‘I set trends dem man copy’: Michael Gove mocked for Stormzy comeback

Michael Gove has been mocked for quoting a Stormzy lyric after taking the rapper to task over his support for Labour.

Responding to shadow education secretary Angela Rayner’s suggestion that he is “crap at both” rapping and politics, Mr Gove tweeted: “I set trends dem man copy”.

The lyric is from Stormzy’s 2015 hit Shut Up – a song title many on Twitter used to respond to Mr Gove’s post.

It came after Stormzy announced his support for Labour at the upcoming general election and urged his more than one million followers to register to vote before the midnight deadline.

The grime artist also used his Instagram page to hit out at Prime Minister Boris Johnson, describing him as a “sinister man” people should not trust because of his “long record of lying”.

During an appearance on Talk Radio on Tuesday morning, Mr Gove responded by dismissing Stormzy as a “far, far better rapper than he is a political analyst”.

The cabinet minister added: “I think we again know that Stormzy, when he took to the stage at Glastonbury wearing a stab vest, he made clear what his political views were then.”

Stormzy became the first black British solo artist to headline the music festival earlier this year and used his historic performance to highlight racism in the arts, racial profiling, knife crime and politics.

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The 26-year-old Brit Awards winner belted out his hit single Vossi Bop to the delight of thousands, who joined him in chanting the lyrics “f*** the government and f*** Boris”.

Responding to the comments by Mr Gove, shadow education secretary Angela Rayner retweeted a news article with a comment suggesting that the cabinet minister is “c*** at both” rapping and politics.

Mr Gove tweeted a comeback of his own, simply stating: “I set trends dem man copy.”

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has been inundated with memes urging him to delete the tweet and perhaps even his account, but is yet to address the criticism he has received.

Stormzy has also not responded to any of the comments made by Mr Gove.

The acclaimed rapper has been a regular commentator on politics in recent years and previously issued his public backing to both Labour and Mr Corbyn ahead of the 2017 general election.

In his lengthy Twitter post on Monday night, Stormzy said Mr Corbyn was “the first man in a position of power who is committed to giving the power back to the people and helping those who need a helping hand”.

Stormzy said Conservative leader Mr Johnson had “absolutely no regard for the people that our government should be committed to helping and empowering”.

He also highlighted a number of controversial comments made by Mr Johnson over the years, including mocking women wearing burkas who “look like bank robbers”.

Stormzy also intervened in the election campaign when Jacob Rees-Mogg sparked outrage for saying it would have been “common sense” for Grenfell Tower residents to ignore advice and leave the burning building.

The rapper called the Tory MP “an actual piece of s***” and called for his resignation.

(c) Sky News 2019: ‘I set trends dem man copy’: Michael Gove mocked for Stormzy comeback