Skepta

A veteran of the U.K. grime scene, Skepta is one of the most internationally recognized British hip-hop figures. The MC, producer, and record-label owner was influential in grime’s shift from the underground to the pop charts during the 2000s, thanks in part to the sucess of his Boy Better Know collective, as well as its resurgence during the mid-2010s. With the release of his fourth album, 2016′s Konnichiwa, Skepta made his commercial and critical breakthrough, winning that year’s Mercury Prize and earning gold certification. 2019′s Ignorance Is Bliss fared just as well on the U.K. charts, and 2020′s Insomnia, with Chip and Young Adz, reached number three. He expanded his scope and audience through collaborations with J Balvin, Kid Cudi, Playboi Carti, and numerous others. In 2023, Skepta and fellow Boy Better Know member Jammer formed the house label Más Tiempo and began releasing dance tracks, including several collaborations as well as Skepta’s Amy Winehouse-sampling “Can’t Play Myself.” Born Joseph Junior Adenuga to Nigerian parents, Skepta was raised in Tottenham, North London. Inspired by both U.S. and U.K. hip-hop, he started his music career appearing on the pirate radio circuit and performing at various MC battles. He began releasing white label singles of angular electronic instrumentals during the early 2000s, before the style became commonly known as grime. In 2005, he formed the label and collective Boy Better Know with brother J.M.E. and fellow grime pioneer Wiley. A year later, he joined East London collective Roll Deep, although he left the following year to concentrate on Boy Better Know and his solo career. He released his first two albums, Greatest Hits (2007) and Microphone Champion (2009), through his label before signing with All Around the World Records in 2010. In the same year, he reached the Top 40 with “Bad Boy” (number 26) and “Rescue Me” (number 14). He supported Chipmunk on his U.K. tour, and was personally selected by P. Diddy to record a grime remix of “Hello Good Morning” after suggestions from his Twitter followers. His third album, Doin' It Again, featuring the Top 40-charting single “Cross My Heart,” was released at the beginning of 2011, subsequently peaking at number 19 on the U.K. album chart. In 2012, Skepta released two singles (“Hold On” and the C+C Music Factory-sampling “Make Peace Not War”) that took his sound in a more commercially-minded direction. Both songs hit the Top 30 of the U.K. singles chart, and were intended to be the leadoff singles to an album titled The Honeymoon, but the reaction from fans led to the album being scrapped, and a mixtape titled Blacklisted was released at the end of the year in its place. After keeping a low profile in 2013, Skepta came back in a big way the following year. He contributed a verse to a remix of “German Whip” by Meridian Dan, which became a Top 20 hit in May 2014. The following month, Skepta’s single “That’s Not Me” (which featured a guest verse by J.M.E.) was released, hitting number 21 on the charts. Both tracks were praised as helping to revitalize grime, and the latter was eventually named track of the year by FACT Magazine. Skepta’s early 2015 single “Shutdown” was another U.K. Top 40 hit, and the MC received attention from Drake and Kanye West, joining the latter on-stage during the BRIT Awards. That year, Skepta also made his acting debut with a role in the crime drama Anti-Social, while working on his long-delayed fourth album, which would become his major breakthrough. Konnichiwa was released by Boy Better Know in May of 2016. Featuring guest appearances from Wiley, Pharrell Williams, and Novelist, the LP included the aforementioned singles “Shutdown” and “That’s Not Me,” both of which secured platinum status, as well as the album’s third hit, “Man.” It debuted at number two on the British charts and earned vast critical acclaim, later winning the prestigious Mercury Prize. Skepta quickly followed with the Vicious EP, a short burst of six songs that featured appearances by Lil B, Section Boyz, and A$AP Rocky and A$AP Nast. The next year, Skepta teamed up with Goldie for the collaborative single “Upstart.” In April, Skepta was granted a Nigerian chieftaincy, with his title being Amuludun of Odo-Aje. Soon after, he released the single “Pure Water” and the Wizkid collaboration “Energy (Stay Far Away).” He also made songs with LD, Daisy Maybe, Octavian, and others. His fifth album, Ignorance Is Bliss, arrived in 2019. Another number two debut for the rapper, the set featured additional notable singles “Bullet from a Gun” and “Greaze Mode” with Nafe Smallz, which reached the Top 20. In February 2020, he paired with Chip and Young Adz for a joint full-length, Insomnia, which included the Top 20 track “Waze.” Additional high-profile collaborations followed, including an appearance on Kid Cudi’s “Show Out” and slowthai’s “Cancelled.” Meanwhile, Colombian reggaetón superstar J Balvin joined Skepta on his Top 40 hit “Nirvana” from 2021′s All In EP, which also featured an appearance by Kid Cudi on the song “All In.” “Plugged In,” a drill track with Fumez the Engineer, landed near the end of the year. In 2022, Skepta released “Boring” with Octavian, and appeared on a remix of K-Trap’s song “Warm.” Skepta and Jammer pivoted to house music in 2023, co-founding a label called Más Tiempo and releasing several non-rap collaborations. “Mas Murder” and “Touch Me” (with Ossie and J Kolo) were the first two tracks they released, followed by the sensual Afro-house tune “Touching My Body,” sung by Etta Bond. Skepta and Jammer remixed tracks by LF System, Leigh-Anne, and Todd Edwards, then Skepta released “Can’t Play Myself (A Tribute to Amy),” based on a sample of Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry on Their Own.” The single hit the Top 30 in the U.K. ~ Jon O’Brien & Neil Z. Yeung