According to Stormzy, he deliberately chose to support his black peers and forerunners to overcome discrimination in the music business.
“I’ve known my whole life that I’m the black act. In a one-off BBC show, the famous British rapper said, “Maybe the token black performer.
“I want to put an end to that right there.”
The musician explained why he interrupted his historic Glastonbury Festival performance to recite a list of 52 rappers that had an impact on him.
It also inspired him to include singers Little Simz, Dave, and Gabrielle, as well as athletes Usain Bolt, Ian Wright, and Diana Asher-Smith, as well as writer Malorie Blackman, in the Mel Made Me Do It music video.
“Let one through” has always carried a stigma, he claimed. One black [guy] and one black lady are present at a time. That has to go.
This is why, when I perform Mel Made Me Do It with Glasto, it says, “This is us… We stand on your shoulders.
“I didn’t suddenly shatter the matrix out of nowhere,” the speaker said.
Through his Merky foundation, which provides scholarships to Cambridge University, and Merky FC, which aspires to increase diversity among football managers, coaches, and other behind-the-scenes responsibilities, Stormzy is also assisting the next generation of black talent.
In the 45-minute BBC special, Stormzy sang a mix of old favorites and brand-new songs and spoke openly with Nelson about his upbringing, rise to fame, and how headlining Glastonbury had helped him deal with his inner problems.
“It gave me such peace of mind to know that, even if everything goes wrong, you’ve done it. You can now stride with your head held high.
The performer claimed that the performance had given him the courage to take his new album, This Is What I Mean, in a more soulful, spiritual direction.
He listed Stevie Wonder, Frank Ocean, and Lauryn Hill as influences for the album, but Whitney Houston, whom he dubbed the “best of all time,” received his highest praise.
Although I have many GOATs, Whitney is my GOAT GOAT, he declared.
“I’m thinking you’ve done something intangible if I leave here and listen to Whitney in my car.
“You haven’t touched my back, shaken my hand, or given me a hug, yet you have just hit me in the soul,” I said.
Stormzy also discussed his close relationship with Adele, a fellow Tottenham native.
I’m a real fan, he said to Nelson. She has the gift of an incredible, lovely, emotional voice, as well as a fantastic pen. And she has an unmatched capacity to combine art and music with what she has been through, her experiences, and her feelings.
He said, nonetheless, that he had never given the idea of having her feature on one of his records.
“[That] ain’t the foundation of our friendship. The conversation is never about that.
“It’s never based on the fact that they are my real-life friends, whether it be Adele, Ed Sheeran, Dave, or Chris Martin. I won’t mind if I never collaborate on music with any of them.
But no, I never, I,” he added after joking, “but if I could get a hook…”
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