Stormzy Rounds Up A-List Cast For Historic “Mel Made Me Do It” Video

It’s been a little while since we last heard from Stormzy. We’ve had features for Knucks, Ghetts, Dave, Headie One, and a few others, but the last time we got a solo tune was when he went head-to-head with Wiley in 2020. Still, he’s back now, and he returns in the grandest possible way. Late last night, he dropped “Mel Made Me Do It”—Mel being Mel’s Wardrobe, Stormzy’s personal stylist—a near 11-minute epic and with it a mammoth, star-studded visual.

The list of stars involved is almost too big to mention, but we’ll give you the broad strokes at least. It’s a mixture of mainstream Celebs with a capital ‘C’, such as Jose Mourinho, Louis Theroux and Jonathan Ross, and a who’s who of Black excellence—including appearances from Usain Bolt, Ian Wright, Malorie Blackman, Gabrielle, Jazzie B, Trevor Nelson, Little Simz, Megaman, Headie One, Dave and many, many more. Brenda Edwards, mother of the late Jamal Edwards, also makes a cameo in a moving tribute to her son. 

There’s a lot more to unpack than that, too. The switch-up of flows, Michaela Coel’s monologue, the number of verses, possible references to his ongoing feud with Chip… it’s all being dissected and cross-referenced on a bunch of different threads on social media. There’s also the very real possibility that this means an album is on the way, which would be his first since joining the 0207 Def Jam family.