More about: stormzy

Stormzy has released a new film, called Gang Signs & Prayer after his chart topping album released in February this year.

The 15:55-long clip, which premiered at the YouTube Space London and on YouTube around the world, was written and directed by Rollo Jackson. In the past Jackson has worked alongside artists including James Blake, Jamie xx and Hot Chip.

The film chronicles Stormzy’s inner battles growing up, according to the press release. It's soundtracked by the songs ‘Return Of The Rucksack’, ‘Bad Boys’ and ‘100 Bags’, all of which feature on the original Gang Signs & Prayer LP, which became the first ever grime album to reach number one earlier in 2017.

Similar in some respects to Eminem’s 2002 movie 8 Mile, Gang Signs & Prayer broadly follows Stormzy’s journey from an impressionable young lad growing up in a single-parent family near Croydon. It stars fourteen-year-old Abdul Basit Ayanwusi in his acting debut, although he has previously worked as a dancer with Justin Bieber and Lady Leshurr.

“Young youts like myself, that grow up in the hood, we often don’t know that we are actually the masters of our own destiny,” says Stormzy of the worlk. “There are so many things that steer us in the wrong direction however, we decide what happens in our own lives and like my album, I endeavoured for this film to portray just that. Derived from my album Gang Signs & Prayer, and written and directed by the legend that is Rollo, I’ll let the visual do the talking.”

The video is part of a broader strategy by YouTube to break into the music industry. In a statement published in NME, YouTube’s Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen remarked: ‘The rise of grime is a perfect example of how YouTube is a place for artists to express themselves creatively and a democratic platform to access a global fanbase.’

‘We want to help both artists and the industry make the most of technology, and this project is an ideal symbol of that: a groundbreaking film that blends music, art and story in new way and it’s accessible to all on YouTube.’

In December Stormy will head to New Zealand for the Northern Bass Festival, before playing dates in Sydney and Brisbane, Australia, in early January.

More about: stormzy