Music
The story of Skepta in 10 tracks
From grime's raw beginnings, to battling with the mainstream and re-emerging triumphant, Skepta's exhilarating career has made him a UK music legend.
Starting out in 2003 as a DJ in Meridian Crew – which also featured JME, Big H, President T, Paper Pablo, Meridian Dan and Bossman Birdie – Skepta produced classic grime instrumentals and later rose up the ranks as an MC to become the king of the genre.
Over 10 years after grime’s first wave, the Tottenham artist played a key role in the resurgence with the release of anthems like That’s Not Me and Shutdown. A Drake co-sign helped to introduce him and other acts in the scene to an audience on the other side of the Atlantic, while producing and featuring on A$AP Rocky’s massive track Praise the Lord (Da Shine) kept the cultural bond between the UK and US acts going strong.
So with all those achievements and so many more under his belt, here’s a list of 10 tracks which tell the story of Skepta’s amazing career.
1. Private Caller
One of Skepta’s earliest productions, Private Caller dropped in 2005 like an atomic bomb. The banger features Cookie, President T, JME, Frisco, Meridian Dan and Scorcher going in over an authentic and raw 140bpm grime beat that features ringtone dials reminiscent of Wiley’s eskibeat wave.
2. Duppy
In 2006 Skepta released the classic that is Duppy, featuring JME, Bossman Birdie, Bear Man, Footsie, Jammer, Wiley, Trim and MC Creed. Originally released as a 12” via the then one-year-old label Boy Better Know, Duppy also appeared on Skepta’s 2007 album Greatest Hits. Bassline veteran Jamie Duggan also joined forces with Skepta for a club-focused remix.
3. Look Out
Skepta’s Microphone Champion album dropped in 2009 and Look Out is arguably a highlight. A collaboration with Giggs – who’d established himself as the king of road rap during the style’s peak – the track proved that Skepta is capable of reaching audiences beyond the world of grime.
4. Hello Good Morning Grime Remix
Back in 2010, Diddy sent out a tweet asking who would be the best person to do a grime remix of his single Hello Good Morning. The people spoke and selected Skepta. Of the various remixes – including one featuring Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj, and another featuring Tinchy Stryder and Tinie Tempah – Skepta’s was the only one which altered the beat, with a grimey take of the club-ready track.
5. Ace Hood Flow
After releasing two mainstream leaning tracks – Hold On and Make Peace Not War – in 2012, many of Skepta’s core fans were disappointed, as both songs featured pop production and departed from the rawness of his typical sound. So he took it back to the roots with the release of Blacklisted, a back to basics mixtape filled with UK bass sonics. Ace Hood Flow was the first track from the tape to get a video and the lyrics saw Skepta call on the UK scene to stop doubting him and return to authenticity: “I’ve been keeping my ear to the streets / the UK run out of ideas / everybody doing covers of American beats”.
Skepta performs at Red Bull Music Festival in Johannesburg, April 2018
© Jonathan Ferreira / Red Bull Content Pool
6. High Street
It was a curveball for Skepta to appear on Dev Hynes' 2013 Blood Orange album Cupid Deluxe, which blended retro pop and R&B. Producing a down-tempo beat filled with ethereal piano keys, Hynes sets the scene perfectly for Skepta to spit some introspective bars about life in the cold streets of London.
7. That’s Not Me
If Ace Hood Flow marked the shift, then That’s Not Me signalled Skepta’s full return to his early sounding instrumentals. Featuring his brother and BBK teammate JME, even the Tim & Barry visuals were a nostalgic throwback to the practice hours DVDs, with the decks sitting atop crates and Skepta spitting his lyrics into the headphones. His lyrics also see him champion to the keepin-it-real attitude which sparked the new wave of grime: “Yeah, I used to wear Gucci / I put it all in the bin ‘cause that’s not me”. Upon receiving the MOBO Award for best video in 2014, he stated that the video only cost him £80, further highlighting the unpolished energy of grime.
8. Praise the Lord (Da Shine)
Having helped revive grime with That’s Not Me and Shutdown, Skepta began to collaborate with raw-sounding American rap acts like Flatbush Zombies and Xavier Wulf. He then featured on and produced A$AP Rockys’ hit Praise the Lord (Da Shine), a crowd-pleaser thanks to its catchy hook, infectious flutes and booming 808s. In the video both rappers represent their respective ends to fullest, shedding light on the blocks of New York and London.
9. Energy (Stay Far Away)
In April 2018, Skepta was made a Nigerian chief. His single Pure Water references the sachets of water that are sold by street vendors in Nigeria and he paid homage to his home country again that summer with the release of Energy (Stay Far Away). Bringing in Nigerian producer Sarz and Afrobeats superstar Wizkid, the song serves as his second collaboration with Wizkid, following him jumping on a remix of Ojuelegba, also featuring Drake. The Energy video perfectly reflects the feel good vibe of the track, showing the artists partying on a picturesque white beach in Lagos.
10. Money Right
This track right here once again shows to expect the unexpected from Skepta – a collaboration with Dizzee Rascal definitely falls under this list, due to Skepta’s allegiance to Wiley. But out of nowhere Money Right dropped, with two of grime’s superstars coming together to produce an absolute smash.
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