Stormzy

A London-based MC of Ghanaian heritage known for his spirited blend of grime, gospel, and R&B, Stormzy is one of the U.K.'s most successful artists, with a trio of chart-topping, widely acclaimed albums to his name. Climbing out of the underground grime scene with a series of triumphant mixtapes, singles, and freestyles, he made his breakthrough in 2017 with his platinum-certified debut album, Gang Signs & Prayer. Within five years of the release of his debut EP, he was a Glastonbury Festival headliner. His first number one hit single, "Vossi Bop," preceded his sophomore album, 2019's Heavy Is the Head. His introspective, ballad-heavy third album, This Is What I Mean, appeared in 2022, and he explored U.K. drill and Afroswing on subsequent singles like 2023's "Longevity Flow."

Born Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo, Jr. in the south London town of Croydon, he launched his career clashing at youth clubs around his hometown. His performances evolved from grime-only music that showed a love of artists like Skepta to more rap-oriented material that reflected Stormzy's growing appreciation for artists like Drake. Late in 2013, he began uploading his "Wicked Skengman" series of freestyles over classic grime beats; in 2014 he made his official debut with the EP Dreamers Disease. A year later, he released the single "Know Me From" along with "WickedSkengMan 4," the first track in his "WickedSkengMan" freestyle series and a Top 20 hit in the U.K. That December, Stormzy performed the single's B-side, "Shut Up," at a match between heavyweight boxers Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. The song jumped into the Top 40 following the broadcast, and the rapper launched a campaign to have the song top the charts during Christmas. This boosted the track to the number eight position, and the number one position on the R&B singles chart. Before returning to the studio to record his first LP, he released the non-album single "Scary" in the spring of 2016.

Stormzy returned in 2017 with his official full-length debut, Gang Signs & Prayer (#Merky Records), which featured the platinum single "Big for Your Boots," "Cigarettes & Cush" with Kehlani, and "Blinded by Your Grace, Pt. 2" with MNEK. The critically lauded set debuted atop the U.K. albums chart and was soon certified platinum. In 2018, the record took home the prize for British Album of the Year, and Stormzy was crowned British Male Solo Artist of the Year at the annual Brit Awards.

Riding the wave of acclaim, he was announced as one of the headliners at 2019's Glastonbury Festival. That year, he also scored his first number one single in the U.K. with "Vossi Bop." In October, Stormzy appeared on the cover of Time, topping the U.S. magazine's list of "next generation leaders." The single "Own It," featuring Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy, reached number two in the U.K. pop singles chart, and preceded Stormzy's second album, the chart-topping Heavy Is the Head. 2020 saw the release of "Disappointed" and "Still Disappointed," two diss tracks aimed at Wiley. Stormzy released charting collaborations with Loski, Ghetts, and Dave, then returned in 2022 with the seven-minute "Mel Made Me Do It," accompanied by an 11-minute cameo-filled video. This Is What I Mean, Stormzy's third album, arrived in November, with guest vocalists including Sampha, Jacob Collier, and Nao. Remixes of the Afroswing single "Hide & Seek" appeared in 2023 along with the drill-leaning "Toxic Trait" (with Fredo) and "Longevity Flow." ~ David Jeffries & Neil Z. Yeung