Stormzy has given his thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement, explaining that the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests are a result of being systematically oppressed for so long.
The South London rapper told BBC while he “doesn’t have any answers”, he hoped it would give others insight into the struggled faced by black people.
“One thing I really want this movement to do is show what it means to be black,” he explained. “You hear so much rhetoric, you know, ‘All lives matter – why do black lives matter more?’ And it’s like, bruv, do you not understand?”
“If we weren’t oppressed, we wouldn’t be shouting. We would just be living our lives. I want you to understand that we are not just crying or just shouting. This is a real pain, this ain’t some sort of trend, this is real life and this has been our reality for hundreds and thousands of years.”
Stormzy said that while he had attended the recent London Black Lives Matter protests, he chose not to speak out publicly.
“I don’t have answers,” he admitted. “We’re all just standing together and cheering.”
It comes after the ‘Big For Your Boots’ rapper teamed up with The Good Guys – a decorating company that transforms the bedrooms of young people for free – by surprising a 15-year-old fan named Isahe by decorating his bedroom as a reward for “positive behaviour” at school.
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While he joked he had “ruined” the team’s work with his lacklustre painting skills, Stormzy insisted that The Good Guys get a pat on the back for all the great work they do for kids.
“What [they’re] doing today is way more giving and way more thoughtful than me coming in for 30 minutes and being a part of it,” he said.
It comes following the news that Stormzy announced that he would be donating £10m (a whopping $AU 18 million) to black British causes over the next 10 years.
Check out ‘Vossi Bop’ by Stormzy:
Stormzy guest stars on new TV series Noughts + Crosses. All six episodes are available to stream now on BINGE.
