All the stops have been pulled out to reinforce the idea that Stormzy’s third album is a very big deal. The advance publicity began back in March, during the much-delayed arena tour in support of its predecessor, Heavy Is the Head. Fans were treated to a lengthy video featuring clips from This Is What I Mean’s recording sessions and encouraged to pre-order it from the merch stand, eight months early. Its release has been heralded by a primetime televised chat with Louis Theroux, and an online video in which Stormzy plays its contents to super-producer Rick Rubin, who responds almost entirely in superlatives. As of today, a pop-up venue called This Is What I Mean House is open in London, featuring “live conversations with Stormzy, performances, a merch shop and an ‘immersive listening experience’”. It’s a long way from his breakthrough hit, Shut Up, which was heralded by a video shot by a fan in a south London car park. But that’s 2m albums and 14 singles that have either gone platinum, gold or silver for you.
