Until last week, Stormzy was widely considered one of British music’s shining stars, a BRITS and MOBO award-winning artist who was unafraid to be vocal on issues such as politics and racism in the UK.
Boldly holding British politicians to account, the Croydon-born rapper historically used his electric live performances to speak on issues of vital importance to Londoners.
When he took home two Brit awards in 2018, aged just 24, he used the spotlight to call for justice in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire. "Theresa May, where’s the money for Grenfell?” he sang. “What, you thought we just forgot about Grenfell? You criminals, and you got the cheek to call us savages, you should do some jail time, you should pay some damages, we should burn your house down and see if you can manage this."
He was the first Black solo artist to headline Glastonbury in 2019, performing in a stab vest emblazoned with a Union Jack custom designed by fellow art provocateur Banksy.
Stormzy then condemned Boris Johnson’s premiership for emboldening racism in Britain. “If the top person can openly say this racist thing – the ‘piccaninnies’ remarks, ‘watermelon smiles’, comparing Muslim women to a letter box – if that is our figurehead, the top man, the leader we have to follow, and he openly says these things, he encourages hate among others,” Stormzy told Italian newspaper La Repubblica in 2019.
Widely considered a voice of the people, Stormzy brought footballer Jack Grealish on stage at Reading and Leeds 2021 and exhorted the “hold that ‘Fuck Boris’ poster higher!” in reference the former Prime Minister.
But his brand partnership with McDonald’s has threatened to ruin his reputation as an outspoken campaigner.
At the end of January, Stormzy became the first UK face of McDonald’s ‘famous orders’ campaign. Fans were offered the chance to buy ‘The Stormzy Meal’ – nine chicken nuggets, a side of fries, two BBQ dips, a Sprite and an Oreo McFlurry. “I am so gassed,” Stormzy said in his official statement. “Never thought I’d have my own order on the official menu. That’s mad.”
But to his fans, the Maccies move has been seen as a betrayal.
‘STORMZY HAS SOLD OUT’ stickers and posters have popped around the capital. British-Irish satirical artist Darren Cullen, whose previous targets have included Coca Cola and Shell, is behind the campaign. “Signs are now on every McDonald’s drive-thru in South London,” said Cullen. “He sold out to McDonald’s in the middle of the boycott for Gaza and deleted posts as part of the deal.” The artist has encouraged people to download the graphics from his website so they can spread the word.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose campaign for Prime Minister was endorsed by Stormzy, has called the endorsement “hugely disappointing”.
McDonald’s has been the subject of a boycott since Alonyal, an Israeli franchise of the brand, announced it would be donating free meals to Israel’s military. Palestinian-led movement BDS (Boycott, Devolve, Sanction) has been calling for an “escalating global boycott of McDonald's until it ends ties with Israeli franchisee for supporting genocide”.
Stormzy had previously posted on his Instagram a list of some “fleeting thoughts” that included ““1. Free Palestine. 2. In the future, if there is ever a clear injustice in the world no matter how big or small, 100 times out of 100 I will always be on the side of the oppressed. Unequivocally. As I always have been.” The post has since been archived, meaning it is no longer visible on his page.
Sources close to the rapper insisted to Sky news that it "is simply not true" that archiving the post was part of the McDonald’s deal. The artist has not commented yet, and the reel promoting The Stormzy Meal is still pinned to the top of his profile.
