Skepta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Skepta
Skepta performing in 2019
Born	Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr (1982-09-19) 19 September 1982 (age 42) Tottenham, London, England
Occupation	Rapper record producer songwriter disc jockey
Years active	2002–present
Children	2
Relatives	Jme (brother) Julie Adenuga (sister)
Musical career
Genres	British hip hop grime
Labels	Boy Better Know The Orchard All Around the World Island
Signature

Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr., born on September 19, 1982, is known professionally as Skepta. He is a British grime MC, rapper, music producer, and DJ. He is a very important figure in the grime music scene.

Skepta and his younger brother Jme were briefly part of a group called Roll Deep. Later, in 2005, they helped start their own music group called Boy Better Know. With Boy Better Know, Skepta had a famous music battle, known as a "clash," with another MC named Devilman. This battle was featured in a video called Lord of the Mics 2 and is remembered as a big moment in grime history.

Skepta released his first studio album, Greatest Hits, in 2007. His second album, Microphone Champion, came out in 2009. Both were released independently. His third album, Doin' It Again, was released in 2011 by AATW. Skepta also started acting in 2015, appearing in the film Anti-Social. His fourth album, Konnichiwa (2016), included popular songs like "That's Not Me" and "Shutdown". This album was highly praised and won the Mercury Prize, a major music award.

In 2018, Skepta produced and was featured on a song called "Praise the Lord (Da Shine)" by American rapper ASAP Rocky. This song became a global hit and was the highest-charting song for both artists. In 2019, Skepta released Ignorance Is Bliss, which appeared on music charts in fifteen different countries. In 2020, he released Insomnia, a collaborative album with British rappers Chip and Young Adz. This album was Skepta's third to reach the top 10 on the UK Albums Chart.

Skepta has been nominated for three Brit Awards, which are important British music awards. He was also listed in Debrett's 2017 list of the most influential people in the UK. This shows his big impact on modern British popular culture as a key figure in grime music. On April 4, 2018, he received a special honor in Nigeria, becoming a chief with the title "Amuludun of Odo-Aje."

Early Life and Family

Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr. was born on September 19, 1982, in Tottenham, North London. His parents are from Nigeria, with his father's family being Yoruba and his mother's family being Igbo. Skepta is the oldest of four children. His siblings are fellow musician Jme, radio presenter Julie, and graphic designer Jason.

Skepta's Music Journey

Starting Out: DJ and MC

Skepta began his music career as a DJ in a grime group called Meridian Crew, based in Tottenham. The Meridian Crew often performed on pirate radio stations, like Heat FM 96.6. During this time, some crew members called him "Scoopa Daniels." Early in his career, Skepta released instrumental tracks like "Pulse Eskimo" in 2002, and "DTI (Pirate Station Anthem)" and "Private Caller."

Skepta started MCing, which means rapping over music, just before Meridian Crew broke up in 2005. After that, he and his brother Jme joined Roll Deep for a short time. In 2006, they became founding members of Boy Better Know. The musician Wiley encouraged Skepta to start MCing. After forming Boy Better Know, Skepta had a famous "clash" with another MC named Devilman for the DVD Lord of the Mics 2. This event is seen as one of the biggest clashes in grime history. Soon after, Skepta released a mixtape called "Joseph Junior Adenuga." His first official album, Greatest Hits, was released on September 17, 2007, through his own label, Boy Better Know.

More Albums and Chart Success

Skepta released his first single, "Rolex Sweep", in September 2008. It reached number 89 on the UK Singles Chart. His album Microphone Champion came out on June 1, 2009. He also released the song "Too Many Man" with Jme, Wiley, Frisco, and Shorty, which reached number 79.

Skepta's third studio album, Doin' It Again, was his first with a major record label. He released five singles from this album: "Bad Boy", "Rescue Me", "Cross My Heart" featuring Preeya Kalidas, "So Alive", and "Amnesia". He also made a video for the "Hello Good Morning (Grime Remix)." Three of these singles made it into the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. "Rescue Me" was the most successful, reaching number 14. "Cross My Heart" reached number 31. Doin' It Again stayed in the top 100 album charts for three weeks and reached its highest spot at number 19 in its first week.

New Sounds and Big Wins

In 2012, Skepta released two singles, "Hold On" and "Make Peace Not War". Both songs reached the Top 40 in the UK, but they sounded different from his usual music. Skepta had planned to release his second major label album, The Honeymoon, in late 2011, but it was delayed. After these two singles didn't get the response he hoped for, Skepta decided to release a mixtape called Blacklisted. It came out on December 2, 2012, with music videos supporting it.

Skepta in 2014

In March 2014, Skepta added a rap verse to the remix of "German Whip" by Meridian Dan. In the same month, he released his new single, "That's Not Me", featuring his brother Jme. This song reached number 21 on the UK charts. The music video for "That's Not Me" won the award for Best Video at the 2014 MOBO Awards. Skepta mentioned that the video only cost him £80 to make.

In late 2014, Skepta released another single called "It Ain't Safe" featuring ASAP Bari. This was followed in early 2015 by "Shutdown". He also appeared on "Red Eye to Paris" by Flatbush Zombies and the remix of "Ojuelegba" by Wizkid, which also featured Drake. Skepta joined Kanye West for a surprise show in London, where they performed many songs together. In 2015, GQ magazine named him one of the 50 best-dressed British men.

Skepta made his acting debut in the 2015 film Anti-Social, which was released in May. On February 14, 2016, Skepta released "Ladies Hit Squad" featuring grime artist D Double E and American rapper ASAP Nast. Skepta announced on Instagram that his album, Konnichiwa, would be released on May 6, 2016. Konnichiwa became the highest-charting grime album, reaching number 2 on the UK music charts. The album included songs like "That's Not Me", "Shutdown", and "Man". A launch party for Konnichiwa was held in Tokyo on May 5, 2016, and streamed live on Boiler Room. Skepta performed the entire album live, with supporting performances from Japanese artists.

In 2017, Skepta started his "Banned From America" tour, which had 14 shows across the United States and Europe. The tour was named this because his visa application to enter the United States was denied in 2016, forcing him to cancel his "No Fear" American tour.

Skepta released his Vicious EP on October 31, 2017. It featured songs with ASAP Rocky, Lil B, and Section Boyz. There were also rumors in 2017 about a collaboration between Skepta and drum'n'bass artist Goldie. Goldie confirmed this in his 2017 book, but the song has not yet been released.

Recent Projects and Collaborations

Skepta was featured on ASAP Rocky's song "Praise the Lord (Da Shine)", released in May 2018. This single appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Also in May, Skepta released his single "Pure Water", which reached number 78 in the UK. In June, he released "Energy (Stay Far Away)" with Wizkid, which reached number 59.

In 2019, Skepta appeared as a radio host in a Grand Theft Auto Online expansion. In 2020, Skepta was featured alongside Pop Smoke on Kid Cudi’s song “Show Out” from Cudi’s album Man on the Moon III: The Chosen. He also worked with Gorillaz and Tony Allen on the song "How Far?" in May 2020.

On July 30, 2021, Skepta released his EP, All In. In 2022, Skepta signed with Wasserman Music for his worldwide music representation. In October 2023, Skepta released "Can't Play Myself (A Tribute to Amy)", which uses a sample from Amy Winehouse's song "Tears Dry on Their Own". In March 2025, Skepta was featured on Playboi Carti's album Music, on the song "Toxic".

Personal Life

On April 4, 2018, Skepta was honored as a chief in his Nigerian hometown in Ogun State. He received the chieftaincy title of the Amuludun, which means "Chief Entertainer," of Odo-Aje.

Skepta has two children, a daughter and a son.

He is also a visual artist. In September 2022, the famous art auction house Sotheby's displayed some of his paintings. These paintings were all created during the COVID-19 lockdowns as part of their "Contemporary Curated" art series.

On December 2, 2024, Skepta hosted a DJ set at Jaguar's launch event for their Type 00 concept car. This event took place during Art Week in Miami, Florida.

Discography

Studio albums

• Greatest Hits (2007)
• Microphone Champion (2009)
• Doin' It Again (2011)
• Konnichiwa (2016)
• Ignorance Is Bliss (2019)

Collaborative albums

• Insomnia (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