The UK’s social climate has changed a lot since Skepta‘s last album, 2019’s ‘Ignorance Is Bliss’. Even in the 33 months since the titan of British rap music first teased ‘The Fork And Knife’ with the single ‘Gas Me Up’ in January 2024, hostility towards immigrants and minorities has surged from fringe to mainstream, reflected by the success of right-wing electoral forces like Reform UK. Skepta’s decision to tackle this landscape head-on in his new LP reflects his confidence and authority at the genre’s summit.
‘The Fork And Knife’ is full of compelling storytelling about this political picture, modern multiculturalism and the British-Nigerian experience. Ever self-reflective, he digs into childhood confrontations (“Adenuga, what kind of name is that?” pipes a skit on ‘Secrets Of Patriarchy’), charts seismic social change (“It was ‘no blacks, no dogs, no Irish’ / Now it’s ‘Excuse me, can I help you sir?'” he raps on ‘Currency’) and enlists two-tone pioneer Suggs for ‘Innocent Smile’, an urgent, punk-ish breakbeat rhythm where he vents: “The way that we’re living is wild / Ain’t no love for an immigrant child… MPs lie, they treat us like idiots / How you turn around and blame it on immigrants?”
These moments show that Skepta understands his responsibility as an elder of British rap. Still, the tighter, more cohesive structure that underpinned the brilliance of his Mercury Prize-winning mainstream breakthrough ‘Konnichiwa’ is missing. Tracks like ‘Melody’ and ‘Gas Me Up’ lazily squeeze uninsightful bars into ill-fitting rhythmic structures (“And we just went triple platinum, check the digits / Most of these brothers is tired and washed up bro but they won’t admit it”), offering a stark warning of how this record could’ve sounded if released at the height of Adenuga’s recent dalliances with bland, Auto-Tuned rap.
Thankfully, by biding his time, he’s allowed for enhanced social commentary and the inclusion of some extremely talented emerging rappers, most notably MCs like Kibo and Kruz Leone, who both feature on eight-minute all-star grime rampage ‘Belly’ – a real highlight. Elsewhere, smooth Afrobeat collabs with artists like Asake and French vocalist Aya Nakamura feel natural for a global-facing artist whose relentless overseas hustling was integral to UK rap generating the wide renown it currently enjoys.
By closing with dancefloor-crushing Fred Again.. link-up ‘Victory Lap’, Skepta rounds off a globe-conquering portion of his glittering career in music and fashion; nevertheless, ‘The Fork And Knife’ feels more like a raucous live encore than a considered attempt to culminate a cohesive sonic journey. Across the project, examples of impactful storytelling abound – not least the eye-opening dissection of his late-2000s career missteps, identity crisis and subsequent mastery of the grime renaissance in ‘Revenge’ – but you’d hope that such an influential figure within modern British music would tie these strings together more neatly and deliver a record that truly befits the long wait.
Details
- Record label: Big Smoke, Epic
- Release date: November 6, 2026
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