EXCLUSIVE: Stormzy clears up THAT awkward Jay-Z collab situation
Rumours were flying about that he'd turned him down!
Stormzy dropped by KISS Breakfast with Tom & Daisy this morning (19th Dec) to discuss his brand new album 'Heavy Is the Head', which was released on 13th December and is already making his way up the chart.
After he told us all about Ed Sheeran's house and how it's like Disneyland last week, Stormzy came back today to discuss the album - but we couldn't let him go without asking about THAT awkward collaboration situation with music legend Jay-Z.
Tom kindly gave us a run-down of what happened in case you missed it after joking that Stormz was the only man to ever mug off Jay-Z, explaining that Jay had been in the studio with Stormzy and Ed Sheeran working on 'Take Me Back To London', which appeared on Ed's recent album 'No.6 Collaborations Project' - but for one reason or another, it didn't work.
Stormzy explained, "Do you know what, you could never mug off Jay - when the story broke I was like, 'Listen, listen, no, no, you can’t turn down the jigga man', do you know what I mean, he's the legend."
He continued, "But he stopped the music. He said he knew already, he actually made the call, he put it to me like, 'What are we doing here?' and I was kind of like, 'Jay man, I don’t know'."
When Tom pointed out that Jay-Z's also not from London, Stormzy added, "There’s that, but also sonically... To be fair, we had this wicked powerful conversation in the studio like he stopped the music and was like, 'Let’s chill out, let’s talk'.
"We had this wicked chat, and after he kind of realised and we both realised like this is serious, this is more of an important moment than maybe we both realised. We were like, 'What are we doing here?', and I was like, 'I don’t think we should do it'."
Stormzy explained that after that conversation, he felt like he "could do anything", and came straight home to London despite the fact that he was meant to stay in South Africa, "It was so epic - I was just talking to Jay-Z! It’s deep!
"I always say there’s no-one I rate more on this planet than him - apart from my mum. My mum is probably the only person I rate, and my manager; I do rate Toby, he’s a G. But there’s no-one on earth that I look at and think, bruv, what a man."
Stormzy added that Jay-Z had given him a lot to think about, "He gave me a lot of motivation, he let me know I have a lot of integrity and what I did was gutsy. I was so shaken up by it, I had to go home, I had bare energy then I came back and started recording again."
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Scroll through to see Stormzy's career highlights so far...
2013: Career beginnings
Aged 19 in 2013, Stormzy was trying to make his music career happen while working in Southampton at an oil refinery. He released his first full project '168: The Mixtape'. The piece got its name from the fact it was recorded in one week - or 168 hours.
2014: MOBO win
The next year he followed up with 'Dreamers Disease EP' and the seven tracks shot to Number 1 in the iTunes Hip Hop/Rap chart and that year Stormzy scooped up Best Grime Artist at the MOBO Awards.
That's when things really started to take off for Stormzy as more and more people took notice of his talent. Fans were also feeling his love of Nando's, and he'd occasionally take fans there for free or casually gift them Adidas trainers.
2015: 'Know Me From' and 'Shut Up'
Stormzy also won Best Grime Act for the second year running at the 2015 MOBO Awards, and in February 2015 he dropped his first single 'Know Me From' with track 'Shut Up' following shortly after.
2015: Anthony Joshua performance
Stormzy performed 'Shut Up' live at Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte's boxing match at the O2 as Joshua's entrance music. The single was the first ever freestyle to enter the UK Top 40 and peaked at Number 18, which led Stormzy to launch a campaign to get the song to Christmas Number 1.
It had such support that the song did indeed break into the Top 10 for Christmas - although it didn't reach the top spot, it peaked at Number 8 and was his highest-charting single at the time.
2017: Debut album release
Following a year's career break in 2016 and a social media hiatus, Stormzy burst back onto the scene in 2017, releasing his debut album 'Gang Signs & Prayer' in February - going straight to Number 1. Stormzy also took part in the Artists For Grenfell campaign, featuring on the charity single 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' to raise funds for the residents of Grenfell Tower. At the BRIT Awards, he took home the gong for British Male Solo Artist.
2018: BRIT Awards performance
Stormzy's epic performance at the BRIT Awards 2018 saw the rapper use his platform to call out the government for not doing enough to help the residents of Grenfell Tower. His album 'Gang Signs & Prayer' became the first ever rap album to win British Album of the Year.
2019: Glastonbury Festival headline slot and second album
2019 was another big year for Stormzy - his headline set on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2019 was hugely acclaimed, and he once again used his platform to comment on politics. Wearing a Union Jack stab vest designed by artist Banksy, many took this as a comment on knife crime in London. He also used a speech made by Labour MP David Lammy on the British criminal justice system.
Stormzy released his second album, 'Heavy Is the Head', in December 2019, which went to Number 1 in the UK.
2020: BRIT Award win
Stormzy announced his 'Heavy is the Head' tour in December 2019, which was to take place in September 2020 around the UK - starting with two nights at The O2 in London, then calling at Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff and Bournemouth. Unfortunately, dates of his tour were rescheduled due to the pandemic.
On the more positive side, Stormzy won British Male Solo Artist at the BRITs 2020, as well as three other nominations, and gave an incredible 10-minute performance with Burna Boy of 'Don't Forget to Breathe', 'Wiley Flow', 'Own It' and 'Rainfall'.
The rapper and singer spent time in 2020 being charitable, working with a scheme to give a young fan a bedroom makeover, as well as surprising him in a heartfelt video. Stormzy was also announced to appear on the soundtrack for NBA video game NBA 2K21 with his song 'Bronze' from album 'Heavy is the Head'.
2021: Madame Tussauds waxwork
On 26th July 2021, in celebration of the rapper's 28th birthday, it was announced that he would be getting his very own waxwork at Madame Tussauds London, joining their star-studded summer line-up.
2022: 'Heavy Is The Head' Tour
Stormzy headed on tour around the UK supporting his 2019 album 'Heavy Is The Head'. Following his residency at London's O2 Arena, which covered March 27th, 28th and 29th, the tour - which is the rapper's biggest to date - wrapped up on 3rd April 2022.
The tour was his biggest yet and also saw him perform in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Liverpool. Stormzy's sister Rachael Anson was the supporting act for the tour and played a DJ setlist to open his shows.
2022: Met Gala debut
Stormzy made his debut at the prestigious Met Gala where the theme was White Tie. Suiting up in the spirit of the dress code, the rapper wore an all-white Burberry three-piece wool suit complete with satin lapels. Also adding to the outfit was an impressive matching white cape designed by Riccardo Tisci.
2022: Honorary degree
Stormzy was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Exeter - he is now a doctor! In his acceptance speech, he told of his experience taking his AS Levels. He said he was "extremely blessed and grateful".
2022: Third album announced
Big Mike announced his highly-anticipated third album 'This Is What I Mean' in October 2022, revealing the track list AND that it would be coming just a month later in November.
2022: British GQ Men of the Year cover star
Stormzy appeared as the cover star of British GQ's Men of the Year edition, a hugely prestigious title. In his profile interview, he spoke about how he views success differently now he's older: "My version of success now requires a man: not just more music and more money. Now it means taking care of my family, having children, having a wife, even understanding marriage and raising kids, and that requires a man."
2023: Stormzy was nominated for three BRIT Awards
In January 2023, Stormzy picked up three BRIT Award nominations including ones for: Mastercard Album of The Year, Artist of The Year and Hip Hop, Grime and Rap act. Although he lost to Harry Styles twice and Aitch, he gave an incredible performance at the event.
2023: 'The Weekend' with RAYE
In July 2023, Stormzy teamed up with RAYE on 'The Weekend'. The track is accompanied by an official music video and combines Stormzy's rap and RAYE's soulful vocals.
2024: Sixth MOBO Award win
Stormzy took home his sixth MOBO Award at the ceremony in February 2024, taking home the Video of the Year gong for 'Mel Made Me Do It' and tying him Central Cee for the most awarded rapper in MOBOs history. Although he couldn't be there in person, he sent a message of thanks in which he said he was "honoured" and that the video was a "piece of art" for all involved in the making of the video.
2024: MerkyFC HQ launch
In May 2024, Stormzy shared the exciting news that he, along with Adidas, were opening the brand new MerkyFC HQ in Croydon. He wrote: 'Excited to finally announce a very special project that myself and Adidas have been working on for the past 3 years. The brand new #MerkyFC HQ in Croydon - A new multi-purpose centre providing opportunities for young Londoners across football, music and gaming.
'Don't wanna get too emotional but it means the world to be able to build something in my hometown that can serve the community and be a place for opportunity, education, fun and of course football.
'We are open from tomorrow - Visit merkyfchq.com to find out more about how you can get involved! #MerkyFC HQ . TO GOD BE THE GLORY! 🙏🏿❤️'.
Stormzy and Adidas' Merky FC initiative was first announced in 2023, providing 15 you black people with jobs in the industry - with the rapper revealing that in 2024, he wants to go bigger, with 50 roles available.
2024: F1 British Grand Prix performance
In July 2024, Stormzy performed to the British Grand Prix crowd as a headline act, taking to the main stage as part of the weekend-long festival. The performance served as Stormzy's debut Silverstone appearance, as well as his second live show in the UK in 2024. Ahead of the big race, the rapper took to the stage on Friday 5th July, with his then-girlfriend Maya Jama there supporting him.
Sadly, the couple announced they had split less than two weeks later in a joint statement, explaining that they had tried again following their original relationship that ended in 2019.