Stormzy headlines the Main Stage on Day 2 of Wireless Festival 2018 at Finsbury Park on July 7, 2018 in London, England.
Tabatha Fireman/Getty
Stormzy reportedly suggested that his offer to fund two scholarships for black students was rejected by Oxford University. The same offer was subsequently accepted by Cambridge University earlier this year.
The grime artist was speaking at the launch of his book, Rise Up: THe #Merky Story So Far, on Wednesday. The Guardian quotes him as saying “We tried Oxford but they didn’t want to get involved,” when quizzed on the scholarship during a Q&A session with audience members.
Audience members corroborated this claim.
Tonight at the Barbican Stormzy revealed that the much-discussed scholarship he's funding at Cambridge Uni was first proposed to Oxford University, and they told him to get lost?! Incredible.
— dan hancox (@danhancox) November 7, 2018
The Stormzy Scholarship, announced in August, will pay for tuition fees and provide a maintenance grant for up to four years of an undergraduate course. The scholarship will fund two students this year and two in 2019.
Rise Up: THe #Merky Story So Far is the first release on Stormzy's Penguin Books imprint, '#Merky Books.
The FADER has approached Oxford University for comment.
