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" What I'm doing is British. It stems from the same culture as U.S. hip-hop, but the way we dress, the way we speak, the way we perform is so different. It's U.K. street culture. "

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" You read a book, write a detailed review as proof you've read it, and they give you a badge. That's where my competitive nature came out. Give me the badges! I would sit in the library all day, not 'cos I loved reading, just because I needed those badges. "

Stormzy

Library

Book

Day

" Most middle-aged white men probably don't know about little old Stormzy from London. "

" I grew up in south London, and I remember watching the scene pop off in East and think, 'Ahhhh, I would love to be in Bow E3 right now spitting wid Wiley and Dizzee.' "

" The Americans have their way of talking, their way of dressing, their way of doing things, and we have ours. That's why this whole U.K. underground thing has become sick, because everyone has finally said, 'Yeah, yeah, Drake is sick - but hang on, we are too.' "

" My mum's always had big aspirations because I'm an academic. I always got good grades at school. GCSEs were just a breeze for me. "

" On the microphone, I'm not scared to step up and say, 'This is my ability, this is how good I am.' In other areas of life, I'm not so confident; I'm still adjusting to the photo shoots, all that stuff. But behind the mic, I'm fully confident. "

" Grime is still quite new. You can't expect national radio and national media to get it straight away. "

" Our parents don't always know what's right. It's a new age. "

" I grew up as a British kid - I went to school in London, roamed the streets of London - but having these interactions with my roots and going back to Ghana, I'm like, 'Yeah this is sick.' I love my country and my people, and the energy and vibes that they bring back. So I want to rep that and be a part of it. "

" It's mad to think I was just a kid from south London, rapping in parks with friends. "

" My older sister was into grime, so she got me into it. When I was ten, I begged her to take me to my first house party, where there were decks and a mic. I ended up falling asleep standing up in the corner. "

Stormzy

House

Sister

" I was doing without for so long, not knowing the things that are normal for musicians. I was getting bookings regardless, people phoning or emailing me direct, and journalists were writing about me anyway. "

Stormzy

Long

Writing

" In school, all my teachers and my mum were super routing for me to study at Oxford. I picked music as a career choice, and this didn't sit too well with them! "

Stormzy

Choice

Music

" I don't even think of it as a strategy. It's me in my element; it's my forte. Me being with all the mandem on the ends, spitting to an old school grime riddim, is me in my element; that's when I feel I'm at my best. "

" It's not always about convincing your parents of what you want to do, but just saying, 'This is what I'm doing; this is what I love.' "

" My approach is just fearless. I'm not afraid to try anything. "

" When I'm good at something, I always try to be the best at it and claim that throne. Even in school, I never let anyone say anything to me; I would always be the smartest. "

" I love Frank Ocean. For me, 'Channel Orange' is the best LP ever. I love his voice, the songwriting, everything. "

" I was good at most subjects at school. Looking back, I was a proper boffin! Now, the thing I'm really good at is poker. "

" I'm a bit crazy, so sometimes I just get these mad ideas that, on paper, aren't even possible. "

" Every single thing that I was told that I couldn't do without a label - get in the charts, get on to the Radio 1 playlist - I've done. "

" People often link grime with other things, like street culture, and clashing, and MC battles and whatnot. But no one's ever talked in misogyny in grime. That's often linked to hip-hop, I know people talk about that is a problem in hip-hop. But not grime. "

" Bands like Little Mix do represent youth culture because loads of 16 year old girls listen to them. "

" In British music, you have indie, rock... Grime is now one of those pillars. It's a foundation of British music. "

" I read so many books when I was a kid that I didn't even know were shaping me up. "

Stormzy

Books

Even

" Engineering was the safe and sensible choice, but music was what I loved and wanted to do. "

" I don't care if it's a white millionaire kid from Oxfordshire who comes to my show, buys my record, supports me and rates me. It's cool. "

Stormzy

Kid

White

" I'm on the rise and whatnot, but I'm not the man to say, 'All right, world, here's grime.' It's gonna take me, Skepta, JME, Novelist and Lethal Bizzle, to say, 'I'm sick, he's sick, he's sick, he's sick'. Not one man can do it. "

" My mum was born and raised in Ghana and has a lot of Ghanaian values and traditions and morals. All that rubbed off on me, and that's why I have a lot of love and good energy in me - that universal energy is a Ghanaian thing. "

Stormzy

Love

Good

" I'm a completely fearless musician. "

Stormzy

Musician

Fearless