Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr., known professionally as Stormzy is a British born musician of Ghanaian descent.
Stormzy came into popularity in the year 2014 with his freestyles and battle rapping in South London. Stormzy’s reign to popularity was interesting because not only does he rap in English, but he became one of the first few British artist to collaborate with African born artists and African artists of the diaspora.
One notable example of this collaboration would be one of his latest songs titled, “This is what I mean”. This song is symbolic and important because it basically calls for unity of Africans. His selection of artists for this song was also purposeful because he collaborated with African artists from different countries. For instance, Amaarae is an American born artist of Ghanaian descent. Black Sherif is a Ghanaian artist born in Konongo, Ghana. Storry, is a Canadian musician of North African descent. Lastly, Miss Banks is a British musician of Nigerian descent.
Stormzy’s willingness to display the importance of the African Diaspora by inviting other artists only goes to show his willingness to promote Africanism and show his support for the African community.
One of the many things that one will notice about this song is the repetition of “reparations” and the part of the song where Stormzy mentioned that “And he could be a young, Black Jimmy Naples” These two lines are significant when discussing the importance of the diaspora because Stormzy mentions reparations and how it’s essential for African nations to receive their reparations.
He also mentions Jimmy Naples who is a famous director who is known for his amazing story telling skills almost like an African griot.
Another important lyric to consider and pay attention to is when both Stormzy and Amaarae were calling out rich white women for their need to flaunt their wealth when they know that the wealth was stolen from the motherland.
Considering that both Stormzy and Amaarae come from two countries with the largest percentage of Black individuals outside of Africa and the Caribbean, their bravery in speaking out against the terrible history of mistreatment of Black individuals in both England and the United States is commendable and inspiring for those who would like to stand up against racial injustices. Stormzy is truly a force to be reckoned with.
