Stormzy AIBU

[MissChananderlerbong]

Prepared to be told I'm being old and boring.
I enjoyed Stormzy's set, he's obviously a progressive liberal guy, and he seems like a good human.
So why the sexist lyrics?
"Finish on her face to top it off (ay)"
"If her friend is a dead ting, take one for the bredren"
"2 peng tings at the entrance" (just feels wrong calling women 'things')
If he was just another artist then fine, but he seems so principled in so many other ways. So I find this odd.

YANBU, those lyrics are disgusting and dehumanising. Sadly with a lot of these self styled "progressive" young men, their purportedly enlightened behaviour doesn't extend to respecting women.

I would say you’re being a tad U as I feel he’s one of the more mature, thoughtful people of the scene and is a real leader in terms of positive community messages and women, especially about body types etc.

Also technically, the last two of the three quotes you posted, aren’t even Stormzy’s lyrics.

They were performed by Dave (feat Fredo) from their hit “Funky Friday” - Stormzy invited them on stage to celebrate their record being the first UK rap no.1 . Yes you are judged by the company you keep etc, but still...

I agree that “tings” is potentially a dehumanising word and I respect your view on this. Additionally, the view that someone could pull another woman even if perceived to be unattractive, just to help a friend.

however I’m of the firm belief that our music (urban, grime, rap, whatever you want to categorise) is always held to impossibly higher standards than anything else in music, as if the records are some kind of social document or contract, just because they are spoken word.

You like Guns and Roses? Take a closer look at some of their lyrics from “Appetite for Destruction”... or I could name umpteen other rock bands who never get judged to the same standard, simply because they smother their potential misogyny in layers of wonderful guitar pyrotechnics and hummable melodies.

So yes I think YABU to a degree, yet I wholeheartedly agree that “tings” isn’t an ideal appellation.

So over rated, but if you want to look 'cool' you have to love him.

Also - this is not “whatabouttery” from me, but I’m a little amused at the examples picked. I agreed that “tings” is dehumanising, but if that’s the worst we could find yesterday, and from artists that aren’t even Stormzy...

I just feel it’s a little nitpicky, at an artist and scene that has risen above a lot of the stereotypes and is finally having its moment in the sun.

All artists should be conscious of the language they use, but I’m sensing there’ll be a slew of “rap is crap” posts shortly, there always is.

In a song called not that deep he says...
'Got caught in the club with a slut'
It just seems he cares about animals, is a Christian, cares about social justice but as monday said this doesn't extend to women unfortunately.
Maybe it will improve as he gets older?

And I dont agree with any sexist lyrics, However veiled in rock or otherwise.
I actually think the opposite, hes getting away with it, because everyone loves him and he is so moral is other ways

Stormzy is a great guy. He has done so much for the black community, put racism in the spotlight and even paid for some black kids to go to university.

Yes, the lyrics aren’t the nicest and it’s a shame they’re used but it’s part of rap culture and slang is embedded in it. It is ‘road man slang’, most of the young Guys where I’m from say ‘peng ting’ it just means hot girl.

Lots of old white rock singers use some pretty sexist lyrics but it always seems to be the young black rappers that people take issue with. No Surprise

Why did he need a stab vest?

I thought he was awesome.

early I totally agree with everything you say.
But he can start to help change that culture.
Peng ting might be part of the lexicon, but slut?
Does he need to talk about coming on someone's face?

Why did he need a stab vest?

He was making a statement.
I love Stormszy. I think he has amazing talent, and does so much good.
I think he uses relatable language in his lyrics, which is fine. It's an art form after all.

A stab vest with the Union Jack on it? You’d assume he was highlighting the mess that this country is in with knife crime at the moment.

@MissChananderlebong

I’m not being deliberately contrary, but aren’t there a number of people who actually enjoy that practice and who don’t consider it demeaning? I’ve met people in my time who have actively encouraged and actually requested such practices, as part of their own pleasure. This is factual and I’m not at all embellishing.

However the inevitable, probably pornography inspired association here means I do agree that this is a less than quality lyric and could help perpetuate issues of degradation if so read that way

"Stormzy is a great guy. He has done so much for the black community, put racism in the spotlight and even paid for some black kids to go to university."

But he throws Women under the bus for the sake of fame.

Whilst Women in Western Countries can hit back at that and are protected under the law, Women and Girls in Africa and India, aren't.

If you used the same language towards LGBT groups, you wouldn't work again.

He wore a stab vest as a Statement and rapped about guns and violence.

*GinDaddy
I would say you’re being a tad U as I feel he’s one of the more mature, thoughtful people of the scene and is a real leader in terms of positive community messages and women, especially about body types etc.

Do you mean, yes he's very misogynistic, but look how much less so he is than the really bad ones?

I agree that he didn't have to include 'Slut' as a lyric. Like many honophobic/racist words, those extremely sexist words should have gone, by now.

How people can't see how little has been achieved for Women compared to other groups and how its being perpetuated, is puzzling and how it's being defended.

"is a real leader in terms of positive community messages and women, especially about body types etc."

Yes, lets be grateful he doesn't think fat sluts are unshagable.

Some people will take offence at anything. They're song lyrics, get over yourself.

I have mutual friends with Stormzy (not met him myself), and he's known to be polite and incredibly humble. He is a role model for young people (and many older ones could take a lesson from him too), and a damn good one too. Judge him on his actions, not blooming song words.

I agree that the use of words such as “ting” etc might be justified on the basis that they are part of a certain street lexicon (or whatever the correct linguistic term might be) but there is absolutely no excuse for the use of the word “slut” in any context.

Yes, lets be grateful he doesn't think fat sluts are unshagable.

Nutshell

How people can't see how little has been achieved for Women compared to other groups

Can you explain what you mean by that?

I think some of the things stormzy talks about and helps with, are more more important in today’s society than the odd misjudged song lyric.

Some people will take offence at anything. They're song lyrics, get over yourself.

Let's have some white songwriters doing lyrics insulting to POC then. They're song lyrics, POC should get over themselves.

just feels wrong calling women 'things'

Ya think?

I don't know the first thing about Stormzy as I'm not in the UK, but I'm over expecting artists or people in general to be perfect.

Find me the person who has never said or done something a bit un-PC.

Nothing wrong with having a discussion on whether those lyrics are a bit off, but I am sick of people being cancelled because they said a thing we didn't all agree with.

The stab vest was a statement to the knife crime epidemic them is sweeping our country and ruining lives everyday.

I agree with everything @GinDaddy said.

And, I like Stormzy because I like him. Not to look cool. I am definitely not cool and have zero desire to be.

YADNBU. He may not be at the very bottom of the cesspit in terms of being sexist, but he is still floating in the cesspit all the same.