Stormzy rides in power and tenacity

Full of bold lighting and color-blocked sets, Stormzy’s new music video, Audacity, featuring Headie One, reverses gravity and power structures in a cross-town delivery. 

The imagery is disjointed and non-linear, narratively moving from bridge to carrier, looking in and out of the city as Stormzy and Headie One rap and fire over dark sets. The cultural strength of the movement is aggressive and demanding, and Stormzy’s grime style is on full display. He spits on Escherine staircases and amid fire-soaked callboys, totally in control, not bothered. 

Within Audacity, there are moments of exceptional cleverness; the swaying chains in the background, the stark bodies in contrast to the set, the motorbikes passing back and forth, in front of a larger truck, the camera following wheels and faces. The vibe here is cool, angry, proud, and ready for another round.