Grime MC Stormzy has said crisps and green tea fuelled his debut album as the record was greeted with acclaim by fellow musicians and fans.

Gang Signs And Prayer was released at midnight on Friday and features a surprise collaboration with Lily Allen.

Adele, Ed Sheeran and Tinie Tempah were among the British artists praising the work of the south London-born grime star who already has two top 10 singles to his name.

Stormzy
Stormzy (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Fans of the record also came from across the world of entertainment, with TV presenter Reggie Yates telling the 23-year-old he was “proud” while EastEnders actor Jake Wood said he was “killing it”.

Lily, who features on Cigarettes And Cush, posted on Twitter: “Absolute honour to be involved and sing w/u only wish we had more time.”

Adele wrote “good luck darling” while Mercury Prize-winning grime artist Skepta said “king” Stormzy had “blessed the planet”.

The 16-track album, which is released two days after the rapper collaborated on stage with Ed at the Brits, went straight to the top of the iTunes best selling albums chart.

Following its release, Stormzy, whose real name is Michael Omari, posted a lengthy thank-you note on Twitter.

He said the past 10 months have been a “whirlwind” adding, “the highs, the lows, the late nights, the early mornings, the moments of musical genius, the writer’s block, the Walkers crisps, the ten thousand bottles of water, the green teas, the Deliveroos and the fag breaks.

“It’s been a back to back non-stop journey,” he added, before thanking his management team and family.

Stormzy and Ed Sheeran
Stormzy and Ed Sheeran (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Music lovers praised the record for crossing genres, with Jay Andreas (@JayAndreas) writing on Twitter: “You deffo don’t need to be in love with grime to enjoy this album. It’s for everybody.”

@Judiniho agreed, posting: “#GSAP is a game changer. Stormzy isn’t merely a grime artist. He’s so much more. It shows there’s so much more to us.”

@shaolinwavy said: “I can’t get over how brilliant GSAP is sonically. Such a solid body of work. I’m honestly blown away.”

Gang Signs And Prayer was met with a similar reaction in early reviews, with the Guardian saying it was “teeming with original, daring ideas” while GQ said it proves “Stormzy is not just a grime MC … He’s a musician”.