Stormzy - Gang Signs & Prayer - Album Review


Stormzy: following up his unreal 2016 breakthrough into the mainstream charts- gaining international recognition, mainly through the hit song “Shut Up” and winning the MOBO’s best Grime act two years in a row. Gang Signs & Prayer is his first album release of 2017, a 16 track album boasting features such as Ghetts, J Hus, Kehlani, Wretch 32, MNEK and Raleigh Ritchie.

Throughout the album, Stormzy showcases and addresses his problems both with how his culture and peers are viewing him tackling obstacles between his personal life and working- self. The lyrics change from a cluster of heavy hitting bars, throwing people into a remedy of slower melodic songs about his connection with faith in Blinded by your Grace p1.

Track one “First things first” is a great introduction on what to expect in this album, heavy rhythmic ciphers send for those that are doubting his loyalty to the grime scene and those that are trying to piggyback off his success in the last few years.

One of the recurring themes throughout the album is Stormzy firing toward those that are disrespecting him for taking his grime life into the limelight over the last two years- therefore due to his success and fame, pushing the grime culture as a while into another direction. They say he has taken the genre into the mainstream making it falter from the roots it began with. With homage’s to both the genre and his faith with the interludes “Blinded by your Grace, Pt 2” and “Gun Salute” with Wretch 32 these  ideologies are put to bed. The phone call from Crazy Titch (A legend in grime) in a later interlude, shuts down those that think Stormzy isn’t knocking on the walls of Grime culture or pushing on the borders of what could be achieved.

“Mr Skeng”: 7th track on the album is yet again more evidence that Stormzy has some of the most creative and unique collections in the scene. The instrumental to this track is just addictive, combine that with his gritty lyrics and delicate flow over the classical instrumental creates a brilliant piece of evidence for everyone to witness his experimental and open minded relationship with Grime.

This is one of the first times we have heard Stormzy sing on an album and it is quite refreshing, combining his singing with Kehlani’s on “Cigarettes & Cush” created a smooth- slower piece of music that I wouldn’t expect to come from an artist like Stormzy. Moorish to say the least.

Just as you think the album is calming down you hear the first beat of “Return of the Rucksack”. You know whatever follows is certain to release a banger. A dark, vibrating instrumental in the background coupled with a set of fast, energetic bars we get from Stormzy showcases once again that he needs to be recognized as one of the great modern grime MCs. Personally, the hook on this track isn’t for me, it sounds out of place and doesn’t seem to fit the gritty personality of the rest of the song.

The final track of the album “Lay me bare” is an emotional rollercoaster from Stormzy, the high octane energy delivering flow through each lyric emphasises on what caused him to hit the lows he did in 2016 and who helped him deal with his issues.

In conclusion:
This album has to be Stormzys best project to date for me, it is unique and appeals to a wider more mainstream audience but also keeps to his roots and has delivered fully with each track on the album, a ripe and pleasurable rarity throughout the countless genres around today.

Rating: 4 Stars / 5