On Friday 28 June 2019, a grime MC from Croydon walked onto the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury wearing a stab-proof vest printed with a black-and-white Union Jack. Nobody in the crowd knew yet that Banksy had made it.
Stormzy, born Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr, became the first Black British solo artist to headline Glastonbury in the festival’s history. His set, mixing grime, gospel, a tribute to Black British artists and a ballet sequence, was widely described as one of the most important performances in the festival’s history.
The vest
A few weeks later, Banksy posted on Instagram that he had made the customised stab-proof vest. He wrote that he had made it and thought: who could possibly wear this? Stormzy replied that he was speechless. The vest, which reworked the Union Jack waistcoat of the traditional “John Bull” figure, was read as a comment on knife crime and on what it means to be young, Black and British. It was later displayed in exhibitions and museums.
Croydon and Ghana
Stormzy grew up in Thornton Heath, in south London, raised by his mother, Abigail Owuo, who is from Ghana. He has often talked about her influence and his Christian faith, and gospel runs through his music, from “Blinded by Your Grace” to his live performances with choirs.
He built his career independently, starting with freestyles on YouTube before his debut album, Gang Signs & Prayer, reached number one in the UK in 2017, the first grime album to do so.
The scholarships
In 2018, Stormzy announced that he would fund scholarships for Black British students to study at the University of Cambridge, covering tuition and living costs. The programme was later expanded with support from HSBC UK through his #Merky Foundation, with around 30 students a year receiving scholarships. The university has presented it as part of its efforts to widen access for Black students.
Beyond music
Stormzy has also launched a publishing imprint, #Merky Books, to publish writers from under-represented backgrounds. He has spoken publicly on racism, politics and the Grenfell Tower fire, including performing lyrics criticising the government’s response on live television.
The Ghana connection
Ghanaian fans claim him proudly, and his Ghanaian heritage appears in interviews and in the family stories he tells about his mother.
Number ones
The months around Glastonbury were among the biggest of his career. “Vossi Bop”, released in 2019, became his first UK number one single, and his second album, Heavy Is the Head, followed at the end of that year. The Glastonbury set was later released as a live recording, and clips of it, including the moment he dedicated the show to the Black British artists who came before him, are still among the most watched festival footage online.
The vest he wore at Glastonbury was made to stop a knife. The flag printed on it was a question about the country watching him that night.
