‘I’ll tell my kids I was part of this time in the culture’: Stormzy credits Africa for revolutionizing black music as he looks ahead to his ‘fearless’ 30s
A BBC Award, two BET Awards, three BRIT Awards and, of course, the coveted Ivor Novello rank first among the many accolades he’s won since emerging from the British grime scene less than a decade ago.
But as Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr, the man best known as Stormzy, prepares for his 30th birthday in July, he insists that the best – both musically and spiritually – is yet to come.
Indeed, the London-based rapper is back in the studio as he begins work on a fourth album, just six months after releasing his third – the critically acclaimed and commercially successful This Is What I Mean.
And he believes the confidence and self-assurance that comes with aging positively impacts his art at a time when black music is at a commercial peak.
He said that in the summer edition of 2023 DAZED: There’s a difference when you do this on your first album when you’re 22 and your fourth when you’re approaching 30.
Looking Ahead: As Stormzy prepares for his milestone 30th birthday in July, he emphasizes that the best – both musically and spiritually – is yet to come
Back at it: Indeed, the London-based rapper is back in the studio as he begins work on a fourth album, just six months after releasing his third
“It’s the kind of peace, stability and stillness that you can only get when you grow up. You lose all nervous shivers and anxiety; you shake it off because now you’re a grown man getting into your own skin.’
The rapper acknowledges that his rise to prominence comes during a moment of cultural transition, with once-marginalized African music infiltrating the mainstream, filling American and European dance floors and influencing artists of all ethnicities.
“People are just unashamed in their blackness and it’s the best music on the planet right now,” he said. ‘The best music on earth comes from Africa. Even that is just inspiring: be your black self. And look! It set the world on fire.
“I will tell my children that I was part of this time in the culture. I had a sacrifice. I was here; I was part of it.’
The rapper will be celebrating his 30th birthday on July 26, and he says he’s ready to embrace an even more eventful new chapter.
“I don’t think anything has changed even creatively now,” he said. “I think I might be bolder now, and I’m even braver, and I’m even more fearless. But I always have been… I am all those things, but with maturity.
“All I know is that the next chapter has music for me, but beyond that? Don’t know. It’s the most beautiful “I don’t know”… there’s no confusion about where I should be and who I should be.
“It’s like ‘God, I’m ready to do the work here on earth, you just lead it.'”
The full interview is available to read in the latest edition of DAZED, out now.
Moment in time: He believes the confidence and self-assurance that comes with aging positively impacts his art at a time when black music is reaching a commercial peak
Lovingly for now, “I will tell my kids I was a part of this time in the culture. I had a sacrifice. I was here; I was part of it,” he told Dazed magazine
Turning point: The rapper celebrates his 30th birthday on July 26 and he says he’s ready to embrace a brand new chapter
Read all about it: The full interview is available to read in the latest edition of DAZED, out now