You know, this is DJ sensex Dave a special addition to who we be talks right now. We're at the Barbican Centre in the central London the Barbican Centre, you know, I've never been in before and the only reason why I'm here is because of an artist by the name of storms e storms is launching his book rise up. It's gonna be talking to a Carla and we've got that talked exclusively right here for you. All right, so who would be talks murky book special edition. Let's get into this ladies and Make some noise for Big Mike, AKA Susie So how you doing? Something beautiful? So my first question one why publishing and to why a team book why not just focus on your individual story why that team story that you've chosen to tell firstly publishing because really always say it was because of Jude he gave me. Initial idea of that are not I was still seeing him right so much on Twitter and it dawned on me. That was I think I was out a lot of artists with create. I said it before a lot of artists create and record labels. We do have a record label what I said, yo, like would we be able to publish right as and I wanted to do it in a very in a very separate way in a sense of just having a platform. Where is self-sufficient like away from storms and everything. I do like there's this platform where if you're an incredible writer. Or you can go there and get published like in whatever situation I performed that was kind of the initial idea. And the second question was the second question was why about the team about the team the so at first I was really scared. If I'm being honest. I didn't want to do a book. Like I wanted to have murky books as a publishing company and then publish other people's books. I didn't want to have one person because I thought I'm not I'm only 25 or fullback is Very very very early in my career. I always say but I'm probably not even a quarter of the way and in terms of where I want to be in my career, I wouldn't even say 25% saucepan can having a book about storms. He's a bit that with the flying done much do not I mean, yeah, I think of you people might disagree alone, of course and that and of course, I'm very grateful for everything about this later. I was thinking like I'm on one album deep in my heart is with one album. I said, I'm not sure about a whole book but when when penguin and the team said yo that will make this the murky story. I was like, yeah. Yeah, that's that's a story that I think needs to be told right now in terms of that how we came together and assembled and created this finger and introduced us to you know, some of the members of the murky team, who are they are emerging. What do they do? The murky team were our gang where AK at heart? I don't want to forget anyone aka Big Cub Toby, of course Rachel, of course flips, of course Trev. Tiny Calum, of course, I sure of course rhymes, of course. I said flips didn't accept it. I think that's everyone if it aint if it aint I'm in trouble. I love you though differently my team ya know. What do they? Do? You know what some of the key roles in the murky team today have to describe every night. Do you know what their key roles are from being dead honest keeping this mad brain of mine like protected and and shouted in a loud. They allow me to be the allowed me to be a creative spirit and dust us because for a long time it at the beginning of my journey. I feel like I've always been juggling I wouldn't say music. I'll tell you I've always been juggling my creativity and that that muscle in me that that that whole side of me my creativity. I've always been juggling that with like businessman and Market are and All these other things and what they've allowed me to do is they've allowed me to just be the creative as much as I always have the urge to that be the businessman and the other thing in the the programmer and all of this pot. They just allow me to be this person who can live I can wake up and I can have ideas. Like I said, I want to do this I want to do that. I want to do this and they just they allow me to exist a lot of the time they I didn't even know they've been having team meetings about me or not. Yeah, so it and I don't even know loud. The other day, I had a meeting between not even the other day. Probably a couple months ago. I had a meeting between I'm talking to Twin and I'm just seeing the team won't part of it was that I saw what the fuck I think the see Toby will possibly can ride, but they're having a meeting about some storms. He stuff that I don't even know his desk and on so it's a beautiful thing that they help you to not be bothered hundred percent. They just they just allow me to be my my true true creative self. Like in the in the in the purest sense of it where I can wake up and I say yo I want to do this I want to do that and and I know it's going to be patterned. I know who's going to I know I'm going to be protected. I know everything is going to be in place. Yeah, but like case for somebody, you know aspiring artists are they might not know what a tour manager does. So for example, one of the relationships I picked up reading the book was your relationship with Trevor. Yeah. We're when you started you had ideas, but maybe you didn't know what he could predict bring production while yeah, what can you explain that that technically what some people bring to the table at how to add value to what creatively as already in your head? Yeah. I think I think you always you should always feel someone's value. I think value especially in Creative Industries and especially in music value is tangible. Like I feel like it as in I can literally show you the value of each of my team members as in yo dis is this is myself storm Z without that and this is Storm Z-Wave like I shall for example that and that you the value is tangible when you would always you always fill decade. That's that person or that that somebody has The V8 this or with with Trevor my in Turin. I didn't even I had I fought I fought a stage show was you just grab the mic and they don't trust. Yeah, you just I don't even know where about PA tracks or anything. I just used to play my songs and I'll just spit and keep it moving and I didn't even know there was anything there to develop, you know, I mean until Trev slowly I should me and said okay, we're going to add this to your life and we can at this if you would like to and then the conversations Gruber, I think that's that's the best people People who always you you might with the best people you might not even notice what's going on? You know, I mean when you look back it will be very evident that are flipping that Garrett review did my live games throughout my life games through the roof now that we got it. We finally got it to a place now, but at the time it was just a slow process of being ushered in and me being able to have these ideas. So as I said before about having this team that protect me they to be Ferry is just this whole if I say oh yo, Garlic come and get a choir. I know that that that's possible. My team are going to we're going to think about and it's going to happen. You know, I mean, so it's about having that infrastructure where anything can happen. I mean, if one of the relationships that comes through a lot in your music and in the book to relationships, really your mom and your faith. Yeah, would you say there are two most important relationships in your life. Oh my Miss is as well. Definitely. Yeah, of course. I most certainly my missus. We are a hundred percent so much. It is very important for different reasons. I'm trying to stir no divorce. Yeah. Yeah, so my missus my mom and my faith in God yet definitely and to be fair with with my faith in God us that's come from my mom as an actor. I've seen my mom have faith in God. That's what installed my faith in God because to be fair. I think I'm sure there's many people who would relate to that getting take To church like as a kid all that getting getting introduced to God as a child and it starts not that starts to it almost becomes routine like where I go to church like an I might not always feel like that's real connection to God, but I go to church I sing the songs. I know I know. What's what I'm a Christian, you know, I mean, but my faith my faith and God's been something that I could that that wasn't it wasn't it doesn't come from that doesn't come from that routine of going to church. I think that's one thing has come from I'm actually seeing my mom go to church and my mom pray all the time and my mom be this woman of God and all she had was faith and I'm feeling and it started. Do you know what this one like my mom because at the time faith in God can look like a very crazy things, you know, I mean like it was when you know, I mean, especially when there's nothing can the house, you know, I mean, you got no money and you're hearing about the Faith from God and it's like yo, like I can't see you. I mean like I literally I don't know where you're getting that in my mom's all the time. I'm so driven just comes from comes home. From work at the time I didn't even notice how hard she was welcomed by should come home from work have like a corned beef sandwich back out the roads all the time. And it's always had this Faith who is smiling always had this drive. So I think that's not my direct link to God, you know, I wasn't seeing that what God's done for my mom and that faith is beautiful. Let's go back earlier. Talk to me just a little bit about growing up in South London. What were some of your key experience is what was that? Like that's something very much comes through again in the book. You talk about South specific. Yeah growing up in South Asia's is so mad. Do not it's just not it's like growing up in South is Is very special. I think growing up anywhere in London is very special because we as London as I'm guessing. What or London is here. We through like London is like the world like we feel we feel like there's not gonna squirt. Swear. Well, you know, I forget the rest like London's dead. What's England that is this London and it like to know me that's that's how we offer was London is that's how you all feel about that his own country. Yeah, so growing up in this bubble where we have our own language. We have our own way of Even things we have our own attitudes our own traditions and everything and then coming out into the big wide world and notice an old bra Rod is a world. It's not just that powerful at South London. I thought literally I thought from Brixton do not as anyone knows about the 109 as I'ma catch the one on there we go. So you see where the one on I starts and it finishes that was the world. That was the whole world. Like, I didn't know that was the whole world. I didn't know nothing outside of That outside of that Soul coming out of that and into this big wide world and having all the South London in me was so it was a very big revelation of like knowing my strength knowing that what what this place has given me has given me the strength and is giving me this character but it's also giving me these weaknesses and these disadvantages as well. So it was about realizing all of those and learning how to use them to my advantage and also knowing that sometimes that might be my my down for so Flaunting it gets ingrained into to the point. Where now I'm someone I'm always I will always try. Anyway. I always try to be on that journey of that becoming a man and growing and that and that that's out. You can't you can't go out at the South London that when a man when a man cuts you up on this, you know your drive and any Cuts you up in this like yo, like I'm a grown man, but it's winding me up, you know me so you can't really grow so parts of the South London that Eva we'll get this I'm What's that sounds? I don't want apparently South Florida Fair enough. So I'm not quite self and who is that over there? Well, well, it's cool. We like yourself knowing thyself. No school something. I got presents from South new that's happening. That's why in a way, you know something that resonated with me, which is actually very similar about about both of us in terms of contradictions. Also, you know, we both grew up in a house full of women. We both got the best exam grades in our A year when our school whatever it was yet. Both still got caught up in for one of a better word Road. Laughing. Yeah. Why do you think that happens even to someone as clever? As you are? I think his I think his is what you know, I think as much as being clever and in an environment like that as we know that we're here today and thank God for that. But as we know there's there's I know man from the ends that were more smarter than me just as smart as me but it's not always. Ways that academic tool might not always be your best weapon in in in the kind of terrain were fighting on so understand how it gets that but for us I'm always say always say in terms of like navigating your way out. I always give it to God because it is it is that whole thing of knowing it's not the fact that man's some like anomaly all that comme Des that kind of our yeah, like I'm this special case it is the is luckily the Stars aligned had enough faith in God and He's mad things move. But yeah, it is a tricky one. Definitely definitely coming to music then what would you say first attracted you to MC in probably the if I'm being honest, I think that you have the my ability to impress as a spitter that was like as in I'm not too sure like when I first wrote my lip to be fair, I do remember remember right in a few lyrics and showing them to my sister at the time and I'm on my sister was used to go on about my flow. He said my flow, but y'all got flow. And I'll see this way. She's criticizing your flow in terms of that. The first thing that popped her attracted me to music and and I wouldn't even say music if I'm being dead or the reason why I won't say me. I'll say MC and this isn't to say MC in his not music because of course it is, but in terms of I think I was very specific on the of Embassy and to the point where a lot of the time they might not have been Instrument also it was very MC specific and it was my ability to impress like I knew I was good at it. Like I'm nude. I called here everyone spit and I'll write my lyrics and I say okay, I think I'm really good at this. Like I think I'm making me think. I'm really good at this is so yeah, that's that's that's where it first come from it and spit in the bar to my sister and her saying yeah, that's cold or not us, you know, I mean so so she was so your first and I little yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She was my first day in office to be on the show. Yeah and talk to us a little bit about the early projects one six eight dreamers disease. What was the feeling? What was the energy like in those projects? What drove you to do them? You know you were working will come to the day you quit your job. Yeah in a minute, but you know, what was the feeling in the intent behind those early projects? So the 168 project a literal the whole energy and the whole intent of that project and at the time I thought I was a genius at four hours are for storms. The are your you you got this. So I made I used as if Yahweh, but I wasn't I was doing my apprenticeship and I was living in limit inspired the time I was oh what what you know the locals believe them. That is so Random. He's from limiting spoil. What do we do? This? No limits was at the most random place in the world life as a no one's been there when about cool bigger bigger. I'm here at 11:00 and smoker. Hell yeah, it's Act was actually voted the most nicest place to live in Britain. Yeah fair enough. It's on Flex for yeah, so your projects. Yeah more projects are wet supposed. Yeah, so I was living in limiting soir and I was doing my apprenticeship and but we are for my apprenticeship. We had to go to college. I was in college for 10 months. And so I was I was living with 17 other kids and then in my digs and my specific things there was five of us and only one of the kids my brother Jack from he's from east from Learn the plays called Garrick and Scotland and he was the only person on the course who knew I was an MC. So like I'm like I'm like I was literally that flipping Batman that engineer by day and a Flippin MC by not kind of thing. But so I'm off the ends that like way over there and I'm trying to trying to do this apprenticeship. I'm still that proper passionate about my writing and getting music out there and I was kind of finding my feet so and you're like I want to do this Embassy anything kind of half-heartedly and then I was like, yeah. All I want to drop a project while I was doing an apprenticeship and then we had halftime. So we had one week of half term and I was at all. Oh shit dude a mixtape in one week because that do mixtape in one week and a narwhal how many hours are in a week a hundred and sixty-eight Ohio my days 162 mixed it. You know, he is only this is genius like this is tedious lat but an even at the time that so even this was this was like kind of me exercising that kind of marketing muscle in my head off. Mark are popular like that. Wow, one six eight the mix tape recording the seven days like all the disks that but I was me I was moving like yo, I'm so teed up like yo, I made a mixtape in seven days. Like this is what I'm doing, but it was actually just because like y'all had to get back to let me and small that it real quick. So that that was the energy behind 168 was just like me saying I want to get a project out there. What's what's the most clever and time efficient and yet most what's the most efficient way to do this and then With dream is disease. I think in terms of like the names of them it probably ties in very well because dream is disease was literally that I was getting to that stage of I was dreaming so much about this dream of becoming a musician and and I was proper proper going through the motions of lack. Yeah. Like I really want to do this. I really want to quit my job and and it started to feel like like it was crippling me in a sense and there's a song there's a song that I heard in limit as well, by the way. The song was driving and I couldn't even tell you but as it goes, oh, oh we got the dream is disease and I heard that lyric and I was that I was at what a beautiful way to put that was that was such a shock seeing that dream is that it's a beaut being a dream is a beautiful thing that has that disease or not, but then I was at wow, I understand that so much that this thing of happened in ambition so big so larger than yourself that is ridiculous that as in you can't even fathom it but you that's that's all that's all that. Bodies you right now. So it was I fully thought on a deeper one where I was like yo like a fool that I got the stream in this crippling me, but it's so beautiful and I had to get it all out. So that's the energy behind them beautiful beautiful. So I want to take you through a few of feel free to give a round of applause this car. I kind of want to take well, not you but really these guys but when you to expand, you know on a few of the key points that come out in the book and in your career and the first one which really touched on that feeling of the day, you quit your job. Do you know what I feel? Like, I've all like a quit before I quit and I feel like I've had different moments of quitting because I quit I came out of college and that kind of felt like that. This is this is the end of it all and then I went on my apprenticeship and I didn't I don't remember like they're being a day of me quitting or think it was a kind of gradual thing like and I remember I had a lot of our spending a lot of time at represent radio random times and I can't remember what it was but I think I had a show or something that was clashing with that my work. So like it was always that this kind of battle winning when I left work. It was a weird thing because I didn't I didn't tell anyone apart from my sister. So I was living at home and Just moved back from the apprenticeship and my mom I know my mom was thinking yo, like what are you doing? You're not working. So I'm just chilling at home. But sir, so she's thinking you was just working every day and I put on a suit and now you're not but there was never a conversation about me quitting June. I mean, so I never felt like I've done the whole like I'm quitting today and handed in my resignation. It was this kind of slow process, but I was always ready for it was a II was already gone on my head wasn't a rhythm my head was Ready in music and knocking my body was kind of just floating in there. Just kind of hung around. But yeah, that's kind of how it slowly eased into it. The she's just want me in where you plan the murky World take over. Yeah. Do you know what it is that in the book? It sounds so so we had the if anyone's work to put there's a the speak of it was we had to meet and me Toby and a few other people at the meeting in a she says spot about the future of murky but it is so is epic it is Because I look and I say wow that is incredible. But if you to see such sport was so scary that that came back on speaker all that. That was the beginning of it all but I don't think it's there anymore. Like I don't think is there but we all went to this spot and back then that's why even in the book. I was very specific with my words. I said I said I didn't ever want to make it seem like whoever was in the room at that meeting didn't like unlike. Oh, yeah, they didn't believe you know that there's always that kind of narrated rappers love to do it rappers. Love it. They you know that you didn't believe in me. They are they love it. They thought the teachers didn't the only that they love it. They love it and some of you know, they'll discuss sometimes the teachers didn't believe in them and they're just chatting rubbish with a boy trust me. Sometimes it goes at what I was very specific in the book. I was like, I don't ever want it to look like or like yeah, we had this meat and then like no one could no one understood like What we was doing because hundred percent at that time. I wouldn't expect any sane human being to understand what he was doing as in that I could I wouldn't if I was listening if I was if I wasn't myself and I was listening to some guy called storms. He and his manager Toby who both don't even look the part right now, whatever and they're telling me about this murky dream and you don't anyone got a 20 pound between you get out of here that you know, I mean, I would have forever like we talking about like him back then we We had the same ambition. So whatever we say in our talking about. Yeah one day in myr Keys going to be a billion pound and oppressed one day Merc. He's gonna be ingrained and culture one day Merc. He's gonna be this so sufficient engine that that allows communities to thrive and so all these beautiful things and good proper locks and we I swear to you we had we had a Woody's we had all these Visions from early like what that with our the way the way me and Toby speak to hasn't changed because in the Ambitions on the same kind of the Big Dreams we have what the same back then so anyone who was when we had that she shot me and hundred percent like nothing was going to come over because we're just talking pipe dreams that literally like so we had this meeting and I remember we said, yeah like you're going to be this person and you're going to be that person you're going to be that person and from that meeting. I'm sure there's probably about seven and eight of us in it. I'm sure that I'm sure I think it's only Me Toby, I can't remember was Tiny in the meeting. Tiny might have been in the meat and and flips might have been in the median, but I can't remember but there wasn't many people on the murky team from that meeting. So it kind of just goes to show but that is where it all started. Like if I'm being honest in this Scottie. She's also an ovary High Road, not the most beautiful star. But yeah, we got there. I'm from there to the day you find out in fact, you may remember where you were you may not the day you find out gang signs and prayers gone to number one. Yeah, I remember. Where were you if you remember and I was always at home. I was I was in bed. And then yeah, I had National epic at all in it is our mean it's not how we did it but I was in bed and Kenneth as well a big up kind of his Alma Bobby. He's been a big part of the murky Journey as well. I don't think he's mentioned in the book, but he's been apart. He couldn't he couldn't be here right now, but Kenneth he's not passed out right definitely said that like he's parked. So I He called me here right now. You know, he's a kind of swell. He's best right? Yeah, he's just not here, but I have to get it. Yeah, what kind of was in my front room? And I remember I just I was in my boxes and I just went in there and I was like, yeah we done it but it was that was that was 100% My number one moment in music that my most like the most heartfelt the most emotional moment. Yeah, that was beautiful definitely and speaking of being heartfelt, you know, the album deals with a lot of different themes and you've been you've dealt with a lot of different. Seems we read about even in the book during the process of making the album you battling with depression and things of that nature. What made you want to open up about? Let's face it something that's not really wrap. Especially, you know, some to be vulnerable basic and say, you know, I got I got I go through bouts were I'm not feeling great. That's not the most rapper thing to about it. Junior is I think I always say I get this from twin twins my are not and twin always always emphasizes about music and the truth and music that Like in a song that because a lot of maybe maybe the fact that I am a musician is that's how I look at it. But I feel that look at some times when you when you're out of music. Can you look at it? You always think true for music. I just like you hear a song and it's true or like that. You just you don't ever question it but as a musician on the other side, it's like that's Paramount and I can terms of that. What is their truth and what I'm saying? So I think I just really understood that for music, too. Really be great. There has to be truth so icon. There's no way I can do an album, even though answer even down to a me. So me talking about depression and old and an order that's one thing but even me having an album and talkin about my faith in God me took my mom and all these other things and me talk about my relationships. I was like, that's my truth that if I leave anything car, it's not going to be my truth. Like if I do a whole album about this and that and I don't talk about my faith in God, that's not my truth. Because at night I pray so I'm hiding do not mean I'm hired him on bit. So I was like this needs to be my truth as much as I'm going to tell you your I'm the best I'm seeing the world and I'm going to tell you yo, I love my go and I'm gonna tell you yeah, I love God. I was I got to tell you. Yeah. Well, that's not for me sometimes sometimes I'll do not mean I go through whatever. So at the time I didn't I've never seen it as like me doing like some kind of I didn't even see it as a brave move. I don't I still don't really see I thought y'all was being brave. I'll just put your lat. This is my truth if I'm trying. A true Artisan I owe it to myself and to my music to make sure this is true for has to be truth. And that's hopefully that's the Mary I'm judged on and I always say if you're an artist us that's your everything. That's your USP. That's your that's your one thing that you have that over everything. So I was like I need to make sure this album is truth and a part of my truth right now is the fact that I'm going through this so we have to address it yet speaking of truth. Yes, beautiful. So When I first saw your Brits performance. Straight away I said to myself there is no way he did that in rehearsal and it's still got put on television Africa even tweet you do there is no way all of those people in all of those places in the industry. Saw that and said, yes, we're still going to televise it and then I read the book. Yeah. What did it feel like to know you is keeping such a big secret A and B. Why did you think it was so important for you to address to use your platform? Really lot of people don't understand an industry Works to risk your career to risk your livelihood. other people for an injustice that you could have just kept silent about so firstly keeping the secret was so sick that it was a this is like and you know the funniest thing because so so who I think I told told me and flips so did the day of it the day before I went to the street or a phrase or a man on it was just me for his arm and on and I mean made the we made the be and I recorded it and then when we finally went to rehearsals I did the rehearsals by rehearsals. I was I was spitting a different lyric. I was putting the foot 4 p.m. In London, they're working. So you got all the Brits producers and all the bosses and nobody's all the executives there and I'm splitting the lyric and I like our great storms and I'm not here. It's a great gig. So then I remember so in rehearsals are basically I'd like a trick lyric and I was thrown out there and then that I was before in the dressing room getting ready and I'll guarantee flips on that yoga mat on the mat things like he's always out tell me the bars are that bro, but not too much just enough but going into it. The reason why I was so the reason and even even now like I still don't even I didn't even see that as no. No risk. I didn't see as nothing copper sword as like yo, I've got five minutes cool. Like I need to do this. Like how about purple? And the reason why I said I need to do this on a it's not even on a hero one. It's not that card. I can I need to but it was more like there's a there's a there's a they would there's a brother from leprechaun over guy called R is Reese. He's who's actually you don't know res res my God, so recently basically Lon Resort me and R is had a conversation on an Instagram via Instagram DMS. He was he was unhappy about something regarding like me and grenfell would like something happening and I was I was upset that he was choosing to single out me as a flat he was he looked like I was thinking yo, like I'm a man of my word like, I'm very true and what I do like like you don't know what I've done for grant for the grand fool situation that you can't really and then he saying that knob on that and that will happen is still a key conversation and And then I said yo, like let's link up in and we Linked UP And he was like, yo, like a taro. I want to take you to the families to to Grant full to the situation. They're in now and then I went there with his and it proper don't know me at that point where I was like yo like not that hard and I thought I always put these disclaimers of like I'm not trying to be no hero and laughing buzzer. Yo Le Mans surely man can do something with whatever platform man's got to to ensure something happens because what I what I learned early on in my career and I learned this from remembering all the district stuff happened with rent district in that young black girls. And and I learnt from Dale's. Okay cool. Like when Injustice is happen that are very close to my heart and I want to say something I probably have enough platform now to make something move. So say if say if I go to a restaurant in there. Are we experienced some racism from the weight or something? I know I can go and Instagram on my Twitter and and cools enough stuff to cause a problem there Gina. I mean, so so I said yo like I might as well do that in in the biggest way. I can where people have been let down by this country and I can literally with to lyrics that's all it is is Two lyrics your trees are made with That money for grenfell what you thought we just forgot about growing food to lyrics out of our whole family performance to possibly it was a bit more than that. Yeah. There was someone else someone else someone else I can do a little thing like that to to that maybe helps helps people in in in some way shape or form. That's the least I can do and and is so mad and I'm gonna keep saying it because I don't know why I keep Saying about wasteful need to you know, like saying I'm not like it's not as sort of Hero from but Jen. Do you know how I see it and this is going to be a stupid analogy. Don't even quote me on this. But yet cool. You see a fact this is how I always put his so dumb. This is probably yourself running in my but you see you see if I go shop here. You're my prisoner called Argo shop. And you say your storms. Could you get manner war that is so minor that do. I really deserve a your face. Thank you. My brother wore a man Bob. This this war you got all my brother lat. It's like no not really like man just do that because man's supposed to your my bridge and get you a war. That's genuine your my mom did on my mother's life. That's genuinely how our weather is grateful. Whatever is the Cambridge scholarship, whatever it is. I swear to God, I generally just fool at wrong manche manche should man's on this platform, but you do understand it. Many people maybe even most people particularly with platform with things to lose don't think that way yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I do understand that and and and what I'm probably coming to realize now more than ever is that because I know I'm standing in because I know I'm standing in truth and I'm standing with God and I'm standing in my own like my own character is like whatever like whatever like I did and and the way I see it is that How can how can that how can I lose on of that record? If you're if you're doing something where like I don't understand and it can sound it can sound mad but It's like it's like cool it saved Someone Saved. Someone said are you play play? Wewe got this role for you in a film. Can you play this actor and actors something you really don't believe in it's very easy to say. No do not I mean it's very easy because that's your truth is very easy. Same way is very easy to do things in your truth actively. So I've never seen I've never I've always just seen as surely that's what you should do if you have the platform. If you and so even down to like someone someone who have seen recently, you know, like Dede with you know, luckily he opens up a lot schools and and I always feel like out Bob. I loved it. I think that's incredible. But you're a billionaire of 200% hundred course a school trip. What did you understand? I mean doesn't the Gratitude of and this is probably like on a deeper on this is probably like or not like when it comes to the world, I just wasteful that broth if you Do a little thing and up to be fair do not I'll get that to my sisters or Rachel. I probably learned that from Rachel where you know, like if you can do a little thing for someone don't your bad man if you don't do it, but I did not know that's how I see you're Batman you're Batman a cousin that you got all that platform and remember always use the platform for very self-serving things. And yeah, of course you are I'm a man like I've got their cool. I'm going to use my platform so I can get a free train or free mirror. Yeah cool spot. It's going to free Moon monster on a free more trust me, but if I can use my platform for things like that, it's like and I always say these things in the grand scale of things is a minor. You should do it man that just just because whatever whatever little thing you can do you should do how genuinely see it as like getting your bridge in a bottle of water from the shop and I always feel like a lot of the time because you see in this like kind of landscape of British culture. Alright, I know a lot of the time I am the black British representative and often a lot of the time. I'm very aware. I'm the token black British representative as in a cave, whatever's going on in the world of like media and celebrity like storms. He's probably the black guy to do it, you know, I mean all that debris and I'm aware like it's not it's not a secret, you know, I mean, so with that I understand that man has to die at you man has to Because yeah man asked to borrow of not about it. Honestly it sometimes sometimes it's so it's so difficult to explain ma'am. But you have to learn your after I there are so many millions of things. I wanted to ask you. Unfortunately. This is going to be our last question because we are running out of time. We're already well over so guys not listen, it's not your fault. It just is what it is is it was a short discussion. So it's a two part question. You already touched on it a little bit and you sort of touched on it in that questionnaire, but I just wanted to highlight it once more the storms the scholarship. You know, how did that come about? Why did you want to do it? And then my last question the future of murky? the storm these scholarship that I think that was that was more just like I've always said I've understood the spectrum of you know, sometimes when people people are doing positive things, I think so a lot of times things are focused on like I'll put in blatant in simpler terms, you know, like in school like the bet the bad the bad badly behaved kids always have it's always hard to keep that we got to give time to the badly behaved kids and I always say there's another side of that Spectrum. It is Geniuses and Incredible Minds and all of these things and and no Spectrum known of course, nothing's more important than the other of course, but I was just like yo, like that's that's something I take personal pride and Ryan as an that. That's my that's where we let my personal own like kind of our yeah like this is sick where I like, I I always I'm always very inspired by that genius and that Incredible Minds and people people who are smarter than me and all that. I'm not right. This is so that your brain is just Edible, so I've always I've always loved that side of life. Forget the before I was storms or anything. I've always just loved that. I've always loved the idea of excellent. So now that I'm in this position, I was like yo, that would be so sick if we could do something on that side and we done it and that would that's that's another thing when I said your AK what can that but there should be should be should have scholarships. Like we should have scholarships that before we start going into the bigger things of that hopefully getting into proper education and institutions that I was like, yeah we I think that could be do a scholarship in any way shape or form. And so that's how it came about. Yeah, beautiful and very last question. What's next? Boy, I ain't got a clue. I have no idea. I have no I can a new music. Oh music 109 the universe music. What's next for you? Next one was so murky with Marky. I feel like I always say I wish I want my key to be this engine this Hub this this thing that's larger than anything. It's larger than myself is larger than an idea is like a kind of holy forces of it's not even a Because I think a brand is very self-serving was like Yeah, The Brand we won the price not know. I want this to be a thing that just exists in the world and has so many branches of it. It's an umbrella for healthcare education music art architecture that anything like anything that can move. I don't do no. I'm not even going to say anything that can move things forward because I think that's a very people say move things forward and for the culture and all the These buzzwords but it's like I just want this to be a beautiful thing that does beautiful stuff and has Beautiful Stories and a lot of the time I don't know how that's going to come about. But I just know that as long as we keep throwing ideas out there as long as I as myself in the team like stay together and stay connected and we keep the same spirit because any time we do things that the spirit of it. That's that's that's what I love about my team the most is there's never any evil spirits never like we're doing this because of that is always just That sole purpose and and that's a and the reason why I always creating my team for that is because in this industry of creativeness and music, it's often the total opposite. There's always a purpose that isn't for the greater good or is and deeper in a spiritual one and I swear to God that's one to get a phone call from ATK and she's telling me yeah, we're not going to reveal the identity of the two kids get that got the scholarship because they're going to go to UNI and are going to be in their face and they won't be able to study and I'm like, yeah. Yeah, I didn't even think of that but I was like, yes, of course, of course, that's what of course we don't reveal them that what we've of course we don't but I was that that just shows that ethos do not mean that shows the spirit we're doing it and I was like, that's a beautiful thing about. Yeah. So in terms of murky just always we're gonna be always be doing hopefully more incredible things like this and keeping it pushing and on the other side on on the storms the side of things on them on the music's Adam. I'm We're ready. Ready ready? It's been a long time coming ladies and gentlemen, make sure you pick up your copy of the book. Please make some noise for big my AKA scoobsie. Ladies and gentlemen, bigger.
When Stormzy first emerged on the scene he could do no wrong. Every week he was making a move that stretched everyone’s imagination. He was attaining chart positions, collaborations, top tier brand deals, selling out tours worldwide, and achieving things that most unsigned artists don’t, it was inspiring stuff that dreams are made off. The rise and rise of Stormzy has been non-stop, and it’s already looking and sounding like 2019 will be his year. I’m hearing rumours of all kinds of things, who he’s working with, what he’s about to drop, potential tours, etc. but we’ve already had a couple of glimpses of whats in store. His forthcoming groundbreaking headline slot at Glastonbury Festival and the launch of Merky Books, a forward thinking collaborative partnership with Penguin books. It’s not the usual thing for a rapper to do, but this is Stormzy, nothing that he does is usual. He breaks the rules and pushes the boundaries on everything that he does. I attended the recent sold out Merky Books / Penguin launch at the Barbican, and it blew my mind. I’ve never been to the Barbican before, but I was in the building to see a Grime MC launch his book series. It was fascinating to see his fans pour into the venue carrying copies of the his book, to see school teachers leading classes of kids into the appropriate entrances for a spoken word night. Once again this was Stormzy gliding into new territory for the culture. For this exclusive edition of Who We Be talks we take you back to that night at the Barbican Hall for the Merky Books launch, where Akala sat down with Stormzy in front of 2000 people for a one on one Q&A to discuss the release of Stormzy’s debut book ‘Rise Up: The #Merky Story So Far'. 