Stormzy

Stormzy review – shock and awe

Leeds First Direct Arena
A superstar-size stage show very nearly distracts from the colossal charisma of the south London rapper

Kitty Empire

19, Mar, 2022 @2:00 PM

Stormzy review – victory lap for the big dog

Two years after he was due to tour his second album, the rapper makes the most of arena-sized spectacle – though arguably, he could carry the show without the special effects

Alexis Petridis

16, Mar, 2022 @12:45 PM

Abba to Zappa: pop, rock and classical music to look forward to in 2022

UK rap’s biggest star goes on tour, Wet Leg drop a deadpan debut and Rosalía gets into reggaeton. Here are the albums, concerts and tours the big hitters have in store

Alexis Petridis and Andrew Clements

30, Dec, 2021 @6:00 AM

Malorie Blackman: ‘Hope is the spark’

Malorie Blackman, the former children’s laureate, talks to Sian Cain about finishing her Noughts & Crosses series after 20 years, being namechecked by Stormzy and what inspired her to keep going through years of rejection

Sian Cain

11, Sep, 2021 @8:00 AM

Reading and Leeds festival review – Stormzy and Liam Gallagher unite the masses

With thoughts of Covid banished in a blitz of teenage hugging, there are some terrific moments amid this disappointingly male-heavy lineup

Dave Simpson

30, Aug, 2021 @10:08 AM

Here’s what the right gets wrong about culture: it’s not fixed, it’s a living thing | Kojo Koram

The Tories see culture as something that needs to be protected, but it’s a shifting landscape transformed by each generation, says Kojo Karam of Birkbeck College

Kojo Koram

16, Aug, 2021 @6:00 AM

‘It has our energy, our story’: asakaa, Ghana’s vibrant drill rap scene

From the US and UK, drill has spread to Ghana, where it provides a voice for the excluded. On the streets of Kumasi, the scene’s MCs tell their story

Emmanuel Akinwotu

04, Aug, 2021 @11:09 AM

Dave: We’re All Alone in This Together review – an eerie, anguished triumph

The rapper’s long-awaited second album darts between hedonistic swagger and unsparing social commentary to cement his place at rap’s apex

Rachel Aroesti

23, Jul, 2021 @1:38 PM

Dave: Clash (feat Stormzy) review – unflappable cool from two cultural icons

The UK’s biggest MCs join forces for a track full of sharp lines and calm restraint – even if the Corbyn line is a little odd

Alexis Petridis

09, Jul, 2021 @11:49 AM

Future Utopia review – grime’s silent partner Fraser T Smith turns up the volume

The super-producer to Stormzy, Dave and Kano showcases his solo album, with Kojey Radical and Simon Armitage among his eclectic guests

Kitty Empire

26, Jun, 2021 @1:00 PM

Def Jam: how a new British imprint of the iconic rap label poached Stormzy

Only 6% of music industry execs are Black. That system fails artists, say the founders of 0207 Def Jam, whose uniquely diverse boardroom aims to change the culture – for good

Joseph JP Patterson

18, Jun, 2021 @5:00 AM

From Dua Lipa to Boris Johnson – why it’s a ‘cultural mistake’ to wear union jack clothing

After Brexit, a legacy of far-right associations, and possible Scottish independence, the union flag still pushes buttons. What does patriotism mean in Britain today?

Priya Elan

16, Jun, 2021 @4:45 PM