Stormzy Introduces America To The British Version Of ‘Gang Signs And Prayer’
Artist after artist has swept through the game spitting tales from the projects on their way to the church pew, but with Stormzy it feels different. Maybe it’s the distinct influence from his grime forefathers like Skepta and Wiley, maybe it’s the Thornton Heath accent or maybe it’s the charisma that bridges the huge spectrum of emotions but Gang Signs and Prayer is the kind of project that will distinguish Stormzy from all that came before him and put him on the map for years to come.
Despite, or potentially because of, his roots on the other side of the world, the Croydon (South London) spitter has been a perennial underdog when it comes to the North American market. His ability to spot emerging trends on both sides of the pond, react to them when necessary and still stay true to his roots of emptying a monsoon of bars onto the track shines through at every opportunity. He might not be telling the most original stories ever but because of his perspective and geographic location, the output feels like we’re hearing the tales for the first time.
#GSAP also hails up some of the yesteryear artists that created the folklore of grime music. The “Crazy Titch Interlude” features a call from Titch, an artist who slayed a producer with a machine gun just for speaking their mind on his half-brother, to proclaim that grime is becoming a 1st tier genre because of Stormz. If you’re wondering where to find some of Titch’s records, you might be surprised to hear he has been running the in-prison studio and putting out music still. It’s mad a ting, this world.
The rapid rise to fame hasn’t been without hurdles but the WickedSkengMan’s penchant for tackling naysayers, political issues and notoriety have been met straight on. After Dillian White, a promising boxer, started to throw bars at him in interviews, Stormzy responded with “Shut Up,” a park freestyle that has tallied almost 50 million views to date. He followed that with the knockout punch of introducing boxing superstar Anthony Joshua as he walked to the ring to knock Dillon unconscious. #TombstoneEmoji
This is basically a microcosm of how the stars have been aligning for the man formerly known as Young Bonkaz. When things look particularly bad, he somehow emerges from the mud in a bright, white Adidas tracksuit with a big smile on his face and another surprise victory for his fans.
With the album dropping Friday and being leaked early, Stormzy smiled like it didn’t bother him and stepped on-stage to close out the Brits with Ed Sheeran on what might be the biggest remix of the year. If their performance didn’t turn you into a fan, then their one-on-one bro session chatting about falling asleep while having sex should do the trick.
Despite having heard records like Good Kid, M.A.A.D City from Kendrick and My Krazy Life from YG, Stormzy manages to put a new spin on an old story. These are the nuances of great storytellers that manage to transcend language barriers, oceans and eras. It seems like nothing can stop the meteoric rise of Michael Omari, but next time someone fixes their mouth to try and come at him, let’s pray their inbox is flooded with hundreds of prayer hand emojis.
Still thirsty? Hit the international plug for that bass on Twitter, @Aspektz.
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