Stormy is an English grime and hip hop artist, from Croydon in London. He won Best Grime Act at the 2014 and 2015 MOBO Awards, and was named as an artist to look out for in the BBC’s influential Sound of 2015 list.

Today We’ve put together this collection of the best Stormzy quotes:

24 Stormzy Quotes

1. “I went to pick up my nephew from primary school, and one of the teachers there stopped me and said, ‘My son listens to you.’ That’s quite an awkward thing.” – Stormzy

2. “Every single thing that I was told that I couldn’t do without a label – get in the charts, get on to the Radio 1 playlist – I’ve done.” – Stormzy

3. “On the microphone, I’m not scared to step up and say, ‘This is my ability, this is how good I am.’ “In other areas of life, I’m not so confident; I’m still adjusting to the photo shoots, all that stuff. But behind the mic, I’m fully confident.” – Stormzy

4. “In British music, you have indie, rock… Grime is now one of those pillars. It’s a foundation of British music.” – Stormzy

5. “If I’m not working on music, I’m usually with my friends playing FIFA. We just kick back – I’m proper chilled.” – Stormzy

6. “I was a very naughty child, on the verge of getting expelled, but I wasn’t a bad child; everything I did was for my own entertainment. But when I went into an exam, I did really well.” – Stormzy

7. “Our parents don’t always know what’s right. It’s a new age.” – Stormzy

8. “People always meet me and go, ‘You’re so much cooler than I thought you’d be,’ and I’m like, ‘What did you expect me to be like?'” – Stormzy

9. “My core is grime. But I make all kinds of music. Take Picasso. He could paint whatever way he liked. He could do a little ting with a felt tip if he wanted to – it’s still going to be a bad boy Picasso at the end.” – Stormzy

10th of 24 Stormzy Quotes

10. “I’m a bit crazy, so sometimes I just get these mad ideas that, on paper, aren’t even possible.” – Stormzy

11. “You read a book, write a detailed review as proof you’ve read it, and they give you a badge. That’s where my competitive nature came out. Give me the badges! I would sit in the library all day, not ‘cos I loved reading, just because I needed those badges.” – Stormzy

12. “I read so many books when I was a kid that I didn’t even know were shaping me up.” – Stormzy

13. “When I’m good at something, I always try to be the best at it and claim that throne. Even in school, I never let anyone say anything to me; I would always be the smartest.” – Stormzy

14. “I know a lot of grime artists started off on pirate radio, but I missed that era; I was way too young.” – Stormzy

15. “The Americans have their way of talking, their way of dressing, their way of doing things, and we have ours. That’s why this whole U.K. underground thing has become sick, because everyone has finally said, ‘Yeah, yeah, Drake is sick – but hang on, we are too.'” – Stormzy

16. “Engineering was the safe and sensible choice, but music was what I loved and wanted to do.” – Stormzy

17. “Most middle-aged white men probably don’t know about little old Stormzy from London.” – Stormzy

18. “I grew up in south London, and I remember watching the scene pop off in East and think, ‘Ahhhh, I would love to be in Bow E3 right now spitting with Wiley and Dizzee.'” – Stormzy

19th of 24 Stormzy Quotes

19. “I need to just make as much noise and bang on as many doors as possible ’til men are, like, giving you the recognition.” – Stormzy

20. “It’s not always about convincing your parents of what you want to do, but just saying, ‘This is what I’m doing; this is what I love.'” – Stormzy

21. “My mum’s always had big aspirations because I’m an academic. I always got good grades at school. GCSEs were just a breeze for me.” – Stormzy

22. “My older sister was into grime, so she got me into it. When I was ten, I begged her to take me to my first house party, where there were decks and a mic. I ended up falling asleep standing up in the corner.” – Stormzy

23. I’m a completely fearless musician.” – Stormzy

24. “People often link grime with other things, like street culture, and clashing, and MC battles and whatnot. But no one’s ever talked in misogyny in grime. That’s often linked to hip-hop, I know people talk about that is a problem in hip-hop. But not grime.” – Stormzy