As any noughties teenager will know, the mid-2000s was when the genre of grime began to surface from the underground and become a standout force in music. Its distinctive sound began travelling from the airwaves of pirate radio stations onto iPod Nanos across the UK.
When you think of grime and its major players, there are four or five artists that are considered to have been instrumental to its ascendancy. Skepta is one of them. An MC, DJ and rapper from North London, his roots in the genre are as strong as any of its other pioneers.
He was, for a short time, a member of Roll Deep, a crew containing most of those pioneers. Independent grime label Boy Better Know was partly his creation, and has produced some of the genre’s biggest records, including his own.
By the end of the decade grime had broken ground in the mainstream market. Well, a version of grime more accessible to popular music audiences at least, and Skepta began to enjoy his fair share of commercial success. Don’t say you don’t know every move to the ‘Rolex sweep’ - If you don’t, you’ve missed out.
After a brief dip, grime began its resurgence and is now seen as as a pillar of British musical culture, likened to punk by some for its rebellious anti- establishment nature, and Skepta is recognised as a prominent figure within that, having firmly placed his stamp on the music scene. Fittingly, his 2016 album Konnichiwa actually featured a postage stamp on its cover art, and went on to win the prestigious Mercury Prize.
Achieving much recognition for his fashion style as well as his music, Skepta has become an icon, who’s significance in modern music cannot be understated. Five albums in, he has unquestionably earned his place among grime’s legends.
