Heavy Is the Head

Stormzy - Heavy Is the Head
Critic Score
Based on 21 reviews
2019 Ratings: #210 / 805
User Score
Based on 758 ratings
2019 Rank: #384
Liked by 64 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
PopMatters
From career milestones to addressing grime beefs, to expressing the precarious position he finds himself in as a spokesperson for a generation of black British youth, a shorter album wouldn't do justice to these experiences.
90
Clash
‘Heavy is the Head’ absolutely hits it out of the park. It’s the same winning mix of grime bangers and radio friendly singing as last time, but, crucially, it’s better at making sure they work together on the same project.
80
The Observer

This powerful follow-up to Gang Signs & Prayer is a grandstanding, soul-searching bid to crack the US – without losing that pugnacious south London voice.

80
The Needle Drop

Stormzy realizes his pop rap ambitions on Heavy Is the Head.

80
The Telegraph
Throughout this album, he wrestles with the privileges and burdens of his success. The result wittily, emotionally and triumphantly affirms his position at the head of the British rap pack.
80
The Independent
Not only is it a drastic step up from his impressive debut, but it shows an artist keen to test himself emotionally, as well as artistically.
80
The Guardian
He’s become so famous that even the Archbishop of Canterbury loves him – but this brilliant second album shows how difficult Stormzy finds stardom.
80
The Line of Best Fit

If Heavy Is The Head is one thing, it’s aware of its own worth. It doesn’t need me to tell you that.

80
DIY

The labyrinthine complexities of human nature are explored here in all their grit and glory, but it’s the combination of Stormzy’s charm and his knack for storytelling that allows ‘H.I.T.H’ to glimmer with a universal appeal that will please both his mainstream audience and grime fans of old; an almost impossible task that he’s amazingly pulled off.

80
Under the Radar

Stormzy delivers one of the most introspective and prayerful works of the year, solidifying his elite status in hip-hop.

80
NME

Stormzy isn’t aiming to be the biggest name in grime, or UK rap, or indeed even be one of the biggest UK artists; Heavy Is The Head is him trying to go for everything and become the sort of culture-defining talent that only pops up a couple of times in a generation.

80
AllMusic

More enjoyable overall than Gang Signs, Heavy Is the Head is a well-rounded mix of toughness and sentimentality, and another rightful triumph.

70
Slant Magazine

The 16-track Heavy Is the Head comprises a mix of snapping bangers and reflective slow jams.

70
Exclaim!

A solid album but also not a surprising one.

70
Pitchfork

While HITH sees Stormzy navigate second album syndrome with apparent ease, it also leaves open the question of where he goes from here.

60
Crack Magazine
It’s a solid album, but the fact it comes from a king means you’d be right to expect a lot more. Stormzy is still an invaluable symbol in British society, but you’re left with the feeling that he’s a symbol that’s been momentarily bent out of shape, the music just one facet of a vast empire.
60
musicOMH

The fondness for schmaltz gets a bit overwhelming, and the album is only great in patches.

BartDaGoat
84

Brittish rap be like:
https://youtu.be/JWxYFXCInbg?si=S4JC3nwlTKF7XaC2
Solid raps from Bri'ish rapper. Stormzy is 30 year old rapper with Ghanian roots. Since 2010, he started to rap and release his freestyles on the internet. In 2014, he gained attention from UK underground scene. After releasing few singles in span of 3 years, he finally released his debut album "Gang Signs & Prayer". This album debuted on no.1 in UK. After 2 years of not releasing his solo material, he returned ... read more

Oreox4
75

This is a solid album. It has a nice sound to it. It has nice flows. And it is just a good rap album. Good stuff. The production is really nice to. It's a likable album in general

Big Michael: 67/100 (Decent)
I DO NOT like the flow on the first part of the track. It's like he can't write a full song so he writes half of it and stretch it out. The beat is a SLAP though

Audacity (feat. Headie One): 65/100 (Decent)
I liked it a lot at first but then it just kept going.

Crown: 83/100 ... read more

Case
70

I’ve never really gotten into Stormzy’s music, or UK Grime in general. But after seeing Fantano’s positive review, I decided to give this a listen, and I’m pleasantly surprised.

The production on here is pretty good, and I love the shifts from genre to genre on here. This album doesn’t have one specific sound and I think that helps it tremendously. I also think Strormzy is a very good rapper. His more aggressive rap tracks are more interesting to me than the pop ... read more

molochthagod
10

Wiley Flow was great, but the rest of the album is a bore. Btw this is not grime. Stormzy has never released a grime album, stop calling him grime, you idiots.

JakeyThoms
85

This album slaps

buckfastbjork
80

Stornzy deserves his flowers. Sure he does his tunes with Ed Sheeran and they're not my thing. But thats his perogative, he also makes straight "kick your head in" bangers and emotionally powerful anthems that wil go down as UK music classics. He is Stormzy. He can do whatever he wants. Shut up.

His first album had some incredible highlights but also some lowpoints and isn't one I go back to. His sophmore release though... He was just coming off of the hype of headlining Glasto, the ... read more

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Track List

1Big Michael
2:26
84
2Audacity
4:05
89
3Crown
3:33
90
4Rainfall
3:17
87
5Rachael's Little Brother
5:37
85
6Handsome
2:32
80
7Do Better
4:09
82
8Don't Forget to Breathe [Interlude]
2:21
feat. Yebba
82
9One Second
4:00
feat. H.E.R.
86
10Pop Boy
2:31
feat. Aitch
83
11Own It
3:36
75
12Wiley Flow
3:27
89
13Bronze
2:25
74
14Superheroes
3:31
77
15Lessons
3:07
77
16Vossi Bop
3:16
93
Total Length: 54 minutes
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Added on: November 19, 2019