British rapper Stormzy has signed to 0207 Def Jam, making him the first artist to align with the new frontline label and the U.K. home of Def Jam Recordings, which Universal Music U.K. unveiled last week.

Born in South London, Stormzy has helped popularize the grime genre and become one of the most successful artists to emerge out of the U.K. in recent years. The 27-year-old has won more than two dozen music awards in the U.K., including British male solo artist at the BRIT Awards and best worldwide act at the MTV Europe Music Awards, and has collaborated with artists like Ed Sheeran and Linkin Park.

Stormzy was previously signed to Warner Music Group’s Atlantic Records U.K., which formed a joint-venture deal with Stormzy’s #Merky label to release his second album, Heavy Is The Head, in December 2019.

Leading 0207 Def Jam are twin brothers Alec and Alex Boateng as co-presidents. Stormzy has already worked closely with Alec, who takes his new role after seven years as co-head of A&R at Atlantic. Meanwhile, Alex is promoted to his role after a decade at Universal Music U.K.

“Bringing the Boateng brothers together at 0207 Def Jam is an important moment in British culture,” Universal Music U.K. chairman & CEO David Joseph said upon the label’s launch. “They have already assembled an exceptionally talented top team with a clear vision for this exciting new chapter in the history of one of the world’s most famous labels.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.