Why Stormzy Turned Down Collaboration with Jay-Z

British grime rapper Stormzy revealed that he was originally going to feature Jay-Z on his hit song “Own It”. In an interview with American TV show host Jonathan Ross, he talks about the story behind the song.

Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr, popularly known as Stormzy, is a British-born musician. He started his music career in 2010 and by 2014, he had gathered underground following.

Stormzy came into the limelight after he released his EP “Dreamers and Disease” in 2014. Since then, he has been a mainstay in the British grime genre.

Stormzy has cited Jay-Z as one of his early influences. Jay-Z even gave Stormzy an amazing intro during his Glastonbury concert.

All these make it quite mad that he turned down the opportunity to collaborate on a track with him. But there’s a lot more to the story that makes it make sense.

Here’s what happened:

Ed Sheeran was the first person Stormzy had recruited for the song. When Jay-Z expressed his interest in the song, Stormzy was over the moon. In fact, Jay-Z had already written and recorded his own verse.

But then Jay-Z asked Stormzy and his manager about London. The two began to talk about their shared history. They talked about the unique black culture in Britain and what it meant to them.

After talking about London so fondly with his manager, Stormzy realized the song would not be the same with someone who did not share that collective British experience that Sheeran did with him.

Stormzy then explained how he felt to Jay-Z. He said he probably would have just written his verse had Jay not asked him that.

Jay-Z’s reaction

Jay-Z, who has over 20 years of experience in the music industry completely understood where Stormzy was coming from. He understood the need for him as an artiste to follow his instincts even though they looked stupid.

Jay-Z then commended Stormzy for his bravery and ensured him that there were no hard feelings. He understood his need to pick authenticity over clout and the joy of working with his idol and he respected that.

Stormzy said he left there feeling proud of the decision he had made.

Enter Burna Boy!

Nigerian Afro-fusion artiste Damini Ogulu aka Burna Boy moved to Brixton as a teenager. There, he lived with his uncle while he attended school and got exposed to several musical influences.

The itinerary of Burna Boy’s life was completely changed by his time in Britain and that singular factor made him a perfect fit for Stormzy’s song. Even if he did not get a verse of his own, he heavily pushed the star quality of the song.

This explains why “Own It“, a song about a beautiful woman, feels more like a brotherly bond than it is romantic. It remains authentic, the perfect blend of culture and sound linked by collective Britishness.

Stormzy’s “Heavy Is The Head” album will be released on the 13th of December and his world tour starts in February 2020.

Watch Stormzy’s interview below: