Have you seen Crank? There’s this one scene in a hospital where Jason Statham’s heart-rate is juddering to a halt. He points a gun at Glenn Howerton, him off Always Sunny in Philadelphia, passes him a defibrillator paddle and says “juice me”. Well, Statham is grime and the defibrillator is Stormzy.
That’s not to say grime’s been dying, though. It’s just that, once again, the mainstream is being forced to pay attention to this fucking volatile art form. People are calling grime ‘the new punk’ and, as trite as that sounds, they’re right. Punk musicians are calling grime the new punk. And if that is indeed the case, then Stormzy is Ian MacKaye being paraded around by Johnny Rotten.
‘Gang Signs & Prayer’, the MC’s debut full-length, bangs where you’d expect. Shut Up has lost none of its replay value and still hits like a cluster-bomb made entirely of elbows, but here Stormzy is doing more than just calling his detractors dickheads over thick, slimy beats.
There’s lots of that, too, but this album isn’t really what you think of when someone says ‘grime’. Especially if you were at the Brits and thought it was called grunge.
Stormzy has a lot to say and ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’ has him cover pretty much all of the bases. First Things First brings us into his world with the sound of a storm – geddit?! – and has him rap about Twitter, knife crime, riots and jealousy: “Rappers jumpin’ on my dick just to build a rapport.”
The accompanying apocalyptic choirs and rising synths on Bad Boys and Big For Your Boots are just ridiculous, taking Stormzy out of the streets and into the colosseum. Even though it’s an hour long, this record is meticulously crafted, flowing like a storm drain full of piss and gold.
Throwbacks to old-school, pitch-shifted vocals work a treat on Big For Your Boots and the six-minute Velvet/Jenny Francis (Interlude), with the latter showcasing Stormzy’s delicate, kinda vulnerable croon. He knows he’s not the best singer in the world but that doesn’t matter, because you believe every word.
Blinded By Your Grace, Pt. 2 has some Thin Lizzyish guitarwork, reeling you into the church of Stormzy and demanding you down the wine after MNEK’s jaw-smashing guest vocal. And that’s another point: ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’ features everyone from Wretch 32 to Lily Allen, but this is still Stormzy’s gig. He’s never overpowered, never bettered, and that’s a wonderful thing.
While you’ve got an Ibiza anthem in Cold, you’re handed a morose, deeply personal vignette in Lay Me Bare. You can imagine Stormzy racing through London back alleys on Return Of The Rucksack and you can see him stoned off his bean in Cigarettes & Cush. He weaves his narratives with ease and they are connecting with people. It’s spreading. The mainstream can’t suppress this anymore. Before this record even came out, Stormzy’s entire UK tour – including three nights at Brixton Academy – sold out almost instantly. ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’ is pretty much as good as this shit gets. Call it grime, call it hip hop, call it whatever you want. Just don’t ignore it.
Stormzy Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed March 29 2017 - DUBLIN Olympia
Fri March 31 2017 - BELFAST Limelight
Sun April 02 2017 - LIVERPOOL O2 Academy Liverpool
Mon April 03 2017 - LEICESTER O2 Academy Leicester
Wed April 05 2017 - GLASGOW O2 Academy Glasgow
Thu April 06 2017 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE O2 Academy Newcastle
Fri April 07 2017 - MANCHESTER Academy
Sat April 08 2017 - LEEDS O2 Academy Leeds
Tue April 11 2017 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
Wed April 12 2017 - NORWICH Norwich Nick Rayns LCR UEA
Thu April 27 2017 - BOURNEMOUTH O2 Academy Bournemouth
Fri April 28 2017 - BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
Sat April 29 2017 - NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Sun April 30 2017 - SHEFFIELD O2 Academy Sheffield
Tue May 02 2017 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
Wed May 03 2017 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
Thu May 04 2017 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
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