Album Review: This Is What I Mean by Stormzy

On his latest and most personal album, Stormzy explores new musical territory and reveals his unique perspective.

Much effort has been put into making people think Stormzy's third album is significant. The promotion for the album started in March, during the long-delayed stadium tour for Heavy Is the Head's predecessor. His audience was treated to a long film documenting the making of his newest album, and they were urged to pre-order it from the merch stand eight months in advance. The third studio album from Britain's foremost rapper is a somber, contemplative, and emotionally charged exploration of love, grief, and philosophical reconciliation titled This Is What I Mean. 

An album that compromises the inherent swagger of rap to convey the vulnerability so frequently hidden under the arrogant veneer of the genre; melancholy but optimistic; reflectively contrite; profoundly personal; sensitive to the point of fragility. This album is bold for many reasons, not the least because it doesn't care what listeners think of it. Like many great torch albums, it was created with the vocalist and their lost love as the only intended listeners. Although Michael Omari Owuo Jr., aka Stormzy, is just 6'5" tall, his presence in the UK rap industry is enormous. Stormzy sprang to prominence in 2015 as the genre's most electrifying presence, just as it was beginning to hit the mainstream. He has since won four Brit Awards, had three UK number-one singles, and released two albums that topped the charts. 

Since the 2017 release of his debut album, Gang Signs & Prayers, he has spoken out against the government on issues ranging from school lunches to the Grenfell Tower fire, headlined Glastonbury, Reading, and Leeds festivals, launched a publishing imprint for underrepresented voices with Penguin, endowed millions of pounds annually to charities fighting racial inequality, and more. Its follow-up, Heavy Is the Head (2019), focused on a new kind of conflict. Its cover art featured Stormzy thinking about the Union Jack stab vest he wore during his headlining act at that year's Glastonbury. This record was divided between his intense public responsibility as a leader in black British music and his need for personal privacy. 

But he has also managed to strike a balance between seriousness and a playful enjoyment of his abilities as a rapper, delivering quips and one-liners in diss records with a knowing wink and a grin, as if he were allowing himself to have fun. Heavy is the Head, his second studio album, came out in 2019. It was ruthless in the way it thought about power and responsibility. However, the album was also Stormzy's victory parade, epic in scope and full of chart bangers like Own It, a collaboration with megastars Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy. The covid-delayed, long-gestating This Is What I Mean is another animal altogether. It's easy to see why he's so nervous. The music in his latest effort differs from his previous work. On this album, which he made at a "music camp" on Osea Island in Essex, grime is replaced chiefly with powerful renditions of soul, R&B, and personal lyrics reflecting his experience so far. The album has several guest vocalists but no major rap features (outside of Ms. Banks); instead, it features the emotive singing styles of R&B artists featuring Ayra Starr, Amaarae, Tems, Jacob Collier, Nao, Tendai, and India.Arie. Sampha, the Mercury Prize-winning experimental singer-songwriter, frequently appears, as does soulful newcomer Debbie Ehirim.

Nonetheless, there is no justification for your animosity toward it. Twelve songs deep, Stormzy's new album is an intense, introspective meditation on the peace, love, and ecstasy that he finds in his Christian faith and his experience as a black man in Britain. His enthusiasm and appreciation for the album's new soul-led approach are palpable throughout each track. It's also worth noting that this is the only album cover of his that doesn't include his face; it has a white envelope on a brown doormat in front of a black door. The album's message is more than just Stormzy, as seen by the times when he makes room for other outstanding musicians to shine. The album's first track, Mel Made Me Do It, is a seven-minute masterclass in rapping over the competition. However, you won't find that promotional song or its bulletproof manner on This Is What I Mean.

Instead, Fire + Water, the album's opener, takes an entirely different approach. With a head lowered, a modern gospel tune is established by an electronic piano, over which Stormzy murmurs his vocals and, subsequently, raps. In this ballad, he implores an ex-lover to reconsider their breakup and reconcile. Christian symbolism of cleansing waters bathes the topic of romantic love in a sea of heavenly love. It's a long, static beginning that only finishes with a more jam-like musical section, making it hard to get into.

The lyric "I think I'm Kanye mixed up with Donny Hathaway" is a dead giveaway from the title tune. The romantic soulfulness of the latter and the hip-hop daringness of the former are things that This Is What I Mean strives to do. Although Stormzy lacks the honey tones of Hathaway, his soft, low, and borderline flat delivery (heard before on gospel-style tracks on earlier albums) has a lot of character and presence, carrying the emotions of thoughtfully crafted lyrics and buoyed by the sweeter voices he surrounds himself with, who amplify and harmonize his lovely melodies.

In the powerful I Got My Smile Back, Stormzy is most open and honest as he discusses his problems with mental health. The second stanza is a powerful example of Stormzy's willingness to expose his humanity to his audience, from which some of them may derive the fortitude to persevere in their own lives. Another terrific Stormzy gospel song, Holy Spirit, would be at home in any modern church service. His devotion to God is front and center, and the song's execution is so flawless that even non-believers will likely feel at peace after hearing it. His singing on the single is a far cry from his grime past and offers listeners a new and refreshing perspective on him.

Stormzy, along with executive producer Kass Alexander aka PRGRSHN, has shaped a collection of songs with a wide sonic range yet linked by a low quality, centered on the piano played with a chordal richness and occasional jazzy and classical flourishes, and featuring strings, synths, organs, electric guitars, and afrobeat percussion. Long stretches sans drums allow Stormzy's smooth flow to shine through. His flow is raw and unpolished, almost whispering inward as if he were rapping to himself, revealing his most profound, most unique ideas. This record was made for your headphones, not the dance floor.

This novel approach is what makes things click. Fans of Stormzy's earlier work may have expected more of the same violent grime bars, but they get a genuine, unplanned expression of where he is at this very time. It's the music of an artist being themselves while thinking about an extraordinary life. The songs are personal in subject matter and production, and the album may be Stormzy's most polished and well-thought-out work. It is one of the year's finest albums and a breakthrough for Stormzy.

Great (★★★★☆)

Standout Selections: This Is What I Mean / Holy Spirit / I Got My Smile Back