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The “Superheroes” video depicts a figure spray-painting ‘Black Lives Matter’ onto a wall as groups of protestors wearing face coverings walk through the streets
By Hanna McNeila.
U.K. grime artist Stormzy transformed himself into a modern-day superhero in his latest music video. The video accompanied his 2019 release “Superheroes” from album Heavy Is The Head. The poignant video celebrated Black excellence by immortalizing inspiring figures like fellow rappers Little Simz and Dave as well as Noughts and Crosses author Mallory Blackman in a visually stunning animation.
It starts with an animation of Stormzy utilizing his superhero powers to save a young boy from being hit by a car as he tries to recover his lost ball from the street. Just as Stormzy saves the boy, the song starts “young Black king, don’t die on me” while the pair sit on a bench together. He goes on to praise Black women, “Black queen you’re immaculate, the world ain’t ready for your magic yet.” The video shows Stormzy and the boy flying through the skies while young Black people find inspiration in their famous Black role models and become superheroes themselves.
The video also pays homage to the recent Black Lives Matter protests. The animation depicts a figure spray-painting ‘Black Lives Matter’ onto a wall as groups of protestors wearing face coverings walk through the streets holding Black Lives Matter signs. At the end of the video, while a sample of the early 2000s children’s TV show ‘Tracy Beaker’ theme tune plays, “With a smile upon my face, I can see a better place,” Stormzy hands the boy a glowing globe, he fits the whole world into the boy’s hands as he flies away. The video’s concluding moment acts as a tribute to the late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, as a black screen reads “RIP Chadwick Boseman, 1976-2020, Forever a Superhero in our hearts.”
“Superheroes” was directed by Taz Tron Delix, and premiered first in schools in London, Glasgow, Dublin, and Manchester. In a short speech which he made to accompany the music video, he welcomed the students back to school after the pandemic interruptions and summer break. Introducing the video, he said: “So you guys are the first people on Planet Earth to see this video.” He continued, “I wanted to show it to you guys first – being students in school, I think it’s important that you guys understand how powerful you are.” He also added “I wanted to make this video to basically inspire you guys – to let you know that the sky’s the limit, to let you know that all those things inside of you make you incredible.”
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