Stormzy Gets In His Gospel Bag On Powerful New Single "Crown"

BYAron A.5.0K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Stormzy gears up to drop the follow-up to 2017's "Gang Signs & Prayers."

London grime artist Stormzy made his triumphant return with "Vossi Bop" earlier this year -- his first official since the release of Gang Signs & Prayers. As he continues the rollout for his sophomore album, he comes through with his second single, "Crown." The rapper's latest single finds him digging into his gospel roots once again with a choir backing him while addressing social, economic, and political issues that he and other young Black people have faced in the U.K.

Ahead of the single's released, he sent a message to his fans about how much this song meant. "Struggling to explain exactly why I felt the need to say what I’ve said on the record," he wrote. "And can’t quite summarise the journey of emotions the song takes me on when I listen back to it."

Following the release of the new single, it was announced that Stormzy would be replacing Chance The Rapper as the headliner of Longitude Festival on July 6th. 

Quotable Lyrics
Hang me out to dry, I won't crack
All these fancy ties and gold plaques
Never had no silver spoons in our mouths, we sold-, like
Don't comment on my culture, you ain't qualified
Stab us in the back and then apologise
If you knew my story you'd be horrified
The irony of trappin' on a Boris bike


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
...