2019 studio album by Stormzy
Heavy Is the Head (abbreviated to h.i.t.h on the album cover) is the second studio album by British rapper
Stormzy . It was released on 13 December 2019 through #Merky Records and
Atlantic Records UK .
[3] The album features collaborations with
Aitch ,
Burna Boy ,
Ed Sheeran ,
Headie One ,
H.E.R. , and
Yebba .
[4]
Heavy Is the Head was supported by the singles "
Vossi Bop ", "
Crown ", "
Wiley Flow " and "
Own It ".
[5] "Vossi Bop" was Stormzy's first number-one song on the
UK Singles Chart , while "Own It" also reached number one on the chart. Additionally, "Crown" reached the top 10 on the chart. Heavy Is the Head debuted at number two on the
UK Albums Chart , behind
Rod Stewart 's
You're in My Heart: Rod Stewart with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and ahead of
Harry Styles '
Fine Line .
[5] It eventually topped the chart on 10 January 2020.
Heavy Is the Head received widespread acclaim from critics upon release, being nominated at the
Brit Awards for
British Album of the Year , while "Vossi Bop" for
British Song of the Year . By January 2020, it was certified
Platinum by the
British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
Promotion
The album was promoted with numerous projections of the initials H.I.T.H around
London .
[5] Stormzy officially announced the album through his social media on 19 November,
[6] revealing the track list and cover art, which shows him holding the stab proof vest featuring a black-and-white
Union Jack that he wore during his set at the
Glastonbury Festival 2019 , designed by
Banksy .
[7]
Critical reception
Upon release, Heavy Is the Head received widespread acclaim from critics. At
Metacritic , which assigns a
normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an
average score of 82, based on 17 reviews.
[9]
Carl Anka of
NME described Heavy Is the Head as "a broad-reaching, genre-buckling romp that – while sometimes overreaching – never gets dull or overstays its welcome."
[15] Praising its exploration of genres and themes,
Kitty Empire wrote for
The Observer , "The spaciousness, punch and depth of these productions is telling, but it is a mark of [Heavy Is the Head ' s] artistic integrity that Stormzy manages to transcend genre (again) without sacrificing his core griminess, or losing too much in the way of accent, word choice, content or theme."
[16]
The album was shortlisted for the
Mercury Prize 2020, the second time in his career.
Track listing
Title Writer(s) Producer(s) 1. "Big Michael" 2:26 2. "
Audacity " (featuring
Headie One ) Smith 4:06 3. "
Crown " 3:33 4. "Rainfall" (featuring
Tiana Major9 ) 3:18 5. "Rachael's Little Brother" EY 5:38 6. "Handsome" 2:33 7. "Do Better" Smith 4:09 8. "Don't Forget to Breathe" (featuring
Yebba ) (interlude) 2:21 9. "One Second" (featuring
H.E.R. ) 4:01 10. "Pop Boy" (featuring
Aitch ) 2:33 11. "
Own It " (featuring
Ed Sheeran and
Burna Boy ) 3:37 12. "
Wiley Flow " 3:27 13. "Bronze" 2:25 14. "Superheroes" Omari Weathers Alastair O'Donnell Brian Steven Harris Lee Natalie Jordan Nigel Lowis 3:32 15. "Lessons" Thomas 3:08 16. "
Vossi Bop " Omari Chris Andoh ANDERSON Dakarai Forbes Andoh 3:16 Total length: 53:36
Japanese edition bonus track Title Writer(s) Producer(s) 17. "
Sounds of the Skeng " Sir Spyro 3:32 Total length: 57:40
Sample credits
"Rainfall" contains a sample of "
Shackles (Praise You) " written by Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell and Warryn Campbell and performed by
Mary Mary . The song was featured on the video game
Watch Dogs: Legion under the title "Fall on My Enemies".
[16]
"Rachael's Little Brother" contains elements of "
Baby Boy " written by Cherise Roberts, Eyobed Getachew, John Horsley, Michael Brown, Michael Mugisha, Nadia Shepherd, Temi Aisida and Thelma Howell and performed by
Big Brovaz .
[16]
"Superheroes" contains an interpolation of "Someday" written by Lee Jordan and Nigel Lowis and performed by
Keisha White , which is the theme song to the
CBBC show
The Story of Tracy Beaker .
[16]
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (12 December 2019).
"Stormzy: Heavy Is the Head — a gripping album of light and shade" . Financial Times . Retrieved 29 December 2022 .
^ Krol, Charlotte (11 December 2019).
"Stormzy and Headie One command respect in new song 'Audacity' " . NME . Retrieved 22 December 2019 .
^ Hussey, Allison; Strauss, Matthew (19 November 2019).
"Stormzy Details New Album Heavy Is the Head " .
Pitchfork . Retrieved 20 November 2019 .
^ Bruce-Jones, Henry (19 November 2019).
"Stormzy details second album, Heavy Is The Head " .
Fact . Retrieved 20 November 2019 .
^
a
b
c Copsey, Rob (19 November 2019).
"Stormzy announces new album Heavy Is The Head" .
Official Charts Company . Retrieved 20 November 2019 .
^ Aniftos, Rania (19 November 2019).
"Stormzy Confirms Release Date for 'Heavy Is the Head' Album" .
Billboard . Retrieved 20 November 2019 .
^ Reilly, Nick (19 November 2019).
"Stormzy announces second album 'Heavy Is The Head' " .
NME . Retrieved 20 November 2019 .
^
"Heavy Is the Head by Stormzy reviews" .
AnyDecentMusic? . Retrieved 14 May 2020 .
^
a
b
"Heavy is the Head by Stormzy Reviews and Tracks" .
Metacritic . Retrieved 13 December 2019 .
^ Simpson, Paul.
"Heavy Is the Head – Stormzy" .
AllMusic . Retrieved 14 May 2020 .
^
McCormick, Neil (13 December 2019).
"Heavy is the Head, Stormzy, review: grime's swagger meets Shakespearean self-doubt" .
The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 14 May 2020 .
^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (13 December 2019).
"Stormzy: Heavy Is the Head — a gripping album of light and shade" .
Financial Times . Retrieved 14 May 2020 .
^
Petridis, Alexis (13 December 2019).
"Stormzy: Heavy Is the Head review – a bright light on the dark side of fame" .
The Guardian .
ISSN
0261-3077 . Retrieved 13 December 2019 .
^ O'Connor, Roisin (13 December 2019).
"Stormzy review – Heavy Is the Head: Assertive second album heralds a man who knows exactly who he is" .
The Independent .
Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2019 .
^
a
b Anka, Carl (16 December 2019).
"Stormzy – 'Heavy Is The Head' review: a broad-reaching, genre-buckling romp" .
NME . Retrieved 16 December 2019 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
Empire, Kitty (14 December 2019).
"Stormzy: Heavy Is the Head review – a hyper-confident return" .
The Observer . Retrieved 16 December 2019 .
^ Pritchard, Will (18 December 2019).
"Stormzy: Heavy Is the Head Album Review" .
Pitchfork . Retrieved 18 December 2019 .
^ Aroesti, Rachel (February 2020). "Force of Nature".
Q . No. 407. p. 106.
^ Potton, Ed (13 December 2019).
"Stormzy: Heavy Is the Head review — a regal gift from the grime king" .
The Times . Retrieved 13 December 2019 .
^
"Australiancharts.com – Stormzy – Heavy Is the Head" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
^
"Ultratop.be – Stormzy – Heavy Is the Head" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
^
"Stormzy Chart History (Canadian Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved 24 December 2019.
^
"Danishcharts.dk – Stormzy – Heavy Is the Head" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
^
"Dutchcharts.nl – Stormzy – Heavy Is the Head" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
^
"Offiziellecharts.de – Stormzy – Heavy Is the Head" (in German).
GfK Entertainment Charts . Retrieved 20 December 2019.
^
"Irish-charts.com – Discography Stormzy" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
^
"Charts.nz – Stormzy – Heavy Is the Head" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
^
"VG-lista – Topp 40 Album uke 3, 2020" .
VG-lista . Retrieved 18 January 2020 .
^
"Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100" .
Official Charts Company . Retrieved 11 January 2020.
^
"Swedishcharts.com – Stormzy – Heavy Is the Head" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
^
"Swisscharts.com – Stormzy – Heavy Is the Head" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
^
"Official Albums Chart Top 100" .
Official Charts Company . Retrieved 11 January 2020.
^
"Stormzy Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved 24 December 2019.
^
"End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2019" . Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 January 2020 .
^
"ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2020" . Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 January 2021 .
^
"Jaaroverzichten 2020" . Ultratop. Retrieved 18 December 2020 .
^
"Album Top-100 2020" .
Hitlisten . Retrieved 13 January 2021 .
^
"Jaaroverzichten – Album 2020" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 6 January 2021 .
^ White, Jack (10 January 2021).
"Ireland's Official Top 50 biggest albums of 2020" . Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 January 2021 .
^
"End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2020" . Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2021 .
^
"Danish single certifications – Stormzy – Heavy Is the Head" .
IFPI Danmark . Retrieved 1 October 2021 .
^
"British album certifications – Stormzy – Heavy Is the Head" .
British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 27 November 2020 .
Studio albums Singles Featured singles Other songs Tours