This past June 12, the U.K. rap heavyweight delivered not one but two huge career moves that prove he's not even close to slowing down, hitting us with the news of his own production company, #Merky Films, and his much-anticipated jump into acting, with the short film Big Man.
Announced via Instagram, Big Man represents a new era for the artist who's already changed the shape of British music, publishing, and sports. The movie, a collaboration with Apple and filmed entirely on the iPhone 16 Pro, features the pop culture-wise Stormzy in his first significant film role. He enters Tenzman, a washed-up rap star who grapples with the silence that arrives after the spotlight fades.
Directed by the Oscar-winner Aneil Karia, Big Man isn't simply a slick, bullet-pointed short film; it's a tale with a soul. While Tenzman develops relationships with two young boys, Klevis and Tyrell, the story unfolds with the ideas of self-examination, turning a leaf, and the reckless nature of youth. But at its core, it's a film about healing through connection and finding a way to see life again through the eyes of a child.
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"I always say: Music is my first love, but film is my second," Stormzy said. "#Merky Films is my new baby, my pride and joy. And where I'm going to be looking to work with new directors who like to think differently and are brave enough to see their ideas through," he said.
Stormzy has always been bigger than bars and beats, but he's also a storyteller and a platform creator. Big Man is only the first offering from #Merky Films, which now sits alongside the artist's burgeoning cultural empire, #Merky Books, and #Merky FC. All of them are cut from a single cloth: amplifying underrepresented voices and making space for narratives that too frequently remain unheard.
Stormzy wants Big Man to act as a mirror that encourages viewers to get back in touch with their younger selves, find some pleasure and purpose in the straightforwardness of life, and keep on dreaming loud. "It's about joy, the spirit, and the fearlessness of youth," he said. I hope it encourages you to dream bigger, live louder, and embrace the unapologetic energy of being young.
The short film will land on YouTube on June 18, and it will not be the last we hear of #Merky Films. With a rumored development deal with Netflix on the table, the 25-year-old artist's vision for storytelling is only beginning to come into focus.
Stormzy continues to upend his career in ways that sound like polite mistakes, and let's be real; they make us wish we could cheer from every possible front row.
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