest praise for Whitney Housten, who he named the “greatest of all time”.
“I’ve got a lot of GOATs, but Whitney is my GOAT GOAT. If I leave here and get in my car and I listen to Whitney, I’m thinking, you’ve done something that is intangible. You haven’t put your head on my back, you haven’t shaken my hand, you haven’t given me a hug, but you have just hit me in my soul”.
Stormzy
He continued to talk about his long-standing friendship with fellow Tottenham native Adele. He said that he is a genuine fan and she is blessed with a gift of a stunning, beautiful, moving voice and a phenomenal pen, and her ability to marry what she has gone through, her experiences, and her feelings, with art and melody, is second to him.
However, he said that he had never considered asking her to appear on one of his records and that their friendship and conversation are not based on that.
In addition, he said that anyone who does music that is his real-life friend including Adele, Ed Sheeran, Dave, and Chris Martin, is never on that basis and he will be fine to never make music with them.
“However, if I could get a hook!, but no, I never, I never”.
Stormzy
Stormzy: Diversity isn’t a buzzword
Furthermore, Stormzy urged the music industry to take diversity more seriously, as he was honored at AIM Awards.
The rapper was named Diversity Champion for his efforts to “level the playing field” through his charities Merky Foundation and Merky Books.
“I encourage everyone in the room today to not just use diversity as a buzzword. Whatever position you’re in, let that be a driving factor and not just see it as a quota or a box to tick”.
Stormzy
Addressing a room full of music industry executives, he stressed: “the worth and the value” of embracing a wide range of voices in the workplace.
Stormzy’s Merky Foundation has pledged 10 million pounds sterling over 10 years to organizations and charities which is committed to fighting for racial equality, justice reform, and black empowerment within the UK.
It currently supports the Black Heart Foundation, which aims to improve access to education for underprivileged children, and partners with Cambridge University to award 20,000 pounds in scholarships to black students.
CEO Paul Pacifico said in his opening speech that neurodiversity is a subject close to AIM’s heart with several neurodiverse members in the team, the wider community, and our families.
“Music can and should be a safe and enabling environment for people who think and experience the world differently”.
Stormzy
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