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The rapper has become as well known for his philanthropy work as his multiple hits, the 28-year-old artist first garnered attention for his activism after the George Floyd protests. Owuo issued a statement via his record label outlining his charitable plans, the rapper stated he would donate £1 million annually for a decade to various charities and movements. In 2020 the rapper set up the #Merky Foundation which adopted the promises outlined in the statement, since its formation the foundation has raised millions of pounds to support issues surrounding racial inequality.

A description on the foundation’s website confirms its mission statement, “At #Merky, we have always used our brand to elevate, support and amplify the issues and the voices of the black community. To continue and expand upon our activism and philanthropic work, #Merky Foundation pledges £10 million over 10 years, to organisations, charities & movements that are committed to fighting for racial equality, justice reform and black empowerment within the UK. #Merky will forever remain devoted to improving and safeguarding the lives of those within the black community and this is just the beginning of our lifetime commitment to financially and wholeheartedly back these causes.”

Along with his foundation, the multiple BRIT award winner has also supplied scholarships to black students enrolled at the University of Cambridge, in doing so Stormzy aims to address racial issues reported within higher education institutions. In 2021, the artist also established a new charitable partnership with HSBC UK, the banking company joined forces with the #Merky Foundation to further endorse opportunities within higher education. The new philanthropic collaboration was set up to raise funding and support for the education of 30 students, the “Stormzy Scholars” will receive financial help to cover tuition fees and any maintenance costs for three years.

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During his acceptance speech, the rapper joked about how he worried that his philanthropy work had overtaken his notary as a musician. During his rousing and emotional speech, Stormzy also congratulated students and praised their commitment, “The journey I took to get to this moment has been considerably different to yours. You guys have the guts and the grit and the dedication that it takes to study for years and to finish your degree whereas I got my AS results in my first year of college and said yeah, see you later. I didn’t have the same minerals that you guys have. A year later I took another swing at my A levels at a different college until I sat down for my English exam in January and walked out after 10 minutes.”

The rapper continued to praise those graduating, “It took a hell of a lot for you to get here today. Your journeys to get to this moment were hard fought. The road you took was not easy. And this is coming from someone who tried to walk that exact same road and failed. So from the bottom of my heart, I say congratulations, well done and you should all be so proud of yourselves, what you have achieved is incredible. Don’t let anybody downplay it and don’t let anybody undermine it. If you are sat in this room today you are worthy and you are brilliant.”

Stormzy’s acceptance speech continued to inspire the students and those in attendance, “I bear the fruit and I share fruit and, without sounding too fantastical, that’s just what we’re meant to do in whatever way we can… We should always share and support, uplift and help in whatever capacity we are able to.” Within his acceptance speech The ”Vossi Bop” hitmaker gave a very special shout-out to his mother who was in attendance, he stated that it was “always her biggest dream for me to go to university and graduate and then become somebody.“

If you are the one lucky enough to be on the receiving end of the program, you could spend 4 years researching your chosen field, be it songwriting, drums, vocals or guitar, as well as background knowledge on the ins and out of the industry, business practices, masterclass opportunities, and countless opportunities to network and collaborate around the industry. Fontaines D.C. bassist Conor Deegan commented, “We’re honoured to have a scholarship in our name.” Adding, “Our time [at] BIMM gave us time to figure out who we wanted to be as a band. We were given guidance on how to achieve our dreams. We’re looking forward to being able to help someone else succeed at their time there with this scholarship.”

BIMM Institute Dublin’s principal Alan Cullivan had this to say about the new collaboration, “having watched their career grow with great excitement both before and since they completed their studies”. Adding, “At BIMM, we are driven by a commitment to helping Ireland’s next generation of music talent achieve their creative goals and realise their ambitions as artists… to be able to offer that in collaboration with our former students is a bonus.”

 As well as all of this extra work trying to salvage what remains of music in the educational system this country has to offer, Fontaines D.C. are also in the midst of the build-up for their new album Skinty Fia. Set for release on April 20^th, the album will follow up their 2020 album A Hero’s Death. Three singles have been released so far: “Jackie Down The Line”, “I Love You”, and the title track. You can pre-order the new album here, and take a listen to the lead single below.