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.

Lovely Thai place in Putney.

I recognise your name for sure, Vladimir and I also remember when someone copied it with something like “Routine?”

Why is he in a stab vest? I despair...

Bearing in mind he's only 25 he's giving life a good go. And he did a fantastic set.

Not quite sure what unsettles some people commenting here, but I'm quite comfortable with a successful black man.

On a bit of a tangent but his Union Jack stab vest was made by Banksy.

Banksy made it (as a piece of statement art) and decided Stormzy was the one who could pull it off at Glasto.

lso can we leave the lyrical genius that is `Bruce Springsteen out of this. I'm on fire is not creepy and misogynistic at all....it's about his longing for a woman he can't have

Absolutely...dont diss the boss

I like a bit of stormzy, the clips i saw of him at glastonbury were fantastic

Can I ask... what if the word “slut” was replaced with a comparable homophobic term? Wouid people still be justifying Stormzy on the grounds that there is homophobia in other music after all? Would a gay person embody took offence be told that they hold racial bias because they’re not tripping over themselves to name other artists who may be osrceived as homophobic? Would it be enough to say he’s done other positive work elsewhere? Or would you just say, fair enough, he’s way out of order? No pointing the finger elsewhere.

I think this is a bit disingenuous because I’m not justifying Stormzy and have said several times that I think there are misogynistic aspects of his work. I just think that it’s important to examine why it is that people will criticise Stormzy but give white artists a free pass on sexism, because to me it’s pretty obvious that racial bias is at play.

As for this whole argument that Stormzy is not setting out to appeal to the women of MN, well this is probably true. But Vladimir and Vivienne - you are MN! As much as anyone else, in fact, two of the more prolific posters, if you don’t mind me saying. Yet you’re his fans. do is there such a thing as the typical MN poster, beyond the face that most of us are female and have kids? Maybe, maybe not?

I never made this point.

@Pa1oma Thai is one of my favourite cuisines. Yes you're right - someone did hi-jack a number of Vlad/Poutine names. I was a bit like WTF. But seems to have quietened down now. I didn't understand why they chose to do that. It was all very weird as even other posters were sending me personal messages to alert me. Perhaps a sign I'm on MN far too much!

wheres

Driving home today and i say to dh i like a bit of stormzy

And dh said...i like a bit of banksy

Im like 😲

Thats not the same thing at all!!!

I don't know stormzys music but seems to me that most song lyrics have always been questionable.

Not defending the lyrics at all. What I will say about Stormzy though is that his real life actions towards black women have been a lot better: paying for a black woman to go to Cambridge, the way he appreciates what his mother went through as single parent, talking about men shouldering responsibility.
I wonder what he would say in response to this thread?

(I am also by no means a massive Stormzy fan. I only know about 3 of his songs. But I think he is generally a really good man, notwithstanding the fact that I wish he wouldn’t use misogynistic language)

Stormzy was the final act at a festival which we attended. Everyone started leaving including us. He is derogatory about women and I don'twant to hear that crap. Progressive he is not . . .

I think this is a bit disingenuous because I’m not justifying Stormzy and have said several times that I think there are misogynistic aspects of his work. I just think that it’s important to examine why it is that people will criticise Stormzy but give white artists a free pass on sexism, because to me it’s pretty obvious that racial bias is at play.

This is essentially the crux of it.

Which festival was that Jon65?

His set was way better than this yawn fest from the Killers though.

Everyone started leaving including us

Everyone?

The stab vest was sent to him by Banksy.

I’ve met Stormzy, you couldn’t meet a more humble guy. He takes time to talk to fans especially the kids who hang on him.

All music can be considered sexist, we could look at how many rock stars dated underage girls...

I don’t think I do give white artists a free pass on sexism. Why would I do that? I can’t bear heavy metal for this very reason. It irritates me when female artists (black or white or other) play up to sexist stereotypes in music videos or on stage, though I understand why they’re doing it because of the way the industry is. I’ve just never really listened to Ed Sheehan enough to be able to comment on what he’s saying. It all sound fairly bland to me. But by all means, if there is misogyny in his lyrics, why not start a thread and call this out and I may well agree.
As I said, I just think it’s a shame when people I would otherwise really like let themselves down.

@Pa1oma With this statement here you just made:

As I said, I just think it’s a shame when people I would otherwise really like let themselves down.

Why do you think they should appease you or your views on them should be of any value? Who do you think you are? (With all due respect).

People trying to allude that any criticism of stormzy as dog whistle racism is why people are getting sick to death of IDPOL

This is the Stormzy that has been hijacked by Corbyn et all and which he refused to play at the failed Jez Fest because they wouldn't pay him what he wanted, a similar stereotype that is often pointed at left

Even if you believe in his politics that doesn't mean he is free from criticism, trying to brush aside any criticism under a guise of racism is not helping his overall message

Also MN is a strange place where certain celebrities get mentioned, even though there are countless other similar ones who don’t. For instance, Amanda Holden is regularly called out for looking fake, even though most women in the public eye have had some kind of surgery, let’s face it. Then people go on about Tom Hardy as if he’s something particularly remarkable, when there’s loads of more handsome actors imo. I’m not sure why this is. People were slating Madonna the other week and saying she looks like a waxwork, so if there’s another thread about her now, that delight will probably come up again. It seems to be the way things go.

“Why do you think they should appease you or your views on them should be of any value? Who do you think you are? (With all due respect).”

It’s not about appeasing me. It’s just about demonstrating a very basic level of respect for half the human race. As a woman, I don’t like the word “slut”. I don’t care who it comes from or why.

I’m not expecting him to be a beacon of respect, compassion or integrity. Just cut out offensive misogynist words. I would expect this if anybody, even a child. I’m sure he’s be the first to rail against racist slurs or homophobia in music, so please extend the same standards to women. That’s all. Thanks.

If I used a blatantly racist term and Stormzy called me out on it (rightly), I could hardly say, “Well I don’t need to appease you Stormzy. You are not my particular audience, I’m afraid, so what you say doesn’t count. I don’t care if you perceive my language as offensive and racist. Who the hell do you think you are, telling me what language I can use.”

@Tallgreenbottle

He's a prick. Anyone who wears a stab vest and then sings about guns

Did he? What lyrics did he sing about guns?

Clearly you missed the whole point of the stab vest which was actually by Banksy who asked him to wear it for his headline act as a piece of art bringing attention to the issue of knife crime.

Structural imbalance is the answer there. If a white person chooses to make jokes about a black or other PoC then they are being racist. It is about the power balance. Them's the rules. It works that way.

So yes - whilst I agree and have said a gazillion times I am not a fan of grime and that I think he could be more mindful of his language. I still stand by him. Ed Sheeran with his little guitar is singing about abusing a woman who doesn't return his affections yet we can laugh it off as him being 'bland' and 'boring'. Stormzy uses the word slut and yet everyone wants his guts sliced open. No. Imagine if Boris Johnson had been a black man. We'd never hear of anything else - how many kids he has, how many illegitimate kids, whom he was sleeping with, his various ex-wives and an apparent DV phone call to the police. White privilege is a fantastic thing. I honestly think it would make it easier if some on this thread just accepted that fact.

Ed Sheeran with his little guitar is singing about abusing a woman who doesn't return his affections

What song is that

Don’t pay too much attention to ed...that was obviously a mistake