(AllHipHop News) British rapper Stormzy has slammed politicians for patronizing young entertainers after he was mocked by leading Conservative minister Michael Gove.
The grime star got involved the U.K.’s general election, endorsing the loser, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn – an intervention that prompted Gove to quote his lyric “I set trends dem man copy” on Twitter.
Responding in an interview with The Observer newspaper, Stormzy slams the veteran Member of Parliament for his joke, who also said he was a better rapper than a “political analyst.”
“It’s the classic, ‘You’re just a rapper,'” Stormzy fumed. “Using ‘I set trends dem man copy’… No one was talking about that. I wasn’t talking about music, I wasn’t talking about ‘Shut Up’ – I was talking about politics.
“So him saying that is like he said: ‘Oh, no, forget politics. This is what he does. He’s a rapper.’ It’s a weaponized tactic. They do it to young people, they do it to black people, they do it to rappers, they do it to entertainers: ‘Just shut up and rap.’ Stay in your lane.”
The “Vossi Bop” hitmaker, who has started his own book publishing imprint and scholarships for black youngsters, went on to accuse Gove and fellow conservatives like Prime Minister Boris Johnson, of dismissing him because of his background.
“It’s very telling of who these people are,” he adds. “As much as I’m a rapper, I’ve also done X, Y, Z. But they’re dismissing everything else. They just look at me and say: ‘No.’ They reduce us to whatever they need us to be and dismiss it.”
Corbyn was trounced in the election – leading Labour to its worst result since 1935 – but the musician says he found much to admire in him.
“Choosing hope and righteousness and a person committed to helping the many, not the few, that is not a fairy-tale dream,” he explains. “They make it sound like one decision is stupid and uninformed, and the other one is smart and intelligent.
“That’s a lie. It’s funny, politics is so dark that when a shining knight comes along, we’re told it’s just a f##king dream. But ambition and a better future, a genuine kinder, better society, that is the smart choice.”
