This Is What I Mean Explained

This Is What I Mean
Type:studio
Artist:Stormzy
Cover:Stormzy - This Is What I Mean.png
Genre:
Length:51:20
Label:
Producer:
  • Prgrshn
  • Daniel Buhlebuyeza Miles
  • Dion Wardle
  • George Moore
  • Grades
  • Joel Peters
  • Jojo Mukeza
  • Juls
  • Knox Brown
  • KZ
  • Owen Cutts
  • P2J
  • Scribz Riley
  • Tempoe
  • Tendai
Prev Title:Heavy Is the Head
Prev Year:2019

This Is What I Mean is the third studio album by British rapper Stormzy, released on 25 November 2022, by #Merky and 0207 Def Jam. The album serves as Stormzy's first release under 0207 Def Jam. It features guest appearances from Amaarae, Ayra Starr, Black Sherif, Debbie, India Arie, Jacob Collier, Ms Banks, Nao, Sampha, and Tendai, alongside production from Grades, Juls, P2J, Scribz Riley, and several other producers. The album serves as a follow-up to Stormzy's third album, Heavy Is the Head (2019).[2]

Upon release, This Is What I Mean was met with widespread critical acclaim, with music critics praising Stormzy's "hard-hitting lyricism". The album debuted atop the UK Albums Chart, moving 27,800 album-equivalent units in its first week, marking the rapper's third consecutive chart-topping album, and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2023 Brit Awards.[3] The album was supported by two singles: "Hide & Seek" and "Firebabe", both of which peaked in the top ten of the UK Singles Chart.

Background and recording

Following the album's announcement, through a press release, Stormzy revealed that the album was recorded on Osea Island in England during a series of music camps with a team of "world-class musicians and the best producers, writers and artists in the world" in a "free atmosphere", where Stormzy "prayed every morning" during its creation.[4] [5] [6]

Release and promotion

On 23 September 2022, Stormzy released the non-album single "Mel Made Me Do It" which many assumed would mirror the sound of the album.[7] Following an almost three-year hiatus from social media, Stormzy announced the album on his social media on 12 October 2022, sharing the cover art and tracklist.[8] Just two days later, Stormzy released the album's lead single, "Hide & Seek" on 14 October 2022, and was preceded by clips of Stormzy recording the song.[9] On 10 November 2022, Stormzy released the album's second single, "Firebabe".[10]

Critical reception

This Is What I Mean was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 79, based on 14 reviews.

Writing for Clash, James Mellen wrote that the record "is a low-key affair, downbeat and introspective" while the album's tracks are "intimate in theme as well as production", describing the album as "Stormzy’s cohesive and coherent project to date". The Guardians Alexis Petridis wrote that "This Is What I Mean sticks to subtlety and nuance" and that "it’s a mood that fits perfectly, even if it isn’t what people might be expecting". Helen Brown for The Independent compared Stormzy to Donny Hathaway, stating that he "has a voice that can reach through the darkness and steady your heart". Brown wrote that the record "reflects all that in the way it puts Stormzy’s English vernacular afloat on a wider stage" while she praised the album's production. Sam Moore for NME wrote that the album has a "largely mellow and mature tone", however, "there is a small sense of disappointment that we don’t get to hear Stormzy let loose on the mic more often". Moore concluded that "the hard-hitting lyricism is still present" and that "Stormzy continues to lead the way" in the UK rap scene. Pitchforks Will Pritchard wrote that on the record, "Stormzy is performing for an audience of one: God". He concluded that "Stormzy is able to open his lungs, not just to scream and shout, but to breathe, and sing" and that with This Is What I Mean, Stormzy is "at the height of his powers, both creative and otherwise".

Rolling Stone UKs Emmanuel Onapa wrote that "This Is What I Mean marks a significant departure from his sound" and that throughout the record, Stormzy "provides a deeply personal and powerful reflection of the tranquillity, joy and blissfulness" which stems from his "Christian faith and as a black man navigating Britain". Onapa described the album as a "huge step forward" for the rapper while stating that it's a contender for album of the year. The Telegraphs Neil McCormick wrote that the album "is a moody, introspective, emotional third album of love, loss and philosophical reconciliation". McCormick continued that the album is "melancholic yet hopeful, ruminatively apologetic, intensely intimate and sensitive to the point of fragility" and that the album "sacrifices the innate swagger of rap to expose" Stormzy's vulnerability.

Will Hodgkinson of The Times described the album as a "major achievement" with atypical guest stars from "contemporary Afrobeat, soul and R&B", while David Smyth of the Evening Standard called it Stormzy's "most downbeat, intimate collection" that "very much sounds like a team effort[, t]hough the feel is insular and understated". Smyth summarised the two main themes on the album as being Stormzy "hurting from a break-up" and "the need for the advancement of black culture as a whole".

Year-end lists

Publication! scope="col" class="unsortable"
ListRank
ClashClash Albums Of The Year 2022
Complex UKComplex UK’s Best Albums Of 2022
DazedThe 20 best albums of 2022
GigwiseGigwise's 51 Best Albums of 2022
The IndependentThe best albums of 2022

Commercial performance

This Is What I Mean debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, moving 27,800 album-equivalent units in its first week, becoming Stormzy's third consecutive number-one album.[11] [12] The 27,800 units consisted of 13,977 CDs, 3,316 vinyl albums, 1,139 cassettes, 1,488 digital downloads and 7,954 sales-equivalent streams.[11]

The singles "Hide & Seek" and "Firebabe", along with another album track, charted on the UK Singles Chart: "Hide & Seek" (7), "Firebabe" (5), and "This Is What I Mean" (32). UK chart rules prevent artists from having more than three songs in the top 40 at once; Stormzy's album would have generated further entries in the countdown without these rules.[13]

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 72
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] 40
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 40

Notes and References

  1. Web site: This Is What I Mean Review. Simpson. Paul. AllMusic. 10 November 2024.
  2. Web site: Stormzy announces new album This Is What I Mean. The Fader. Darville. Jordan. 12 October 2022. 14 October 2022.
  3. Web site: Smith . Carl . 12 January 2023 . BRIT Awards 2023 nominations REVEALED . 12 January 2023 . Official Charts Company.
  4. Web site: Stormzy Announces New Album This Is What I Mean. Pitchfork. Arcand. Rob. 12 October 2022. 14 October 2022. 12 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221012205649/https://pitchfork.com/news/stormzy-announces-new-album-this-is-what-i-mean/. live.
  5. Web site: Stormzy announces new album 'This Is What I Mean'. NME. Neale. Matthew. 12 October 2022. 14 October 2022. 27 January 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230127080056/https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/stormzy-announces-new-album-this-is-what-i-mean-3327752. live.
  6. Grime Star Stormzy Returning With Third Album 'This Is What I Mean'. Rolling Stone. Blistein. Jon. 12 October 2022. 14 October 2022. 12 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221012204638/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/stormzy-grime-third-album-this-is-what-i-mean-1234610096/. live. subscription.
  7. Web site: Stormzy: Mel Made Me Do It review – boastful, whip-smart wordplay that makes it look easy. The Guardian. Pritchard. Will. 23 September 2022. 10 November 2024. 1756-3224. 12 February 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230212110417/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/sep/22/stormzy-mel-made-me-do-it-review-boastful-whip-smart-wordplay-that-makes-it-look-easy. live.
  8. Web site: Stormzy announces 'intimate' new album This Is What I Mean. The Independent. Murray. Tom. 12 October 2022. 14 October 2022. 1741-9743. 24 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221024120247/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/stormzy-new-album-this-is-what-i-mean-b2201488.html. live.
  9. Web site: Stormzy announces first This Is What I Mean single 'Hide & Seek'. The Line of Best Fit. Kenneally. Cerys. 13 October 2022. 14 October 2022. 16 July 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240716020750/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/stormzy-announces-first-this-is-what-i-mean-single-hide-and-seek. live.
  10. Web site: Stormzy has released a second single, 'Firebabe', from his upcoming third album, 'This Is What I Mean'. Dork. Holden. Finlay. 10 November 2022. 24 November 2022. 10 December 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231210045625/https://readdork.com/news/stormzy-has-released-a-second-single-firebabe-from-his-upcoming-third-album-this-is-what-i-mean/. live.
  11. Jones. Alan. 2 December 2022. Charts analysis: Stormzy scores third consecutive No.1 album. 10 November 2024. Music Week. Future. en-UK. 2 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221202232619/https://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/charts-analysis-stormzy-scores-third-consecutive-no-1-album/087057. live.
  12. Smith. Carl. 2 December 2022. Stormzy beats Sir Cliff Richard to secure a hat-trick with third Number 1 album This Is What I Mean. 10 November 2024. Official Charts Company. en-UK. 2 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221202164907/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/stormzy-beats-sir-cliff-richard-to-secure-a-hat-trick-with-third-number-1-album-this-is-what-i-mean__38005/. live.
  13. Brandle. Lars. 5 December 2022. Stormzy Bags U.K. Chart Hattrick With This Is What I Mean. 10 November 2024. Billboard. en-US. 5 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221205075108/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/stormzy-uk-chart-hattrick-this-is-what-i-mean-1235180966/. live.
  14. The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 5 December 2022. The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association. 1709. 6. 5 December 2022.
  15. Web site: NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 5 December 2022. 3 December 2022.
  16. Web site: Veckolista Album, vecka 48. Sverigetopplistan. 3 December 2022.

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