³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Stormzy has pledged to donate £10 million over the next 10 years to organisations helping fight for racial equality and social justice in the UK.

The rapper said: "Black people have been playing on an uneven field for far too long and this pledge is a continuation in the fight to finally try and even it."

There have been huge protests in the UK, the United States and across the world following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.

Stormzy took part in one of the rallies in London earlier this week, and has now released a statement saying his company #Merky will help support groups in the UK.

"I'm lucky enough to be in the position I'm in and I've heard people often dismiss the idea of racism existing in Britain by saying 'If the country's so racist how have you become a success?!'", he said.

"I reject that with this: I am not the UK's shining example of what supposedly happens when a black person works hard.

"There are millions of us. We are not far and few. We have to fight against the odds of a racist system stacked against us and designed for us to fail from before we are even born."

Stormzy, whose real name is Michael Omari, has previously provided scholarships to help black students who are attending Cambridge University.

He has also set up a book publisher focused on releasing books from "underrepresented communities".