He's an artist who's been around for a while, but has only really risen to fame within the past few years. So, what exactly does he do, and why does he deserve the buzz he's getting right now?
I'll start off by saying that Stormzy deserves to be where he is right now due to his epic work rate. He's has been making tracks for a long time, and it's only recently that they've really started to get the traffic that they deserve. Take a look at some of his older pieces of work, and you'll be amazed. Stormzy's artistic ability has grown so much, and it continues to do so.
He also grew up in South London, which has a pretty high crime rate. In areas like that, it is extremely easy to be drawn into the activities that surround you, and ruin your life. As a young person who grew up in a rough part of London, I can't stress this enough. However, he is clearly focused on his career and isn't letting any nonsense ruin his route to success either.
Stormzy also treats his fans like friends. He treats them in a way that most artists do not. For example, not too long ago, Stormzy took some of his fans for a meal at Nandos. He drove around London giving pairs of trainers to those who had bought his single. More recently, he published a tweet asking a fan to record Soccer AM, and said he'd actually come over and watch it with them. He stuck to his word and there was a picture to prove it. This makes the fans love Stormzy even more...how likely would most artists be to do this!? Many artists view themselves as higher than their fans, and only associate with celebrities or people who share a similar status to them.
Stormzy constantly keeps things fresh, and is always dropping new music. He doesn't seem to leave fans hungry for long. He obviously is passionate about his career, and that's a huge reason why it's going in such a good direction. In fact, it's going in many directions lately. Stormzy has been in contact with Rosenberg of one of the US's biggest stations - Hot 97. He just released a song that was recorded in Japan. He's certainly getting around, and his career is still in the early days. Imagine ten years from now?
Lastly, let's talk about MOBO's. How can we not? At the most recent MOBO Awards, Stormzy won the Best Grime Act and Best Male Act. Words can't express how crazy that is for him and all grime fans. It takes Grime to another level, and it will hopefully do the same for his career. So I guess you could say I'm a fan of Stormzy. It's pretty evident. And I'm telling you that if you enjoy Grime, and appreciate artists who truly love their fans, listen to Stormzy.
You'll become a fan too.
I actually like to dip in and out of grime, and have only been listening to Stormzy for a few months but find his music really exciting. I didn't know that he did any of these great things though, which I think may really help to shift the stigma attached to grime artists.