Skepta has become synonymous with the UK’s music scene. Whether its grime, rap, Afro swing or pop he has cemented himself as a landmark within the genre.
His history speaks for itself but how does he fare on an album with such a diverse cast? Very Very well.
Young Adz and Chip are both artists at the height of their careers however both their strengths (displayed on this tape at least) are at polar opposites. Chip is a no holds barred lyricist and will be relentless when it comes to strapping bars for a beat, young adz however has been supplying the scene with melodic hooks for 2-3 summers and doesn’t not seem to be slowing down one bit.
This is where Skepta comes in, his versatility is what forms a bridge between the three artists. Certain tracks have him offering hard hittin verses like the opening lines of ‘Sin City ‘
‘I had big waps, hurt my wrist from the kick back
Click-clack, roll up on ’em in the pitch black
Switching sides, now a nigga wanna switch back
Said I ain’t a p***y, I was talking big facts’
He can also switch it up like on the hook of the smooth and rightly titled ‘Golden Brown.’
On the track ‘Demons’ he shows how he is able to mirror other artist styles and make them his own effortlessly.
One of my favourite things about Skepta as an artist, is his ability to flex in ways that most can’t which he has been doing since his grime days. In the insomnia interlude he raps:
‘Yeah, huh, how can I fall asleep when I’m on this FaceTime with Nao— shh’
Such a simple line but such a big FLEX! If you know you know…or you could just check rap genius lol.
Wether its melodies, lyrical verses or just calm vibes the versatility that has kept him relevant through the different eras of the UK scene shines through as he never feels out of place anywhere on the album.
8/10
Words by Moh
Words On The Mic 