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.

There was outrage over Kanye too. It is a pattern.

People don’t like a black, working class bloke getting air time

I can't believe people are tripping over themselves to defend misogynistic lyrics. Wether it be stormy, Ed sheeran, Bruce Springsteen and whoever else.

Doing a good deed does not fucking cancel out disgusting use of language towards and about women and the use of their bodies.

*Stormzy

Nobody is “jumping in on Stormzy” fgs! This thread is about him. If you want people to “jump in on” any other artist, then by all means start a thread

Jay Z was criticised as well as Kanye.

It is true that a lot of lyrics to more mainstream songs written in the 60s and 70s were about domestic violence, gawping at women, telling them to be good wives and girlfriends for their men, but written in a more melodic way than grime is so we could ' singalong'. I had no idea for years this was the case to be honest.

I don't k ow why people are attributing race to this either. If any white headline act uttered those words I would be as equally as disgusted and as pp's have mentioned here, plenty of white males have sang vile lyrics regarding women and they are as equally as disgusting IMHO.

”If her friend is a dead ting, take one for the bredren"
"2 peng tings at the entrance"

I’m sorry but I have literally no idea what any of that means.

But no, let's just criticise a black man for actually standing up and supporting his community. White feminism has become such a parody.

That's not what he's being criticised for. Women are objecting to misogynistic lyrics. Are women just supposed to not notice them, and especially not notice them if they're white?

I must be old and boring too OP because I don’t get him atall. If I was at Glastonbury last night I’d probably have been in my tent on mumsnet, he’s just not my cup of tea...however if Metallica or the Foos had been headlining

It’s attributed to race because plenty of white artists do say misogynistic things in their lyrics and people still sing along and Don’t discredit them as woman haters.

This is the third thread I’ve seen recently talking about the exact same lyrics by Stormzy.

I don’t agree with all his lyrics by any means but it is clear that white artists get away with things because of their privilege that black artists simply don’t.

I do hate the word ' slut' as much as i hate the C word as it usually about women and rarely a man. It was banded about when i was young a bit too much and had hoped it had died a death years ago.

”If her friend is a dead ting, take one for the bredren"
"2 peng tings at the entrance"

ting - woman
peng - pretty
dead - ugly
take one for the brethren - take one for the team.

It is true that a lot of lyrics to more mainstream songs written in the 60s and 70s were about domestic violence, gawping at women, telling them to be good wives and girlfriends for their men, but written in a more melodic way than grime is so we could ' singalong'.

Songwriters copped on to themselves, and a lot of songs have been the subject of protests - again, last Christmas there were protests about Baby It's Cold Outside as well as Fairytale of NY. Wives and Lovers is another one that would never be played now because it's so...so...so...can't even think of a word to describe it. Also I remember having an argument with my ex over the lyrics of a BS song, also called Hey Little Girl Is Your Daddy Home, which gave me the creeps, he insisted 'your daddy' meant 'her old man', where I thought it didn't make it any less paedo.

If I was to type a homophobic or racist term here now, we all know full well that the post would be deleted.

Yet “artists” whether they be Stormzy or anyone else, can can be cheered on by thousands of girls for using the word “slut.” Just as I can type that word here and the post won’t get deleted. This is the issue.

The whole race thing is a load of whataboutery. Of course, if Ed Sheehan (and I can’t stand him either btw) used that word directly, he’d get the same bashing.

If someone shouts “slut” and me in the street do you think I care if he’s black or white.

Really odd that people are trying to justify sexism with racism

As for all this pretentious drivel about him being a “poet of our time”, give me a break. History will judge him - in the same way as we can look back on films and music of yore that now seem racist, homophobic or sexist and wonder “wtf?”

If he wants to walk the walk of social justice warrior, then he should talk the talk. How hard is it?

This is the third thread I’ve seen recently talking about the exact same lyrics by Stormzy.

Here's a thought - maybe they upset a lot of women?

It is an old debate about the world of hip-hop/rap.

The lyrics are a reflection of the world they portray. They are spoken by characters drawn by the artist. Shakespeare did not advocate regicide.

Im not denying some lyrics are misogynistic, i am questioning why now is the time to tear him down for it when the song has been out for months, on the radio every single day, his song was streamed all over social media so it isn't a hidden little secret what he rapped about.

People mentioned what good causes he has done in a community because no one else on this site seems to mention it, just when he uses the world slut. If he had never hosted Glastonbury this conversation wouldn't be happening, why is that? Sure there will be some people who have never heard of him, but most with teens/radio have.

Pa1oma

Spot on.

Lol at pp explaining to feminists that white men are also hateful toward women.

It's funny because it's true

I can't get worked up about someone using the word 'slut' when there are artists out there literally singing about hitting on little girls. It's one rule for some and another for others. Even if Stormzy was rapping about climate change and learning algebra there'd still be reason to take issue with him.

I'm not a fan of his music as such, all I see is a young black man actually committed to making a change within his community. I frankly have no time for white feminism deriding him for misogyny without actually understanding the meaning of what he is saying.

Lol at pp explaining to feminists that white men are also hateful toward women.

And a lot of feminists explaining to the mansplainers that misogynists come in all ages and shades and nationality, and that feminists recognise it when they see it.

white feminism

The ultimate insult that trumps everything

Really odd that people are trying to justify sexism with racism

I'm not at all trying to justify sexism with racism. The nuance is lost on you if that's how you're understanding my points.

The point is lost on a lot of the woman here because some white feminists fail to understand that oppression is not solely reserved for woman.

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.

the stereotypesthing though. He’s wearing a stab vest/trousers below his butt/misogynistic lyrics/Christian beliefs etc etc.Hes using every stereotype about black males there are.

So what he’s saying - that’s all part of black urban culture, so suck it up? In which case it’s not inherirent racism to mention any of those things if your white surely.