His debut album, Gang Signs & Prayer, was released on 24 February 2017, and was the first grime album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart and won British Album of the Year at the 2018 Brit Awards. In 2019, Stormzy achieved his first UK number-one single with "Vossi Bop" and his headline appearance at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival was widely praised; he wore a Union Jack stab vest designed by Banksy, in light of the rise in knife crime in London. His second album, Heavy Is the Head, was released on 13 December 2019. On 22 September 2022, Stormzy released the single "Mel Made Me Do It" accompanied by an 11-minute music video featuring popular artists, actors and sports figures such as Usain Bolt and JosΓ© Mourinho. He returned to social media on 12 October 2022 to announce his third album This Is What I Mean, which was recorded on Osea Island in England. It was released on 25 November 2022. The first single to be released was titled "Hide & Seek" on 14 October 2022.
Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. was born on 26 July 1993 in Croydon, London. His mother is Ghanaian, his father was a taxi driver and he is a cousin of rapper Nadia Rose. He grew up in South Norwood, London, with his mother, brother, and two sisters. Stormzy did not come from a particularly musical household, although he liked music. He attended Stanley Tech South Norwood. He began rapping at the age of 11 and would clash with older rappers at his local youth club.
One Take Freestyle
Stormzy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
16 bars, no filler
Man wanna end my career
I see bare fuckboys, no killers
Go figure
Thinking you're big, I'm bigger
Think my white friends can say nigga?
And I'll stand here like that's jigga?
Going on wicked and bad
Go on then, pick up your strap
But please don't twist up the facts
Pathetic
I see niggas go switch up from rap
But this rap game's long and it's winner-stays-on
So pussy, don't pick up the pad (dickhead, dickhead)
Death threats
So many death threats
So tell me
How comes I ain't dead yet?
Mad ting
How comes I ain't bled yet?
22 but I'm still an old school legend
Like Nedved
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait start off
Don't make me start off
They go and make diss tracks
Then I go and just chart top
Popped off
This game ain't something that I'm part of
I know real badboys like Narcos
I was a real bad boy, ask Carlos
Man have got Ghetts' spirit inside me
Go and ask Mumzy, bad from primary
Cocoa butter and the afro comb
Used to step out the yard with my face all shiny
You know them ones, dark and reckless
Bluejays ting for my breakfast
I've been keeping my ear to the streets
And there ain't many niggas that I've been impressed with
Grown arse men saying my name, embarrassing
Big with wife and the kids, embarrassing
Man are like 30+, how embarrassing
Now you wanna start with us, that's embarrassing
What? None of my Gs nominated for BRITs?
Are you taking the piss? Embarrassing
But I've got the force like Anakin
This year, I'll let that slide, stop panicking
But next year, I'm going on dark
Like wah gwan, is my face too dark?
Last year, they told the mandem that to be nominated
You've gotta go on UK charts
So what do we do? We chart
Don't come here with your lies, don't start
Deny our ting, you calm
Deny our ting, I'll bark
Stiff Chocolate, not the edible type
Smoke on a medical vibe
I bring your girl to my show
She said I'm incredible live
Man wanna see me respond
See, I would but my schedule is tight
Man try say that he's better than me?
That was a terrible lie
Man try say he's the fucking best
LOL, I'm fucking dead
You can keep your stupid opinions
In your stupid fucking head
All you do is fucking bred
Here he comes, this fucking beg
Take this mash, remove yourself
Or jump in front of a truck instead
I clocked it
My man's lost it
Man held a beating
The ref should've stopped it
Mopped it
Had one chance and flopped it
Threatening me won't make you the heavyweight champ, rudeboy
Stop this, man
Fucking hell, bruv
It's stopped, it's over
In his song 'One Take Freestyle' Stormzy is expressing his thoughts about the rap game and his position in it. In the first verse, he talks about his critics who want to end his career even though they are not real killers, just mere 'fuckboys.' He claims he is bigger and stronger than them and warns them not to make diss tracks that he will just chart top. Later on, he talks about his experience with death threats and why he's still standing. The song also touches on his difficulty with being nominated for music awards as a black artist, the pressure to chart in the UK charts, and the embarrassing behavior of grown men who seek to start beef with him.
Line by Line Meaning
Driller
I'm a dangerous rapper
16 bars, no filler
I have 16 lines in this freestyle and none of them are useless
Man wanna end my career
People are trying to stop my success
I see bare fuckboys, no killers
I see a lot of fake gangsters and no actual killers
Go figure
That's something to think about
Thinking you're big, I'm bigger
You think you're important, but I'm more important
Think my white friends can say nigga?
Do you think it's okay for my non-black friends to use the n-word?
And I'll stand here like that's jigga?
And I'll act like that's acceptable like Jay-Z does?
Mad
That's crazy
Going on wicked and bad
Acting tough and unruly
Go on then, pick up your strap
Go ahead and get your gun
But please don't twist up the facts
Don't distort the truth
Pathetic
That's sad and weak
I see niggas go switch up from rap
I see rappers change their style
But this rap game's long and it's winner-stays-on
But the rap industry is competitive and only the best survive
So pussy, don't pick up the pad (dickhead, dickhead)
So don't try to rap if you're not good enough
Death threats
I receive messages threatening to kill me
So many death threats
I get a lot of these messages
So tell me
Explain this to me
How comes I ain't dead yet?
Why am I still alive despite these threats?
Mad ting
That's insane
How comes I ain't bled yet?
Why haven't I been physically attacked yet?
22 but I'm still an old school legend
I'm young but I'm already a respected veteran
Like Nedved
Like the football player Pavel Nedved
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait start off
Hold on, let me take a moment
Don't make me start off
Don't make me get serious
They go and make diss tracks
They make songs insulting me
Then I go and just chart top
Then I release a successful song
Popped off
I've become popular
This game ain't something that I'm part of
I'm not just a player in this industry
I know real badboys like Narcos
I know actual criminals like those in the show Narcos
I was a real bad boy, ask Carlos
I used to be a tough guy, ask my friend Carlos
Man have got Ghetts' spirit inside me
I'm inspired by the rapper Ghetts
Go and ask Mumzy, bad from primary
Ask my mom, I've always been a troublemaker
Cocoa butter and the afro comb
I use products for my hair and skin
Used to step out the yard with my face all shiny
I used to leave the house with shiny skin
You know them ones, dark and reckless
You know how some people act, daring and dangerous
Bluejays ting for my breakfast
I eat a popular cereal brand for breakfast
I've been keeping my ear to the streets
I'm aware of what's happening in my community
And there ain't many niggas that I've been impressed with
I'm not impressed with many other rappers
Grown arse men saying my name, embarrassing
Older men talking about me is shameful
Big with wife and the kids, embarrassing
You're supposed to be a responsible adult, don't talk about me
Man are like 30+, how embarrassing
You're over 30 years old and still talking about me, that's shameful
Now you wanna start with us, that's embarrassing
You're trying to pick a fight with us now, that's foolish
What? None of my Gs nominated for BRITs?
What? None of my group members were nominated for the BRIT Awards?
Are you taking the piss? Embarrassing
That's an insult, that's ridiculous
But I've got the force like Anakin
But I have strong power like the Star Wars character Anakin Skywalker
This year, I'll let that slide, stop panicking
I'll forgive that this year, don't worry too much
But next year, I'm going on dark
But next year, I'll be aggressive and intense
Like wah gwan, is my face too dark?
Like what's going on, do people not like me because of my skin color?
Last year, they told the mandem that to be nominated
Last year, they said that in order to be nominated
You've gotta go on UK charts
You have to be popular on UK music charts
So what do we do? We chart
So what did we do? We became popular on those charts
Don't come here with your lies, don't start
Don't come here with false information, don't begin
Deny our ting, you calm
If you refute our music, you're not confident
Deny our ting, I'll bark
If you deny our music, I'll speak up aggressively
Stiff Chocolate, not the edible type
I'm a tall, dark-skinned man
Smoke on a medical vibe
I smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes
I bring your girl to my show
I attract women to my concerts
She said I'm incredible live
She said I'm amazing when performing
Man wanna see me respond
People want me to react to their insults
See, I would but my schedule is tight
I would, but I'm too busy
Man try say that he's better than me?
Someone is claiming to be better than me?
That was a terrible lie
That's a completely false statement
Man try say he's the fucking best
Someone says they're the best
LOL, I'm fucking dead
Haha, that's funny
You can keep your stupid opinions
You can have and keep your unimportant thoughts
In your stupid fucking head
In your unimportant mind
All you do is fucking bred
All you do is reproduce
Here he comes, this fucking beg
He's approaching, this person who is always begging
Take this mash, remove yourself
Take this tackle, leave the situation
Or jump in front of a truck instead
Or commit suicide by jumping in front of a truck
I clocked it
I understand it now
My man's lost it
The person I'm talking about is crazy
Man held a beating
Someone took a beating in a fight
The ref should've stopped it
The ref should have ended the fight earlier for safety reasons
Mopped it
I handled it perfectly
Had one chance and flopped it
Tried something and failed at it
Threatening me won't make you the heavyweight champ, rudeboy
Threats won't give you the power to beat me
Stop this, man
Stop acting this way, man
Fucking hell, bruv
Wow, man
Lyrics Β© Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICHAEL EBENAZER KWADJO OMARI OWUO JUNIOR, JUSTIN CLARKE, RUDE KID
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TGFbro
I don't think i've heard anyone say 'mad' anymore viciously than him at 0:26
holy christ, it sounds like a my fucking dog barking
J G
+TGFbro nah im done, im crying
Asti Thomas
+TGFbro JAY N ROMELL YA MAD BEANS JUST GLUED SOME BROWN BREAD TO MY THIGH BONE
Stone Cold
You realise it's auto tuned don't you
Joe Bazuka
+StonedSnakesUK It sounds more like distortion.
Calvin G
He murdered this shit. I'm mad at myself for not being on to this sooner.
Salma
truss me same π₯ππ―
Dante's Inferno
Im from new York and Stormzy my new favorite rapper
Serene Rain Sounds
no one can shout the word 'MAD' better than Stormzy
Anudeep CVS
miniminter
MAD, another girl that you tricked to your pad