Grime music gives young people a voice. And Stormzy didn't forget this when he took to one of the most high profile stages in Britain on Wednesday night...
The BRIT Awards was a big night for Stormzy.
Not only did he scoop the prize in both categories that he was nominated in – including British Album Of The Year for Gang Signs & Prayer – but the grime artist also pulled a monumental performance out of the bag to close the show.
Having just given his acceptance speech for the most sought-after award of the night, the Shut Up rapper took to the main stage at London’s O2 to perform a medley of his work.
His powerful performance – which included Blinded By Your Grace and Big For Your Boots – was met with an overwhelmingly positive response, with his name soon trending on social media, largely due to the political chords it struck.
In the very middle of his performance, Stormzy (real name Michael Omari) delivered a couple of impassioned freestyle bars, aimed at highlighting institutional racism and the government’s treatment of the underprivileged.
‘Yo, Theresa May, where’s that money for Grenfell? You thought we just forgot about Grenfell?
‘You’re criminals, and you’ve got the cheek to call us savages, you should do some jail-time, you should pay some damages, you should burn your house down and see if you can manage this,’ he said.
.@Stormzy1 won two #Brits awards tonight. Here is his absolutely chilling performance. So fucking moving. pic.twitter.com/6IGitLqjDj
— victoria sanusi (@victoriasanusi) February 21, 2018
He finished: ‘Will someone tell the Daily Mail they can suck my…?’ This reference probably touched on Stormzy’s previous experience with the publication and the inequality of media reporting, Buzzfeed reports.
Naturally, it didn’t take long for the sentiment to be spread across Twitter, with a number of people pointing out that he was a strong spokesperson for the younger, disenfranchised, generation.
New age activism at its absolute best. https://t.co/47p1zBTj4q
— Stacey Dooley (@StaceyDooley) February 22, 2018
We have to respect Stormzy.. I’m sorry. But he is an actual inspiration to british music, british culture.. first grime artist to get a Number 1 album, now a 2 time Brit award winner. Black British music is thriving. #brits
— moze (@omozay) February 21, 2018
I’m here for stormzy going OFF and talking about real issues on a platform that everyone will see #BRITs
— lou (@andywyd) February 21, 2018
Stormzy just sang “Theresa May, where’s the money for Grenfell? You think we forgot about Grenfell?” live on stage at the #BRITs.
He is this country’s biggest asset, musically and politically.
— Shelly (@ShellyAsquith) February 21, 2018
Stormzy brought religion, politics, and road to the #BRITs Backed it for Grenfell, gave a shout out to Daniel Kaluuya & Jourdan Dunn, sang in the rain, and didn't get muted once. He's a legit national treasure
— Elizabeth Pears (@BizPears) February 21, 2018
Not usually the kind of post we would make, but it was really refreshing to see #Stormzy at the #Brits last night. Great to see a young person involved and engaged in politics. Hopefully he can get the younger generations more interested in using their vote. pic.twitter.com/gHwy20MfdL
— NHS Million (@NHSMillion) February 22, 2018
‘Ahhh @Stormzy1 -talented, intelligent, politically aware. Seriously this is exactly what you want young people looking up to. Someone who comes from where they come from and won’t allow himself to be stereotyped…,’ one tweet said.
Another account added: ‘Great to see a young person involved and engaged in politics. Hopefully he can get the younger generations more interested in using their vote.’
We’re pretty sure this performance is going to go down in history.
The post Why Stormzy’s BRITs Performance Meant A Lot More Than You Might Think appeared first on Look Magazine.