Stormzy Makes Historic Glastonbury Headline in Banksy-Designed Stab-Proof Vest

UK rapper Stormzy made history last Friday night by becoming the first Black British solo artist to headline the Glastonbury music festival. During his performance, he wore a significant and symbolic outfit – a stab-proof vest designed by the renowned street artist Banksy.

The vest, spray-painted with a black, white, and faint red Union Jack flag, was a powerful statement. Stormzy took to Instagram to acknowledge the designer, saying: ‘Last night I headlined Glastonbury in a stab-proof vest custom made by the greatest, most iconic living artist on planet earth, the one and only BANKSY’.

Banksy also shared his thoughts on the collaboration on his Instagram account, writing: ‘I made a customised stab-proof vest and thought – who could possibly wear this? Stormzy at Glastonbury’.

The performance and the vest drew attention to the knife crisis in the UK and the racial inequalities within the justice system. Labour MP for Tottenham, David Lammy, praised Stormzy for using his platform to highlight these issues, tweeting: ‘@stormzy using his headline spot at #glastonburyfestival2019 to speak out about the injustice of young black kids being criminalised in a biased and disproportionate justice system. Humbled and inspired that he sampled my speech. Salute #Merky’.

An excerpt of a speech by David Lammy was played during Stormzy’s set, addressing the high reoffending rates of black men in the UK and criticizing the justice system for not working effectively.