Skepta

Having spent years in the British grime circuit, Skepta ranks among the most globally prominent hip-hop artists to emerge from the U.K. The rapper, beatmaker, and label head helped steer grime from pirate-radio roots toward mainstream visibility throughout the 2000s, largely through the rise of his Boy Better Know crew, before guiding its renewed surge in the mid-2010s. His fourth studio album, Konnichiwa, arrived in 2016 and marked a decisive commercial and critical ascent, securing that year’s Mercury Prize along with gold certification. Ignorance Is Bliss, issued in 2019, matched its chart performance, while the 2020 joint project Insomnia alongside Chip and Young Adz climbed to number three. Further reach came via partnerships with J Balvin, Kid Cudi, Playboi Carti, and additional collaborators. In 2023 Skepta and fellow Boy Better Know member Jammer launched the house imprint Más Tiempo, issuing dance-oriented cuts that included multiple joint efforts and Skepta’s own Amy Winehouse-sampling single “Can’t Play Myself.”

Born Joseph Junior Adenuga to Nigerian parents and raised in Tottenham, North London, Skepta drew from both American and British hip-hop traditions when he first entered music via pirate-radio appearances and MC clashes. During the early 2000s he issued white-label singles built on sharp electronic instrumentals, predating the widespread adoption of the grime label. In 2005 he established the Boy Better Know label and collective with his brother J.M.E. and grime originator Wiley. The next year he joined the East London outfit Roll Deep, departing twelve months later to focus on Boy Better Know and his own trajectory. His debut and sophomore albums, Greatest Hits (2007) and Microphone Champion (2009), appeared on the imprint before he signed with All Around the World Records in 2010. That same year “Bad Boy” reached number 26 and “Rescue Me” peaked at number 14. He opened for Chipmunk on a U.K. headline run and, after suggestions from his Twitter followers, was chosen by P. Diddy to record a grime remix of “Hello Good Morning.” His third album, Doin’ It Again, surfaced at the start of 2011, featuring the Top 40 single “Cross My Heart” and ultimately peaking at number 19 on the British album chart.

During 2012 Skepta issued the singles “Hold On” and the C+C Music Factory-sampling “Make Peace Not War,” steering his sound toward broader commercial appeal. Both tracks entered the U.K. Top 30 and were slated as lead singles for an album titled The Honeymoon, yet fan feedback prompted its cancellation; a mixtape called Blacklisted replaced it at year’s end. After a quieter 2013, Skepta returned prominently the following year. His guest verse on Meridian Dan’s “German Whip” remix became a Top 20 hit in May 2014. The next month he released “That’s Not Me,” featuring J.M.E., which reached number 21; both tracks were credited with reinvigorating grime, and the latter was later named track of the year by FACT Magazine. His early 2015 single “Shutdown” also registered in the Top 40, while attention from Drake and Kanye West culminated in an onstage appearance with the latter at the BRIT Awards. That year he made his acting debut in the crime drama Anti-Social while finishing work on his long-delayed fourth album.

Konnichiwa surfaced via Boy Better Know in May 2016. Guests included Wiley, Pharrell Williams, and Novelist; the set contained the platinum-certified singles “Shutdown” and “That’s Not Me” plus the further hit “Man.” It opened at number two on the U.K. charts, earned widespread acclaim, and later captured the Mercury Prize. Skepta quickly followed with the six-track Vicious EP, which featured Lil B, Section Boyz, A$AP Rocky, and A$AP Nast. In 2017 he collaborated with Goldie on the single “Upstart.” April brought a Nigerian chieftaincy title—Amuludun of Odo-Aje—followed by the solo cut “Pure Water” and the Wizkid joint “Energy (Stay Far Away).” Additional tracks arrived with LD, Daisy Maybe, Octavian, and others. His fifth album, Ignorance Is Bliss, landed in 2019. Another number-two debut, it included the Top 20 singles “Bullet from a Gun” and “Greaze Mode” with Nafe Smallz.

February 2020 saw the joint release Insomnia with Chip and Young Adz, featuring the Top 20 track “Waze.” Subsequent high-profile appearances encompassed Kid Cudi’s “Show Out” and slowthai’s “Cancelled.” Colombian reggaetón artist J Balvin appeared on the Top 40 single “Nirvana” from the 2021 All In EP, which also contained Kid Cudi on the title track. Late that year the drill cut “Plugged In” with Fumez the Engineer emerged. In 2022 Skepta dropped “Boring” alongside Octavian and joined a remix of K-Trap’s “Warm.”

Turning toward house music in 2023, Skepta and Jammer established the Más Tiempo label and began issuing non-rap collaborations. The first two releases were “Mas Murder” and “Touch Me” featuring Ossie and J Kolo, followed by the Afro-house track “Touching My Body” sung by Etta Bond. The pair supplied remixes for LF System, Leigh-Anne, and Todd Edwards before Skepta issued “Can’t Play Myself (A Tribute to Amy),” built on a sample of Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry on Their Own,” which reached the U.K. Top 30.