Next month, Stormzy will turn 30. July 26, this chapter will close, and out on the horizon, a new one will open. Boy becomes man, the chaos of youth firming into the full blooms of adulthood. Time comes for everyone, the tide must roll in. And soon, he will be next.
Stormzy isn’t nervous about this passover. He has been ready for 30. He feels fresh. He feels healthy and he feels sharp. Last November he released his third album, This is What I Mean, a liberating record pulling on influences ranging from soul to rap, R&B to Afrobeats, the 12 songs teasing out his private, poignant reflections on a deepening faith, on broken relationships with fathers and ex-partners, on his mental health and more.
Today, he is sitting in…