Skepta is a British–Nigerian MC, rapper, producer and DJ born Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr. in Tottenham, North London. He first emerged during the early 2000s as a DJ with the grime collective Meridian Crew before moving towards MCing. Following the group’s dissolution, he briefly joined Roll Deep and subsequently founded Boy Better Know with his brother Jme, helping establish one of the most influential independent movements in British grime.
His early solo catalogue began with Greatest Hits in 2007, followed by Microphone Champion and Doin’ It Again. After moving away from the more commercial direction of his third album, Skepta returned to a rawer, independently controlled sound through the Blacklisted mixtape and singles including That’s Not Me and Shutdown.
That renewed direction culminated in Konnichiwa in 2016. Written and largely produced by Skepta, the album became a landmark release for grime’s international resurgence and won the Mercury Prize. Ignorance Is Bliss followed in 2019, broadening his sound through more reflective writing and increasingly detailed production, while the collaborative album Insomnia with Chip and Young Adz arrived in 2020. His subsequent All In EP included collaborations with J Balvin, Teezee and Kid Cudi.
Skepta has also developed a substantial catalogue as a producer and collaborator. His work with A$AP Rocky on Praise the Lord (Da Shine) became an international hit, while later projects have connected him with artists including Fred again.., Jammer and Etta Bond. In 2025, he released the collaborative Skepta .. Fred project with Fred again..
Alongside his rap career, Skepta co-founded the house label and event platform Más Tiempo with Jammer. Releases including Más Tiempo Vol. 1 and Más Tiempo Vol. 2 reflect a parallel interest in house and club production without replacing his identity as a grime artist.
His sixth solo studio album, Fork & Knife, has been announced but had not yet been released as of August 2026. Beyond recording, Skepta is the founder of Big Smoke Corporation and has extended his creative work into fashion, film and festival production while remaining one of the central figures in grime’s development from a London underground movement into a global form of British music.
