Rise Up: The #Merky Story So Far

Description

THE #MERKY STORY SO FAR ______________________ THE #MERKY STORY SO FAR Edited and co-written by Jude Yawson Contributions by Team #Merky Images by Kaylum Dennis 'It's been a long time coming, I swear...' In four years Stormzy has risen from one of the most promising musicians of his generation to a spokesperson for a generation. Rise Up is the story of how he got there. It's a story about faith and the ideas worth fighting for. It's about knowing where you're from, and where you're going. It's about following your dreams without compromising who you are. Featuring never-before-seen photographs, annotated lyrics and contributions from those closest to him, Rise Up is the #Merky story, and the record of a journey unlike any other. ______________________ 'A very important book. The voices we hear from - young, gifted and largely black - are all too rarely heard. These are people who typically have to listen to a daily diet of media negativity about their communities without the opportunities to respond. ... It is truly inspiring to read about the accomplishments of Team Stormzy, realised largely without money or expertise, but with bucketloads of intelligence and hard work.' BBC (WILL GOMPERTZ)

Stormzy is a musician from Thornton Heath, south London. In 2017 he won the BBC Music Award for 'Artist of the Year', and received two BRIT Awards for 'Male Solo Artist' and 'Best Album' in February 2018. His debut album, Gang Signs & Prayer, debuted at #1 in the UK album charts, the first ever grime album to do so. The album was subsequently nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and also won the Ivor Novello 'Album Award' in June 2018. He lives in London.

Part inspirational self-help manual, part business guide, part exploration of how its author - aided by the team around him, given equal voice in the oral history format - transformed himself into the scene's biggest star. -- Alexis Petridis * Guardian, 'Books of the Year' * Charts the ascent of the grime MC... through a panoply of voices. Stormzy is adored. -- Kitty Empire * Observer, 'Books of the Year' * In first-person interviews, the MC's friends and colleagues give their insight on an extraordinary journey so far... In doing so, it shines a light on voices that are often overlooked, in keeping with Stormzy's ethos for his #Merky publishing imprint. -- Rhian Daly * NME, 'Books of the Year' * A very important book... It is truly inspiring to read about the accomplishments of Team Stormzy, realised largely without money or expertise, but with bucketloads of intelligence and hard work. -- Will Gompertz * BBC * An inspirational must-read... Throughout he demonstrates an ambition beyond telling his life story. The book is part of a wider plan to elevate black British culture to where he believes it should be. It's a manual demonstrating how big plans can become realities... Like Stormzy himself, it's a different kind of success. -- David Smyth * Evening Standard *