Gang Signs & Prayer

Stormzy - Gang Signs & Prayer
Critic Score
Based on 20 reviews
2017 Ratings: #115 / 940
User Score
Based on 481 ratings
2017 Rank: #583
Liked by 31 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
NME

The south London grime don delivers a knockout debut that’s brash and pensive in equal measure.

100
DIY
If Skepta’s ‘Konnichiwa’ was grime’s breakthrough, ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’ is its blockbuster – an all-encompassing ride through human experience that’ll stand tall for decades.
90
The Line of Best Fit

As an independent artist he’s created a something that feels deliberately empowering and doesn’t revel in novelty. But then Omari’s not just one of the best lyricists in the UK right now, he’s also someone who packs his bars tightly with logic, values and humour.

80
Loud and Quiet

This is an emphatic debut from a rapper that could take Grime to commercial heights it’s rarely seen ... Grime is growing up, and Stormzy is gracefully towering above the rest.

80
The Observer
While the faster, more aggressive tracks combine icy digitals with Stormzy’s flawless sense of rhythm ... the tracks in which he is expressing regret, affection or religiosity lean far too much on cliche.
80
The Telegraph

His peculiar mix of antagonism and soul-searching may not be enough to convert non-believers, but this bold, ambitious debut suggests that grime has found its most accomplished ambassador yet.

80
God Is in the TV
It can seem a sprawl – but one worth exploring.
80
Crack Magazine

Nothing feels contrived or forced — the grittier tracks bang as they should and the insular, reflective moments are offered up with genuine emotional weight. Take it or leave it, the release of GSAP is a monumental moment for UK music. Now let’s see where Stormzy, and grime, go from here.

80
The Guardian

It’s not a perfect debut – it’s slightly too long for one thing, and there are a couple of points where it sags – but it sounds like an album teeming with original, daring ideas.

80
Exclaim!

Both sides of Gang Signs & Prayer come to a head on pointed closer "Lay Me Bare," in which he writes about depression and his absentee father. Far from a weakness, that vulnerability brings welcome depth to Stormzy's explosive and emotional debut.

80
No Ripcord
Stormzy makes every minute of this album count. By giving a voice to both the street and religious sides of his life he is able to produce a well-rounded, exciting project.
80
AllMusic
It cannot be understated how bold it is to go against the grain in a genre where adherence to style can equal respect, but Stormzy's ambition exceeds potential judgment from purists. He's more concerned with expressing himself and adapting to survive, so that he can express further for years to come.
80
musicOMH

Gang Signs & Prayer does a brilliant job of introducing the world to the full scope of his talent, dismissing any notion of him being a one-trick pony. This is the work of a man who is comfortable pushing his craft to the limits and blurring the boundaries. It’s not perfect – it’s too disjointed for that bold tag – but the ambition is extraordinary.

76
Pitchfork

Both hard and soft, belligerent yet spiritual, Gang Signs & Prayer reveals a vulnerability belied by his 6-foot 5-inch frame and menacing glare.

75
The 405

Gang Signs & Prayer is as insightful as it is extravagant, gracious as it is haughty, and divine as it is gritty, which is both a blessing and a curse depending on whether or not you were looking for more gang signs than prayer.

72
HipHopDX

So while it’s not perfect, Gang Signs & Prayer is still a fairly absorbing consolidation of Stormzy’s position within the higher reaches of today’s grime movement.

70
Clash

Occasionally it feels like it veers too suddenly from braggadocio to piety, and it’s questionable whether Stormzy has a sufficiently versatile delivery (he’s no Durrty Goodz) to support this. But by casting his net so wide, the MC is unlikely to disappoint his diverse audience.

70
GIGsoup

Gang Signs & Prayer shows the grime star at his finest, delivering hard-hitting disses and more importantly a lesser seen, sensitive Stormzy.

60
The Independent

Stormzy is clearly on the verge of becoming the next grime crossover success.

RichardsH
59

Stormzy’s debut was a bit disappointing. There are a lot of different genres introduced but they seem a bit all over the place. The more poppy songs feel underperformed but there are a few decent grime songs on the album

exception
78

A lack of direction plagues Stormzy on his latest album, but on the directions that he does follow, he has some solidly enjoyable performances. His attempt to include gospel/soul influences were both interesting and a bore. Tracks like Blinded By Your Grace pt. 1 are absolutely stunning and do a substantial job at bringing deeper meaning to hip hop (all of the gospel areas of this project also do a much better job at gospel-rap fusion than Kanye West did with TLOP last year). But then there ... read more

noonoo97
43

NME 100 review out of 100 come on seriously they just trying to sell there magazine to young grime and hiphop fans.

There is some good grime music out there but Stormzy is not making any of it.

FUCK THE MANDEM TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE YOUR NOT A BAD BOY!

troncat4
65

The first two tracks were absolute fire. And then the rest pails from reaching that high.

luuke
77

'Gang Signs & Prayer' was the only Stormzy album I had yet to hear and since I enjoy listening to his other projects, I decided to check it out. All I really knew about this before heading into it was that people would talk about how he went 'mainstream' or switched up his style on his next album 'Heavy Is the Head', but after actually checking this out, I don't think that argument is valid at all.

One of the most obvious aspects of this project that stands out almost instantly is the ... read more

thearcticchxld
70

why do mfs glaze stormzy so much

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Added on: February 2, 2017