Grime MC Stormzy has expressed his dismay at Theresa May, calling her a “paigon” at the GQ men of the year awards.
The epithet is popular among some black Londoners and generally used to describe untrustworthy individuals; Stormzy’s fellow Mercury prize nominee J Hus had an underground hit with the scornful Dem Boy Paigon, for example. The word confused some in the audience though, with the Telegraph quoting Stormzy as calling the prime minister a “pagan” and Alastair Campbell tweeting that he’d said “pig”. Campbell later apologised, saying it was “good to learn new words.”
Apols for tweeting last night Stormzy called May a pig. Seems it was 'paigon'. Good to learn new words
— Alastair Campbell (@campbellclaret) September 6, 2017
Stormzy’s comments came after being handed the solo artist of the year award by Jeremy Corbyn, who said Stormzy “singlehandedly ushered in a new era in British music” and called him “an incredible and very powerful artist”. He added that he was “one of London’s most inspiring young men, encouraging his listeners to vote, to pray, and, very importantly, to speak openly about mental health and their issues and problems. Whether it’s speaking out against racism, supporting the victims of Grenfell, he’s remained absolutely true to his roots and committed to his values throughout.”
Stormzy returned the compliment, saying “big up Jeremy Corbyn” along with shoutouts to fellow MCs Skepta and Tinie Tempah, and boxer Anthony Joshua.
It’s not the first time Stormzy has used the word “paigon” – he referred to the NME as a “bunch of fucking paigons” after they put him on the cover of a depression-themed issue without consulting him. During his admiring tweets about ITV’s Love Island, he sympathised with eventual winner Kem, calling him his favourite contestant “even though he’s letting this paigon gyal run his head”.
