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.
My approach is just fearless. I'm not afraid to try anything.
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.
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.
I grew up as a British kid - I went to school in London, roamed the streets of London - but having these interactions with my roots and going back to Ghana, I'm like, 'Yeah this is sick.' I love my country and my people, and the energy and vibes that they bring back. So I want to rep that and be a part of it.
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?'
I don't even think of it as a strategy. It's me in my element; it's my forte. Me being with all the mandem on the ends, spitting to an old school grime riddim, is me in my element; that's when I feel I'm at my best.
I'm a bit crazy, so sometimes I just get these mad ideas that, on paper, aren't even possible.
My mum was born and raised in Ghana and has a lot of Ghanaian values and traditions and morals. All that rubbed off on me, and that's why I have a lot of love and good energy in me - that universal energy is a Ghanaian thing.
I need to just make as much noise and bang on as many doors as possible 'til men are, like, giving you the recognition.
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.
I was MCing in the playground, spitting lyrics over mobile phones - Sony Ericsson, Walkmans, W810s, the Teardrop Nokia phones, all of that. Vital equipment! I never even had a DJ set where a DJ's playing vinyl, and I'm spitting.
In school, all my teachers and my mum were super routing for me to study at Oxford. I picked music as a career choice, and this didn't sit too well with them!
It's mad to think I was just a kid from south London, rapping in parks with friends.
I know a lot of grime artists started off on pirate radio, but I missed that era; I was way too young.
Even if you don't like me, you know me because I'm just in your face.
In British music, you have indie, rock... Grime is now one of those pillars. It's a foundation of British music.
Britain is not just One Direction, Little Mix, and James Bay. There's Skepta killing it, there's Krept and Konan killing it.
Most middle-aged white men probably don't know about little old Stormzy from London.
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.
