H aving spent the first two years of my university life living with two Essex born-and-bred housemates, I’ve learnt that the phrase “shut up”, alongside its primary function to tell someone to be quiet, may also be used to express disbelief or shock. It was that same imperative uttered from my lips the moment I discovered Skepta […]
Konnichiwa
Skepta SHOULD have won the Mercury Prize
Urban music is no stranger to success at the Mercury Prize. R&B superstar Ms. Dynamite set the standard in 2002. Dizzee Rascal’s seminal debut album Boy In Da Corner bagged the award in ‘03. Now Skepta’s historic, unexpected win on 15 September means even more. Grime’s recovery from the commercial, trite mediocrity of the past […]
Album Review: Skepta – Konnichiwa
Konnichiwa has been the grime scene’s most anticipated album since Skepta returned to form back in 2014, putting the mainstream, materialism and his Gucci away with single ‘That’s Not Me’. After a period of uninspiring, commercial hits grime was alive again. Not since its 2002 East London origins has the genre been as culturally relevant […]