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 OP. I can't believe posters on here saying it's fine because he's good on other issues. It's not Okay to talk about wanking over a woman's face or calling us 'things'or sluts. It's just not.

Ed sheeran is a creepy fucker too, but that's not really what the OP asked.

I’m mostly aghast that the radio stations don’t blip out „the facial” when playing the song. They do all sorts of other words.

@GreatOne

You're crediting Robin Thicke (a white man) with the work of a black man, Pharrell Williams.
Ironically.
Saying white men arent immune to being held to standard, when it was a song written and procuded by pharrell williams, doesn't support your point. Quite the opposite

Where to start with the batshittery of you saying that it doesn't support my point

So the song that everyone objected to was written by a black man? Well, Robin Thicke was the one I saw being hauled over the coals for singing it. And whoever wrote it, it was fucking disgusting.
genius.com/Robin-thicke-blurred-lines-lyrics

It's also not really ok for Billie Ellish to say she wishes her friend was gay just because he's not interested in her.

That's not what she's saying, is it? I read it as he's lost interest in her, and she wishes he was gay so she could leave without being hurt. That's a very different thing from accusing someone of being gay because they won't have sex with you.

Have I slipped into an alternate universe?

Stormzy is getting it on MN lately, luckily for him he has a huge fan base.

If only he rapped about walking his nanna home from shopping, eating his hummus and skiing holidays, he'd be a hit for sure.

Most old love songs are creepy as fuck, but yet people still sing them into their glass of wine

Stormzy is getting it on MN lately, luckily for him he has a huge fan base. If only he rapped about walking his nanna home from shopping, eating his hummus and skiing holidays, he'd be a hit for sure

Funny .

I don't know...if only there was some middle ground between misogynistic lyrics and houmous. I guess it's just a crazy dream.

I really can't stand this type of music. Nasty, aggressive, ugly, crap. I watched 10 minutes of Stormzy last night and I just don't understand why anyone likes it.

Pmsl at people turning themselves inside out to justify use of the word 'slut'. I very much doubt that his lyric referred to him being caught in a club with a woman who doesn't clean behind her fridge regularly enough!

I don't know Stormzy - he may indeed be a 'great guy', but I don't believe a person qualifies for 'great guy' status just because they further causes which matter personally to them while throwing other oppressed groups under the bus.

I'm also not sure I agree that black male artists are held to higher standards than other artists - I remember that Eminem song which seemed to spin domestic violence as something passionate rather than revolting, getting a pasting on here. And there are regularly threads about song lyrics which posters highlight as dodgy as fuck.

I read it as he's lost interest in her, and she wishes he was gay so she could leave without being hurt. That's a very different thing from accusing someone of being gay because they won't have sex with you.
It's not very different, just my opinion. Borderline, perhaps.
If sung by a man, 'I just wish you were a lesbian', it'd never make it to radio playlists.
Because of the difference certain demographics are held to account.

I don't get care if you're an old white rocker or young black rapper - if you write sexist misogynistic lyrics, you're a twat

Most old love songs are creepy as fuck, but yet people still sing them into their glass of wine wine

The key word there is ‘old’.
I was hoping we’d moved on from the 70’s sexist crap.
( Not that I can think of any 70’s song with lyrics as graphically demeaning )

But if those kind of lyrics are now seen as ‘cool’ then god help us.

YABVVVVU unreasonable to be so ignorant of urban culture and the ways in which artists use the motifs and language of a specific culture and turn in into something big enough for wider society to take notice of.

It should really go without saying that these songs are performance pieces - not his diary entities.

It's essential that we have the freedom to explore any and every idea in our head. Grime artists and rappers have a Shakespearean talent for storytelling and they choose their language with precision in order to show and tell the wider audience who they are, where they come from.

It's beyond comprehension that our language should be restrained or policed in any way cos Doreen from mumsnet takes it at face value.

As for Stormzy himself (Big Mike), without outing myself I've worked with him recently on a professional project. He is a gentleman, fiercely intelligent and with a solid commitment to social justice.

Yanbu whatsoever.

If sung by a man, 'I just wish you were a lesbian', it'd never make it to radio playlists.
Because of the difference certain demographics are held to account.

Everyone would assume he wanted to watch, more likely..

*The key word there is ‘old’.
I was hoping we’d moved on from the 70’s sexist crap. *

Oh, do they not still play them on the radio then?

'I enjoyed Stormzy's set, he's obviously a progressive liberal guy' - being progressive/liberal is not the same as feminism. Feminism doesn't happen by accident, it's an unpopular choice.

Feminists are constantly pestered about 'intersectionality' but everyone else - woke bros included - can choose the causes they support and believe in.

I agree that it's unfair that black people who are otherwise a bit right on/lefty are often held to a higher standard than everyone else.

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

You are wrong.

This thread will definitely reveal the deplorables.

Are we forgetting the bee gees?

I'm gonna hit you from all sides, lay your fortress open wide, no body stops this body from taking you.

Or how about Springsteen?

Hey little girl is your daddy home, did he go and leave you all alone, I've got a bad desire... (not about children probably before anyone jumps on it, but not exactly a shining beacon of respect to women)

I could go on if I had more time, but these lyrics aren't new, and no one complains about Springsteen playing anywhere.

“He is a gentleman, fiercely intelligent and with a solid commitment to social justice.”

Would you put up with that language from your husband, father or son?

I doubt it. So he should hold himself to account for what he puts out. No excuses. Own it or shut it.

How hard can it be to leave the word “slut” out fgs?

Same for any other artist - white, black, male, female.

@thornyhousewife I couldn't have worded your post better had I tried. Exactly what my point is: Stormzy et al are modern day poets and story tellers.

YABVVVVU unreasonable to be so ignorant of urban culture and the ways in which artists use the motifs and language of a specific culture and turn in into something big enough for wider society to take notice of.

Burble burble burble

Good lord. If you honestly have the time to pour over lyrics of songs in order to find something to be offended by then you need to get a life.

coincidentally I came across an old song from (I think) the sixties recently that made my hair stand on end, the lyrics seemed to be threatening rape in a jolly upbeat way.

LOL at thorny yeah someone got to be ignorant of the urban culture because they don’t clap
along to language degrading to women.

Yeah, thorny, how very unreasonable of us on MN to assume that words have meaning and what they mean actually matters!

People will poo poo this because he says the word slut etc.

But he is heavily involved with the youth, passionate about the country and where it is heading. A lot more than we can say about some people.

His accomplishments with the university scholarships, inviting local children to his videos, turning up to bike ride competitions the children are taking part in and encouraging them to stay out of gang violence that is crippling this country, should not be wiped out because he raps about giving a facial.