Stormzy's song "Shut Up", which was initially released as a freestyle on YouTube, became popular and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart after he launched a campaign to reach Christmas number one.
26 Facts About Stormzy
2.
Stormzy won Best Grime Act at the 2014 and 2015 MOBO Awards and was named as an artist to look out for in the BBC's Sound of 2015 list.
3.
In 2019, Stormzy achieved his first UK number-one single with "Vossi Bop" and his headline appearance at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival was widely praised; he wore a Union Jack stab vest designed by Banksy, in light of the rise in knife crime in London.
4.
On 22 September 2022, Stormzy released the single "Mel Made Me Do It" accompanied by an 11-minute music video featuring popular artists, actors and sports figures such as Usain Bolt and Jose Mourinho.
5.
Stormzy's mother is Ghanaian, his father was a taxi driver and he is a cousin of rapper Nadia Rose.
6.
Stormzy grew up in South Norwood, London, with his mother, brother, and two sisters.
7.
Stormzy did not come from a particularly musical household, although he liked music.
8.
Stormzy began rapping at the age of 11 and would clash with older rappers at his local youth club.
9.
On 22 October 2014, Stormzy won Best Grime Act at the MOBO Awards.
10.
In November 2014, Stormzy collaborated with rapper Chip and Shalo on the track "I'm Fine", appearing in a video for the song.
11.
On 7 January 2015, Stormzy was number 3 in the "BBC Introducing top 5" on Radio 1.
12.
On 12 December 2015, Stormzy performed "Shut Up" during British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua's ring-walk for his fight versus Dillian Whyte.
13.
Stormzy wore a Union Jack stab vest designed by the artist Banksy, which was widely perceived as a comment on the rise in knife crime in London.
14.
Stormzy released the single "Mel Made Me Do It" on 23 September 2022, his first solo single since 2020.
15.
Stormzy returned to social media on 12 October 2022 to announce his third album This Is What I Mean, which was recorded on Osea Island in England.
16.
In May 2016, Stormzy endorsed Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
17.
On 24 June 2017, Stormzy performed a chant of "Oh, Jeremy Corbyn" to the tune of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" on the Other Stage at the Glastonbury Festival.
18.
On 21 February 2018, Stormzy performed a freestyle at the Brit Awards, calling out May for her inaction in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire the previous year.
19.
In November 2019, along with other musicians, Stormzy endorsed Corbyn in the 2019 UK general election with a call to end austerity.
20.
Stormzy said "people led change can be possible under a Jeremy Corbyn Labour government".
21.
Stormzy described the Labour leader as "the first man in a position of power who is committed to giving the power back to the people" and branded Boris Johnson "a sinister man".
22.
In November 2017, it was revealed that Stormzy had posted a series of messages on Twitter in 2011 that were deemed to be homophobic.
23.
Stormzy attracted controversy on 7 October 2020, when grime artist Chip released a video of Stormzy and several others at Chip's house in June of that year.
24.
Chip deleted the video within a few hours, but Stormzy was criticized for causing a heated argument with Chip's family and refusing to leave the building.
25.
Stormzy has funded the "Stormzy Scholarship for Black UK Students" at the University of Cambridge, covering tuition costs for two students and maintenance grants for up to four years.
26.
Stormzy had previously approached the University of Oxford who "didn't want to get involved", according to him.