Stormzy issues a reminder that he’s an emcee before anything.
Last week, , one that ultimately led to Stormzy clapping back with a blistering slew of scathing bangers. In fact, many were quick to dub Stormzy the winner, In the midst of his recent duel, Stormzy slid through to chop it up with the Hot 97 crew, wasting little time in breaking down his mindset during the highly entertaining “beef.”
“He’s a bit of a troll by nature,” explains Stormzy. “He’s been trolling me, we had a little Twitter exchange. Then he done the Grime thing which is to go on record and send for someone. I’ve always held him in the highest regard. Respect, homage, love.” When asked whether that changed, Stormzy considers. “As an emcee, as a musician, as the person who started the genre and allowed me to have a career one hundred percent,” he says. “As a man, maybe not.”
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Ebro theorizes that Wiley was simply going at Stormzy in the name of promoting Grime. “There was probably some good nature in his intention,” says Stormzy. “For man, I don’t mean this in an arrogant way, but I’m busy. I’m kind of tunnel vision ahead and then boom, you get a bazooka. To be fair, it’s a big conversation cause that’s the essence of grime.” While he clearly understands the cultural significance of issuing “sends,” he does take issue with the apparent disconnect that comes with acting one way in person and another on wax.
After confirming that Wiley was the one to originally drag the mothers into it, Stormzy maintains that everything he said about Wiley’s family was true. Personal though it may have gotten, Stormzy reiterates that the lyrical duel was actually a blessing in disguise. “Big up Wiley too,” he says. “I’m super happy to have done that and got the W. I won it. The heights I’ve reached have been the chink in my armor. He’s the commercial artist, he’s not really– It’s like bruv, I’m naturally an emcee. First and foremost. I’m a bar-rer, I’m a rapper, I’m a spitter. That’s where I’m most comfortable.”
For anybody invested in the epic duel, be sure to check out the full interview below.
