Where Is Stormzy From – What Was His Childhood Like?
Michael Ebenazer Owuo Jr, born in London in 1993, was soon to become the man we know professionally as Stormzy.
Image Source/The Guardian
But Stormzy wasn’t always the role model we know today – he’s been through his fair share of childhood troubles.
We’re taking a look at Stormzy’s life, delving into where he’s from, what he childhood was like and how he got to where he is today…
Stormzy’s Childhood
Brought up by his Ghanian mother, Abigail Owuo, in South Norwood, Stormzy has two sisters and a brother.
Although he described himself as a ‘hood rat’ for the majority of his childhood, Stormzy was bright in school – he had the capacity to do very well in his exams, with teachers expecting him to score a place in one of the country’s top universities.
But despite his ability to succeed academically, Stormzy was almost expelled many times, not by doing anything too unpleasant, but doing things to entertain himself.
Eventually, after attending Harris Academy School for secondary school, the now-rapper came out with 6 A*s, 3 As and 5 Bs in his GCSEs.
What Was His School Like?
Harris Academy had a reputation as a tough place to learn, with lots of pupils getting into trouble in the community.
As Stormzy himself explains:
“My school was nasty, the kind of school where people go on to become convicted murderers.”
During his time there, Stormzy earned the respect of his classamates with outrageous behaviour. He acknowledges that he made life hard for his teachers:
“I’d be the one to throw a sandwich at someone’s head in assembly”.
He Ended Up Getting Expelled
Although he made it past his GCSEs, Stormzy went one step too far after he piled up chairs to trap another student in them, the rapper now describes the incident as ‘just messing around’
However playful it was, Maya Jama’s ex was expelled and after attending another college, he found he wasn’t enjoying it and decided to walk out. From then on, Stormzy’s A-levels didn’t go to plan.
The Neighbour He Grew Up In…
Violence and crimes were commonplaces in the neighbourhood that Stormzy grew up in and the grime artist wasn’t able to shield from the incidents that went on.
In an interview with a US radio show host, Stormzy gave some examples of what went on in his neighbourhood:
“A robbery, a stabbing, a fight in the middle of the road, jumping in the cab and bumping the cab driver, ordering pizza and f**king robbing the pizzaman and taking his ‘ped (moped).”
The serious crimes Stormzy’s described he dismissed as “bog-standard” and claimed that “no-one batted an eyelid”.
He Has Been Stabbed Three Times
Stromzy has revealed that he has been stabbed three times – once on the head and on two other parts of his body. Whilst it seemed commonplace to the rapper, he noticed that the group of college kids he told has expressions of horror:
“They had faces 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.”
Image Source/DJ Booth
When Stormzy Discovered Music
Stormzy discovered music as a young age – when he was 11, he realised his ambition by performing a rap song in a youth club. However, he didn’t make it straight away, after leaving school Michael opted for an apprenticeship, before working at an oil refinery for two year.
