Stormzy on the “responsibility” of attacking government for Grenfell Tower victims

"If I’m going to be on stage for five minutes at the Brit Awards, I have a responsibility"

Stormzy has revealed how he felt that he had a “responsibility” to represent those effected by the Grenfell Tower blaze during his acclaimed performance at the BRIT Awards earlier this year.

After winning the award for Best British Album, the grime artist delivered a now iconic performance that saw him calling out the government for failing to provide ample support for the victims of the tragic 2017 blaze. 

But in a new extract from his forthcoming autobiography, he’s now revealed how he felt that he had no choice but to call out the government and Theresa May.

Advertisement

“All I did was dedicate two bars to Grenfell. I sat down and wrote something out. And, yeah, of course it’s very dismissive to reduce that whole gesture to just writing a couple of bars, of course it is”, he explains in a new extract that has been serialised by GQ.

“But in terms of what’s actually happened, in terms of the people who lost their lives and the people who are still suffering and the fact that the government has tried to sleep on a tragedy, it’s nothing. There’s no suffering.”

Stormzy

He adds: “As a young black man coming from the community that I come from, I recognise that I have responsibilities. If I’m going to be on stage for five minutes at the Brit Awards, I have a responsibility. Bearing in mind that not one of us has been on that stage for a very long time, if it’s ever happened. If I have five minutes, I’ve got to use that time wisely.”

Meanwhile, Stormzy recently opened up on the experience of receiving a piano lesson from Paul McCartney.

Advertisement

“I was just so compelled, in the presence of someone that great, to get advice — anything for my career an OG like him can give me,” he explained.

“But I know the stigma that comes with being a rapper, so I introduced myself as a songwriter: ‘Can you teach me something?’”

Stormzy’s autobiography ‘Rise Up’ is released tomorrow.

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories