Longitude Preview: The return of Stormzy to Marlay Park

Right from the off, Stormzy had a manifesto to shake up British music. In the opening lines of his widely acclaimed 2017 debut Gang Signs & Prayer, he declares, “I’m a rebel with a cause”. It’s doubtful even the rapper himself could have known how spectacularly successful he would be in his mission.

Topping the charts in both Ireland and the UK, Gang Signs found the Croydon rapper bringing grime to a mainstream audience. It also incorporated elements of hip-hop, soul and gospel, making for one of the finest debuts of the decade. In much the same way that Kendrick Lamar’s success has seen him anointed as an anti-establishment figurehead in the US, a similar insurrectionary energy surrounds Stormzy (the dread phrase “voice of a generation” has even been invoked).

Lyrically, his debut was an incredibly vivid and powerful chronicle of working class London life. And the star certainly hasn’t forgotten his roots, famously lending his support to the Grime4Corbyn movement in the 2017 UK general election – one of the most fascinating intersections of politics and music in recent times (there was also the inevitable backlash, with Skepta subsequently telling one interviewer, “We’re four months or whatever later and no one gives a shit about it now, bruv”).

At the 2018 Brit Awards, meanwhile, Stormzy also criticised former PM Theresa May for her inaction in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster – which even prompted 10 Downing Street to release a statement defending May in response. Previously, Stormzy had also described May as a “paigon”, meaning an untrustworthy person (a more graphic use of the term on the Gang Signs track ‘Mr Skeng’ found Stormzy suggesting that “them paigons suck my dick”).

All the while, the rapper – again in parallel with Kendrick – continues his imperial phase. The landmark moments keep coming: earlier this year, Stormzy had his first UK number one single with ‘Vossi Bop’ (which contained a broadside against Boris Johnson), while the weekend before Longitude, he became the first ever British rapper to headline Glastonbury.

On the eve of that landmark show, Julie Adenuga of Apple Music’s Beats 1 said, “I think Stormzy has done a fantastic job of finding the balance between his own truth, as well as the reality of black Britain and working class Britain. It’s an extremely hard weight to carry, because we’re not all the same and on countless occasions he is often used as the poster boy for an entire community. To be able to stay true to his own dreams and goals but still fly the flag for his generation is commendable. It can’t be easy.”

Elsewhere, of late Stormzy has also launched a book imprint for young writers and established a scholarship at Cambridge. He may be a last minute stand-in at Longitude for Chance The Rapper, but having already headlined two years ago, Stormy is sure to deliver another stellar performance in Rathfarnham.