Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr. (born 19 September 1982), known professionally as Skepta, is a British grime MC, rapper, record producer and DJ. Alongside his younger brother Jme, he briefly joined

Roll Deep Roll Deep (formerly Roll Deep Entourage) are a British grime crew. They were founded in 2001 by Wiley shortly before the disbandment of UK garage crew Pay As U Go Cartel. The group have had two UK No. 1 singles, " Good Times" and "Green Lig ...

before they became founding members of

Boy Better Know Boy Better Know, often abbreviated as BBK, is a British grime collective and record label. The collective was founded in North London in 2005 as an independent record label by brothers Jamie and Joseph Adenuga, better known as Jme and Skepta, ...

in 2005. With Boy Better Know, Skepta clashed with fellow MC Devilman for the video release '' Lord of the Mics 2'', in what is remembered as one of the biggest clashes in grime history. Skepta released his debut studio album '' Greatest Hits'' in 2007 and his second album, '' Microphone Champion'' in 2009, both independently; while his third studio album '' Doin' It Again'' was released in 2011 by AATW. He made his acting debut in the 2015 film '' Anti-Social''. Skepta's fourth studio album, '' Konnichiwa'' (2016), featured the hit singles " That's Not Me" and " Shutdown". The album, which was widely acclaimed, won the

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...

. In 2018, he produced and was featured on American rapper

ASAP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop music, hip hop coll ...

's single "

Praise the Lord (Da Shine) "Praise the Lord (Da Shine)" is a song by American rapper ASAP Rocky featuring vocals and sole production from English rapper Skepta, released as the second single from the former's third studio album '' Testing'' on June 26, 2018. It marks the ...

", which became both artists' highest-charting single and a global hit. In 2019, Skepta released '' Ignorance Is Bliss'', which charted in fifteen countries. ''

Insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...

'' (2020), a collaborative album with British rappers Chip and Young Adz, became Skepta's third album to reach the top 10 of the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. Skepta has been nominated for three Brit Awards, including the Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist. His influence on contemporary British popular culture as a key figure in the grime scene saw him appear on

Debrett's Debrett's () is a British professional coaching company and publisher and authority on etiquette and behaviour, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of ''The New Peerage''. The company takes its name from its founder, John ...

2017 list of the most influential people in the UK. He received a Nigerian chieftaincy on 4 April 2018, with his title being "Amuludun of Odo-Aje".

Early life

Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr. was born on 19 September 1982, to Nigerian parents, of respective Yoruba (paternal) and Igbo (maternal) backgrounds, in

Tottenham Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

. He is the eldest of four children; fellow musician Jme, radio presenter Julie and graphic designer Jason.

Career

2002–2007: Career beginnings and ''Greatest Hits''

Skepta was originally a DJ from Tottenham-based grime collective Meridian Crew. The Meridian Crew performed 'sets' or sessions on

pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...

(most notably Heat FM 96.6) where fellow crew members sometimes referred to him as "Scoopa Daniels". Early in his career, Skepta released "Pulse Eskimo" in 2002, as well as instrumentals "DTI (Pirate Station Anthem)" and "Private Caller". Skepta began MCing shortly before Meridian Crew disbanded in 2005, after which Skepta, alongside his brother Jme, joined

for a short period of time before becoming founding members of

in 2006. Skepta was convinced to begin MCing by Wiley after his records were taken away from him by the police. Following the formation of

, Skepta clashed with fellow MC Devilman for the DVD Lord of the Mics 2, in what is remembered as one of the biggest clashes in grime history. Shortly after the clash, Skepta released a

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

entitled "''Joseph Junior Adenuga''". Skepta publicly released his debut album '' Greatest Hits'' on 17 September 2007, on his label

2008–2011: ''Microphone Champion'' and ''Doin' It Again''

Skepta self-released the first single " Rolex Sweep" in September 2008 and reached number 89 on the UK Singles Chart. Skepta then released the album '' Microphone Champion'' on 1 June 2009. He then also released single "Too Many Man" with Jme, Wiley, Frisco and Shorty, which went to chart at number 79. Skepta has released five singles off his third studio album '' Doin' It Again'' (first with a major label), titled " Bad Boy", " Rescue Me", " Cross My Heart" featuring Preeya Kalidas, " So Alive" and "

Amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...

", as well as a video for the Hello Good Morning (Grime Remix). Three singles charted in the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, with " Rescue Me" being the most successful at number 14. "Cross My Heart" came in at number 31 and dropped out of the Top 40 a week later. ''Doin' It Again'' spent 3 weeks in the top 100 album charts and debuted and peaked at number 19 on its first week of release. In 2011, Skepta caused a controversy by releasing a hardcore music video of his single "All Over the House".

2012–2017: ''Blacklisted'' and ''Konnichiwa''

In 2012, Skepta released two singles from his fourth forthcoming album. Both " Hold On" and " Make Peace Not War" were Top 40 charting singles in the UK but were a departure from Skepta's usual sound. Skepta's second major label album was intended to be released in the fourth quarter of 2011, entitled ''The Honeymoon'' but was delayed till 2012. After a disappointing response from the first two singles Skepta decided to release a purchasable mixtape, titled ''Blacklisted''. It was released on 2 December 2012 along with music videos to support the release prior to the release. Skepta photo

In March 2014, Skepta provided a verse for the remix of "German Whip" by

Meridian Dan Meridian Dan (born Daniel Lawrence London) is a grime MC from Tottenham, North London. He is best known for his 2014 single " German Whip", and is a former member of seminal grime crews Meridian and Bloodline. Background Lawrence, who is of Gu ...

, and in the same month, he released his new single, " That's Not Me", featuring his brother Jme, peaking at number 21 on the UK charts. The single's music video won the award for Best Video at the 2014

MOBO Awards The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Ba ...

. Upon receiving the award, Skepta stated that the video cost him £80. In late 2014, Skepta released another single titled "It Ain't Safe" featuring ASAP Bari. This was followed in early 2015 with "Shutdown", as well as features on "Red Eye to Paris" by Flatbush Zombies and the remix of " Ojuelegba" by

Wizkid Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), better known as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Born in the Ojuelegba suburb of Surulere, Lagos, Wizkid is a voice in the emerging Afrobeats movement. His music is a blend of Afrobea ...

, also featuring

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

. Skepta and others joined

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

at a surprise show in London, performing numerous songs together during a shared set. He was also named one of '' GQ''s 50 best dressed British men in 2015. In an interview it stated that Skepta's making his acting debut in 2015 film '' Anti-Social'', released initially in May. On 14 February 2016 Skepta released " Ladies Hit Squad" featuring grime artist D Double E and American rapper ASAP Nast, of the New York-based

ASAP Mob ASAP Mob (stylized as A$AP Mob) is an American hip-hop collective formed in 2006 in Harlem, New York City, that consists of rappers (most of whom carry the "ASAP" moniker; except Da$H and Playboi Carti), record producers, music video directors, ...

. Through a post on Instagram, Skepta announced that his album, '' Konnichiwa'' was due to be released on 6 May 2016. ''Konnichiwa'' became Grime's highest-charting album, peaking at number 2 in the UK music charts. Konnichiwa features songs such as " That's Not Me", " Shutdown" and "

Man A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the f ...

". The release of ''Konnichiwa'' was celebrated with a launch party on 5 May 2016 held in Tokyo and live streamed on Boiler Room, featuring a live performance of the entire album by Skepta and supporting performances from Japanese trap artists Kohh, Dutch Montana, Loota, and DJ Riki. Skepta began his "Banned From America" two-part, 14-show tour on 16 April 2017 at the

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colora ...

, which covered cities throughout the United States and Europe. The tour was named as such in reference to Skepta's forced cancellation of his 2016 "No Fear" American tour in support of ''Konnichiwa'', when his application for a visa to enter the United States was denied. Skepta released his ''Vicious EP'' on 31 October 2017, with songs featuring

, Lil B, and Section Boyz. In the summer of 2017, rumours on the underground dance scene suggested an imminent collaboration between Skepta and drum'n'bass pioneer

Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is an English music producer, DJ, and actor. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musi ...

. This was confirmed in Goldie's 2017 memoir ''All Things Remembered'', which refers to him having done a track with Skepta. It has not yet been released.

2018–present: ''Ignorance Is Bliss'', ''All In'' and collaborations

Skepta featured on ASAP Rocky's "

", which was released in May 2018. The single charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Also in May, Skepta released his single "

Pure Water Purified water is water that has been mechanically filtered or processed to remove impurities and make it suitable for use. Distilled water was, formerly, the most common form of purified water, but, in recent years, water is more frequently pur ...

", which peaked at number 78 in the UK. He followed this in June with " Energy (Stay Far Away)" with

, which reached number 59. In 2020, Skepta appeared alongside

Pop Smoke Bashar Barakah Jackson (July 20, 1999 – February 19, 2020), known professionally as Pop Smoke, was an American rapper. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, he rose to fame with the release of his 2019 singles "Welcome to the Party (P ...

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ; formerly stylized as KiD CuDi), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Clevelan ...

’s song “ Show Out” from Cudi’s album ''Man on the Moon III: The Chosen.'' In December 2019, Skepta also appeared as himself in a Grand Theft Auto Online expansion as a radio host with

Danny Brown Daniel Dewan Sewell (born March 16, 1981), better known as Danny Brown, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He was described by MTV in 2011 as "one of rap's most unique figures in recent memory". After amassing ...

. Brown also lent his voice to another fictional character in the game. He also collaborated with

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...

and Tony Allen on the song " How Far?" in May 2020. On 30 July 2021, Skepta released his EP, ''All In''. In 2022, Skepta signed with Wasserman Music for worldwide representation. In October 2023, Skepta released "Can't Play Myself (A Tribute to Amy)", which samples

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...

's " Tears Dry on Their Own". In January 2024, he apologised after artwork for his upcoming single, "Gas Me Up (Diligent)", received criticism online for bearing "unintentional but palpable allusions" to

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

; the pictures in question depicted images from 1980s

skinhead A skinhead or skin is a member of a subculture that originated among working-class youth in London, England, in the 1960s. It soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working-class skinhead movement emerging worldwide i ...

culture. In his apology, Skepta emphasised the unintended parallels, but vowed "to be more mindful going forward". In March 2025, Skepta featured on

Playboi Carti Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1995, or 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern Hip hop music, hip hop a ...

's album ''

Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

'', on the song "Toxic".

Legal issues

In January 2016, Skepta punched a man in the mouth after an altercation at a Melbourne nightclub and pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury. No conviction was recorded, but he was fined $2,500 and ordered to pay $10,000 to the victim. In 2009, Skepta was convicted of common assault in London and fined over assault occasioning actual bodily harm in Cyprus in 2006, which he said occurred after a large group of men racially abused him and his friends and a fight broke out.

Personal life

On 4 April 2018, Skepta was installed as a chief in his Nigerian hometown in

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It is bordered to the south by Lagos State and the Bight of Benin, to the east by Ondo State, and to the north by Oyo and Osun states while its western border forms part of the national borde ...

, receiving the chieftaincy title of the ''Amuludun'' ("Chief Entertainer") of Odo-Aje. Skepta has two children, a daughter and a son. He is also a

visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...

: in September 2022,

Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

put on display some of his paintings, all of which had been created during the

COVID-19 lockdowns During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of Non-pharmaceutical intervention (epidemiology), non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar socie ...

, for the "Contemporary Curated" art series. On 2 December 2024, he hosted a DJ set at

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

's launch event for the Type 00

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle or show vehicle) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not ...

at the Art Week in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Discography

Studio albums * '' Greatest Hits'' (2007) * '' Microphone Champion'' (2009) * '' Doin' It Again'' (2011) * '' Konnichiwa'' (2016) * '' Ignorance Is Bliss'' (2019) Collaborative albums * ''

'' (with Chip and Young Adz) (2020) Mixtapes * ''Joseph Junior Adenuga'' (2006) * ''Been There Done That'' (2010) * ''Community Payback'' (2011) * ''Blacklisted'' (2012) * ''The Tim Westwood Mix'' (2015) * ''All In'' (2021)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1982 births Living people 21st-century British male musicians 21st-century British rappers All Around the World Productions artists Black British male rappers English people of Nigerian descent English people of Igbo descent English people of Yoruba descent English male rappers 21st-century male rappers English record producers Grime music artists NME Awards winners People from Tottenham Rappers from the London Borough of Haringey Igbo musicians Yoruba musicians