Stormzy headlining Glastonbury in 2019 wasn't a one-off - it was a statement. British grime and rap had been building for years; he was the one who took it to the Pyramid Stage and made the country pay attention. Gang Signs & Prayer and Heavy Is the Head proved that UK rap could be personal, political and stadium-sized.
In his wake, Headie One has become one of the most important voices in British drill and beyond. From mixtapes to collaborations with Drake and Fred again.., Headie has shown that drill can be melodic, introspective and globally understood. His work with Fred again.. on "Gang" and the broader Edna project blurred the lines between club, rap and pop in a way that only UK artists seem to pull off.
Stormzy: from Croydon to the Pyramid Stage
Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. - Stormzy - grew up in South London and cut his teeth on grime's formative years. Early freestyles and the "WickedSkengMan" series built a reputation; "Shut Up" became a cultural moment when it hit number one on the Christmas chart without a major label push. But it was the albums that cemented his place. Gang Signs & Prayer in 2017 blended grime with gospel, vulnerability with bravado, and proved that a grime artist could make a cohesive, ambitious record that deserved to be heard in one sitting. Heavy Is the Head followed with even bigger production and even more personal lyrics - and then came Glastonbury.
Headlining the Pyramid Stage in 2019 wasn't just a booking; it was a recognition that British rap had arrived at the centre of the culture. Stormzy used the platform to call out the government, to celebrate Black British excellence and to show that grime could hold a field of 100,000 people. The performance is now part of British music history, and the impact is still being felt. He's since continued to release music, to invest in the community through initiatives like #Merky Books and the Stormzy Scholarship, and to remain one of the most respected figures in UK music.
Headie One: drill's next chapter
Headie One - Irving Adjei - emerged from the same ecosystem that produced Stormzy, but his sound is distinct. Where grime was fast and confrontational, drill was slower, darker, more melodic. Headie took those elements and pushed them in new directions. Mixtapes like Music X Road and The One established him as a storyteller; collaborations with Drake on "Only You Freestyle" and with Fred again.. on "Gang" brought him to a global audience. The Edna album, named after his mother, was a breakthrough: introspective, varied and proof that drill could carry emotional weight and crossover appeal at once.
His partnership with Fred again.. was particularly significant. "Gang" and the broader project showed that British rap could sit alongside electronic production without losing its identity. The track became a club staple and a streaming hit, and it opened the door for more experiments between drill and dance music. Headie has continued to evolve, releasing projects that blend rap with afrobeats, R&B and more - always keeping the core of his sound intact.
The legacy and the future
The throughline is clear: British rap is no longer asking for permission. It's defining the culture, and the next decade will be written by artists who grew up watching Stormzy - and who are now building on what he started. Headie One is one of those artists; there will be more. The story of British rap in the 2020s is the story of grime and drill moving from the margins to the main stage, and Stormzy and Headie are two of its most important authors.