Stormzy hits back after documentary maker tweets asking him for interview on gangs
STORMZY has slammed a documentary maker after she tweeted him asking for a interview about gangs. The rapper was messaged by Irene Pontisso asking if he would meet for a chat for her film on the problem in South London. She said: “@stormzy Hi, I’m doing a documentary on gangs in South London and would […]
STORMZY has slammed a documentary maker after she tweeted him asking for a interview about gangs.
The rapper was messaged by Irene Pontisso asking if he would meet for a chat for her film on the problem in South London.
She said: “@stormzy Hi, I’m doing a documentary on gangs in South London and would love to interview you when you’re in town?
“How can I get in touch with you and provide further info? Thanks a million!”
But Stormzy hit back at Irene, who claims to work in the communications department at the Cabinet Office on her LinkedIn page.
He wrote: “Well I’m not in a gang so don’t know why you’d want me lmao”.
The documentary maker removed her tweet quickly but it was picked up by a string of users who accused her of “stereotyping”.
One wrote: “She took the album “Gang signs and prayers” quite literally.”
Another said: “Slightly insulting really isnt it”.
One said: “Stereotyping at its finest”.
While another user responded: “The blaséness of the racism here is incredible”.
The grime artist, who was brought up in Thornton Heath, South London, shot to fame with his first album Gang Signs & Prayer.
He has previously spoken out about how gang violence has engulfed friends he knew growing up.
RAPPER STABBED THREE TIMES
And Stormzy, who wore a Union Jack stab vest designed by Banksy to make history headlining Glastonbury this year, has repeatedly raised awareness of knife crime in the UK.
Last year, he revealed he had been stabbed three times – including once in the head – as a young man.
It was only when the star – real name Michael Omari – took a further education course aged 17 that he realised the terrifying attacks weren’t “normal”.
He said: “In the room were 17 white kids. One day we had our hard hats off. I had a scar on my head and someone goes, ‘What happened?’
“I said, ‘Oh, I got stabbed.’ I will never forget. I was explaining, ‘I got stabbed her, there, there.’
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“They had faced of horror – and that’s when it dawned on me. Of course it’s shocking I’ve been stabbed. Of course it shouldn’t be normal.”
In 2017, one of the rapper’s best mates Bugz was stabbed to death in a brutal attack in Thornton Heath before frantically trying to cycle away.
The 23-year-old – real name Bjorn Brown – was set upon by two thugs and later collapsed in the street.
