After becoming one of this year’s most admirable and most talked about voices, it’s about time we had something to document Skepta‘s unique rise to fame. Now, Apple Music has released a full half-hour documentary which delves into the Tottenham rapper and producer’s career; the man who stands the forefront of the revitalisation of Grime.
For the past few years Skepta has been constantly generating a huge amount of buzz. 2014 saw the release of That’s Not Me, the mega-anthem which saw him toe-to-toe with his brother JME. It didn’t end there though, the massive It Ain’t Safe featuring Young Lord came next, and marked the pivotal beginning of the UK and New York link up. 2015 was the year of the co-signs, with Drake and Kanye West both weighing in on this much talked-about emcee. Not to mention the release of Shutdown, which undoubtably went on to become the UK’s anthem for the year.
Then came this year, 2016. After releasing his critically acclaimed fourth studio album Konnichiwa, he went on to earn himself the prestigious Mercury Prize, catapulting himself into peak worldwide success, all while staying true to his major values and remaining an independent and authentic artist.
This latest documentary, Skepta:Greatness Only, filmed in the week prior to his meteoric sold out Alexandra Palace headline show, walks us through these years; from his apparent mental breakdown in 2012, to the in-depth creation of That’s Not Me, he holds nothing back.
Presented and written by his sister, Beats 1 host Julie Adenuga, the film talks to those closest to him, who have been there from the very beginning: his managers Grace LaDoja and Sam Burton, tour manager Paddy London, his brother JME and mum Ify, alongside journalist Hattie Collins, soccer player Bradley Wright-Phillips, BBC’s DJ Semtex, designer Kritikal, MsM, PPP’s Charaf Tajer, Pharrell Williams, Guillame Schmidt, Roony Keefe and Jonny Banger. The film also features the likes of Section Boyz, Lethal Bizzle, Giggs, and Kano, serving as the greatest standing record of his career.
Watch the full documentary here or checkout the trailer below!
#SkeptaGreatnessOnly
The @Skepta documentary
with @JulieAdenuga
WATCH IT NOW on @AppleMusichttps://t.co/ZIUhudlXt0 pic.twitter.com/8h28J3eINg— Beats 1 (@Beats1) December 18, 2016
Image: The Fader