Skepta spent six years crafting *The Fork and Knife* to address heavy themes such as racism, culture wars, and multicultural identity. The project features collaborations like the track "Innocent Smile," which includes Chase and Status alongside Madness frontman Suggs. The Mercury Prize winner expressed a desire to raise the artistic bar for grime, an immigrant-influenced genre he felt had lacked a strong release in recent times. Early critical reception remains divided, with Complex offering strong praise while The Observer labeled the record well-intentioned but potentially over-egged.
Key points
The artist views the entire grime genre as a direct cultural product of modern immigratio…: The artist views the entire grime genre as a direct cultural product of modern immigration.
Skepta aimed to deliberately restore higher artistic standards because he believes the UK…: Skepta aimed to deliberately restore higher artistic standards because he believes the UK rap scene lacked good grime albums.
The release follows a 2024 controversy where artwork for the single "Gas Me Up (Diligent)…: The release follows a 2024 controversy where artwork for the single "Gas Me Up (Diligent)" was removed over Holocaust imagery allegations.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
- Published
One of the biggest names in grime is back - and he's picked his moment.
"Finally," Skepta promises BBC Newsbeat, "some good rap music, some good UK grime sounds."
The Fork and Knife has been a long time in the making. Seven years on from his last album, Ignorance Is Bliss, and more than two years since it was first teased, the rapper knows how to keep fans waiting.
But, as he's keen to point out, "you can't rush greatness".
And with a Mercury Prize, a Brit and two Ivor Novello Awards under his belt, greatness is no less than what fans expect from this titan of the rap scene.
It's taken so long in part because Skepta's got big issues in his sights, with the new album taking on everything from immigration and racism, to Brexit and culture wars.
"Every time I write a lyric, it's important for me," he says.
"It doesn't matter whose song, what feature, what track, I'm always taking time in writing my music because I want my lyrics to be able to…
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