Music
The story of Stormzy told through 10 essential tracks
With his new album Heavy Is The Head now on shelves, we trace Stormzy's ascent to stardom.
Rising at the vanguard of grime's mid-2010s second wind, Stormzy's career stems from the backstreets of Thornton Heath to the headline slot on Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage.
Today, he's a household name -- almost as well known for his Cambridge scholarships and Penguin publishing imprint as he is for his music. But of course it's his music that all of this flows through...
1. I'm Back
Back when young Michael Omari was still an unsigned star, he was already claiming to "put his city on the map." Freestyling over a Cam'ron beat on a railway overpass and flexing in a plastic Hama Bead necklace, both his talent and ambition were clear even then.
2. WICKEDSKENGMAN [PART 1]
The first in a series of freestyle videos that would eventually see the south London MC make chart history (more on that later). This instalment served as an introduction to Stormzy's playful lyricism, fierce independence -- and of course his penchant for adorning himself with nicknames.
3. Not That Deep
With Not That Deep, we get a first glimpse of Stormzy's ability to carve an earworm chorus out of even the most stripped-back grime instrumental. The track would lead him to become the first unsigned rapper to perform on the BBC's Later... with Jools Holland, and along with follow-up single Know Me From would cement the young MC's status as a unique talent.
4. Shut Up
Considered at the time to be a response to a series of diss tracks by east London grime MC (and Wiley's half-brother) Cadell, the "fire in the park" freestyle over XTC's classic Functions On The Low instrumental has since grown far beyond the realm of petty grime beefs. After the track went viral, a studio version was released along with the final part of the WICKEDSKENGMAN series. It made history by being the first freestyle to breach the UK Top 20, and would eventually break into the Top 10 (landing at number eight) after an online campaign aimed to take the track to the top spot at Christmas.
5. Big For Your Boots
A skippy Sir Spyro-produced anthem, Big For Your Boots marked the beginning of Stormzy's transformation from cheeky YouTube rapper into the polished performer we see today. And his bar about singing his lungs out in the O2 -- "You're never too big for Adele" -- would spark the start of a heartwarming friendship with one of the biggest popstars of his generation too.
6. Blinded By Your Grace Pt. 2 (feat. MNEK)
Organs, gospel choirs, and prostrate addresses to the Lord weren't typical fixtures of a grime album until Stormzy delivered up Gang Signs & Prayer. But then grime albums going to the top spot in the charts wasn't usual back then either. A highlight of his groundbreaking debut, Blinded By Your Grace Pt. 2 reflected the south Londoner's grander ambitions -- perhaps best evidenced by his iconic performance, drenched in rainfall, at the 2018 edition of the BRIT Awards.
7. Vossi Bop
With a louche lean, back-sliding kick drums, and an effortlessly cool video, Vossi Bop heralded Stormzy's return in the most nonchalant way possible. It scored him a first number one single and set him up for the best year of his career to date -- one that saw him headline Glastonbury, grace the cover of TIME, and release his second album to widespread acclaim.
8. Crown
On Crown, Stormzy flexes his vocal chords as he grapples with the newfound responsibilities of life in the limelight and being called upon as a voice of his generation. The track lends its hook to the title of his second album, Heavy Is The Head, and forms a thematic centrepoint for the record -- and for this new juncture in the grime MC's blooming career.
9. Wiley Flow
Stuffed with lyrical nods to Wiley and the other MCs who paved the way, Wiley Flow sees Stormzy stake his claim as the scene's new leader: "I can't drop the bag, I'm the bag." It's a return to a rawer, colder sound -- proving that the south Londoner hasn't left his roots behind him entirely.
10. Own It (feat. Burna Boy & Ed Sheeran)
Ably assisted by frequent chart-botherer Ed Sheeran and the self-described African giant Burna Boy, Stormzy closed out the decade with a glossy slice of global pop and cemented his status as one of the most significant UK artists of the 2010s in the process.
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