Stormzy has spoken out on the Black Lives Matter movement, urging people to realise that it is a product of “hundreds and thousands of years of real pain”.
The grime star told BBC News that he has so far not “grabbed the mic” but has participated in protests, admitting that he “doesn’t have any answers”.
“One thing I really want this movement to do is show what it means to be black,” he explained. “You hear so much rhetoric, you know, ‘All lives matter – why do black lives matter more?’ And it’s like, bruv, do you not understand?
“If we weren’t oppressed, we wouldn’t be shouting. We would just be living our lives. I want you to understand that we are not just crying or just shouting. This is a real pain, this ain’t some sort of trend, this is real life and this has been our reality for hundreds and thousands of years.”
Stormzy made the comments while surprising a 15-year-old Croydon boy after helping redecorate his bedroom. The rapper returned to the area in which he grew up to join forces with The Good Guys, a decorating company that transforms the bedrooms of young people for free.
Fifteen-year-old Ishae was selected for the scheme, as a gift for “positive behaviour” at his school. While joking that he had “ruined” the redecoration work with his painting skills, Stormzy insisted that the company themselves receive the kudos for the job.
“What [they’re] doing today is way more giving and way more thoughtful than me coming in for 30 minutes and being a part of it,” he explained.
In June, Stormzy pledged to donate £10m over the next decade to organisations, charities and movements tackling racial inequality, justice reform and black empowerment in the UK.
