Stormzy has opened up on his reasons for attacking British Prime Minister Theresa May during his Brits performance.
The grime artist called the U.K. leader out about the Grenfell Tower blaze, which cost 71 people their lives in the London last year (17), during his performance at the British awards ceremony last night (21Feb18).
“Yo Theresa May, where’s the money for Grenfell?” the star asked in a freestyle rap. “What, you thought we just forgot about Grenfell?”
Stormzy, real name Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo, Jr., later spoke to radio station BBC 5 live backstage and explained the reasoning behind his politically charged lyrics.
“I had to perform Blinded by Your Grace and Big For Your Boots and I needed to put something in the middle because I didn’t want to just come here as an artist like ‘yeah it’s the Stormzy show,'” the 24-year-old shared. “I was like nah man, this is bigger than me. If I can use my voice to say something bigger than me, and I don’t want this to be about me. It’s not about me, it’s about Grenfell, it’s about all the things I said in that lyric.”
The U.K. government has since responded to the hard-hitting questions raised by the songwriter.
“(Theresa May) is determined that the public inquiry will discover not just what went wrong but why the voices of the people of Grenfell were ignored over so many years,” a spokesman from the Prime Minister insisted on Thursday (22Feb). “In terms of support for the people affected by this tragedy, more than £58 million has been committed.”
Stormzy beat hot favorite Ed Sheeran to win British male solo artist and British album for Gang Signs & Prayer, but went on to share his admiration for his rival.
“That’s my brother man,” he said of the Shape of You hit-maker. “Bruv, I love him dearly.”
