Stormzy has announced he will donate £10 million to black British causes over the next ten years. The pledge, he says, is the start of 'a lifetime commitment' with his company #Merky to help 'organisations, charities and movements that are committed to fighting racial inequality, justice reform and black empowerment within the UK.'
In a statement, the rapper - who last year became the first black solo headliner at Glastonbury - wrote: 'The uncomfortable truth that our country continuously fails to recognise and admit, is that black people in the UK have been at a constant disadvantage in every aspect of life – simply due to the colour of our skin.
'I’m lucky enough to be in the position I’m in and I’ve heard people often dismiss the idea of racism existing in Britain by saying "if the country’s so racist how have you become a success?!" And I reject that with this: I am not the UK’s shining example of what supposedly happens when a black person works hard. There are millions of us. We are not far and few. We have to fight against the odds of a racist system stacked against us and designed for us to fail from before we are even born. Black people have been playing on an uneven field for far too long and this pledge is a continuation in the fight to finally try and even it.'
Stormzy was seen at the Black Lives Matter protests in London last weekend, which took place following the horrific killing of George Floyd.
The pledge follows the scholarships - for two black students to study at Cambridge University - that the musician funded in 2018. The scheme was expanded in 2019, with the musician offering another two places.
Last year, the grime artist was interviewed by Italian newspaper La Repubblica and was asked about his thoughts on the issue of racism in Britain.
'It’s like, "Oh no, we’re not racist". But there’s a lot of racism in the country,' he told the paper. 'The difficult thing with the UK is, as you said, in Italy it’s a clear problem, whereas trying to explain that Britain is a racist country [to a British person] is the most difficult thing ever. They think, "No, it’s not. Stormzy you’re successful. Look at London, there’s loads of black people..." It’s a more difficult case to fight.'
He then went on to speak about previous racist remarks made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. 'If the top person can openly say this racist thing – the "piccaninnies" remarks, "watermelon smiles", comparing Muslim women to a letter box – if that is our figurehead, the top man, the leader we have to follow, and he openly says these things, he encourages hate among others.'