Latest news with #Skepta
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Skepta admits he 'hates being famous' and 'dreams of going back to his normal life' as he teases his next album will be 'best he's ever made'
Skepta has admitted that despite his incredible global success, millions of fans and award wins, he 'hates being famous'. Since bursting on the scene with his debut album in 2007, the grime star, 42, has gone on to win the prestigious Mercury Prize and conquered the worlds of music, fashion, modelling and film. However, in a rare new interview with Dazed, the rapper has confessed to disliking the trappings of stardom and dreams 'of going back to my normal life'. Skepta, real name Joseph Junior Adenuga, told the publication: 'I don't care about fame. Really. I care about art. I care about making the best song. I care about people selecting my poetry as theirs. I hate being famous. 'I just feel like, whatever fame has brought me is what I've always had already, you know what I mean? The eyes, the judgment – I've always had that. In the early days it helped to toughen me up and prepare me for now. But I don't need it any more.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The Boy Better Know star admitted that he doesn't want to live the so-called celebrity lifestyle and instead wants to be able to go out with his daughter without being asked for a selfie. He explained: 'Whenever people push me to be that kind of red carpet It-boy, I shy away from it every time. Even when I won the Mercury, I can see in my face that I didn't want to be that guy, because you only fall down from there, innit? 'I forever have my dream of going back to my normal life. When everything's said and done, I just want to be painting in my house and occasionally DJing, going to the shop for limes and breads.' Reflecting on what he wants his legacy to be if that time comes, Skepta said he believes that the 'true meaning of life' was being a conduit to create opportunities for those coming after him. He explained: 'I hope I've left as much as I took, and opened as many doors and left as many codes behind for people on the way after me. 'I think that's the true meaning of life. I used to struggle with that, but I know now that it's not really about me. I'm just passing through.' The hitmaker will be back hosting the Big Smoke Festival in August for the second year, with a star-studded line-up including the likes of his brother Jme, Central Cee, Skyla Tyla and BXK. And he explained that his desire to open doors is part of what inspired him to create a stage to showcase the talents of other artists, saying he wanted 'to move to the side' and not be 'getting in the way'. While he also talked his upcoming album, which he first announced in January last year, explaining the delayed release is because he's constantly coming up with new hit tracks and teasing that he predicts the final result will be 'the best record I've made'. The DJ said: 'Every day, I'm trying to wrap it up, but then every day I make something fresh and have to rejig the tracklist. 'People keep coming to the studio, so I keep making one song and then another one, and it's hard to put a dam in the flow when it's all so good.' It comes after Skepta insisted that he never thinks he's made it, because there's 'always more to do' in an exclusive interview with MailOnline in January last year. When asked if he'd had a 'pinch me' moment or realised 'I've made it', he said: 'No [I haven't], I used to think that I would have it but I don't. I've done too many things to believe in that notion that I've made it because there's always more to do... 'I remember when I used to think there was a made it, but now I don't really have that. I don't really have that in my mind.' On a moment he's been starstruck, he quipped: 'Sometimes when I walk past, if I walk past the mirror, I see myself and like right around.' Skepta is not the only famous face in his family, with his rapper brother JME, real name Jamie Adenuga, also being in the Boy Better Know collective while their sister Julie Adenuga is a broadcaster and radio host. He kicked off music his career in 2003 as a DJ for the Tottenham-based grime collective Meridian Crew, going on to MC shortly before they disbanded in 2005. Skepta and JME then joined Roll Deep for a short period of time before becoming founding members of Boy Better Know in 2005. His debut studio album, Greatest Hits, was released to much acclaim in 2007, while he followed up in 2009 with Microphone Champion and also released studio album Doin' It Again in 2011. The three-time Brit Award nominee's critically lauded fourth record, Konnichiwa, featured the hit singles That's Not Me and Shutdown, and won him the Mercury Prize in 2016. Amid a host of hit mixtapes and singles, Skepta also ventured in acting, making his movie debut in the 2015 crime drama Anti-Social, alongside Meghan Markle. While last year saw him make his directorial debut with Tribal Mark, a short film telling the story of a Nigerian-born hitman, played in part by Skepta and in part by Jude Carmichael. His last solo album was 2019's Ignorance Is Bliss, while he joined Chip and D Block Europe rapper Young Adz for a collaborative album called Insomnia in 2020.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UK Rap Icon JME Teams Up with NEW Fintech platform Strade Base to Launch a New Era in Music Investment
LONDON, June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Strade Base is a pioneering platform at the intersection of fintech and music, revolutionising how artists, fans, and investors engage with streaming royalties. UK Grime icon JME is the first artist to launch on Strade Base and within seconds of dropping, fans snapped up his offer of 100 shares to his track Integrity for £1 a share to celebrate the song's 10 year anniversary. At its core, Strade Base is about empowerment—giving artists greater control over their earnings, while inviting fans and supporters to participate directly in their success. While similar concepts have been teased by global music moguls like Jay Z, Strade Base proudly leads the charge from the UK, bringing innovation and opportunity to the forefront of our homegrown music scene. Jay Z's platform with Musicow received lots of hype earlier this year but doesn't appear to have actually made it to market. The team behind the platform include entrepreneur Dwight Okechukwu- British Grime royalty Skepta's business partner, and UK grime icon JME as an advisor. While fractional ownership is not a new concept, Strade Base is the first to offer it in an accessible, user-friendly format tailored for everyday fans, where the music artist is directly in control- not the labels. Unlike traditional distribution model Strade Base provides artists with a new way to monetise their catalogue—immediately and transparently—while fostering a direct and meaningful connection with their audience. Each purchase comes with a digital, tradable 'card' representing royalty ownership, and users can trade these cards within the community, much like collectible items. Cards can be physical or virtual and may include unique artist rewards like concert access or exclusive merchandise, deepening fan engagement and support. With over £3 million in investment and 3.5 years in development, Strade Base is built on passion and purpose. For advisor and first artist on the platform JME, this isn't just about innovation—it's about justice. He is passionate about returning ownership to the hands of creators and sees Strade Base as a lifeline for emerging artists. With traditional industry models often delaying earnings for years, many talented musicians are forced to abandon their dreams or fall into debt. Strade Base offers a real alternative: a platform where new artists can share music and begin earning from day one. JME is of course brother of famed MC, Skepta and between them and their record label 'Boy Better Know', they steered grime's second wave, helping to build the success of British rap. They have played huge stages at Glastonbury and Wireless and are legends in the British grime and rap scene. Strade Base will be announcing big artist drops monthly. View original content: SOURCE Strade Base
Time Out
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Fred Again plays Bangkok's UOB LIVE in July
If you've not been keeping up, Fred again – born Fred Gibson – is one of those names that's quietly everywhere. Maybe you've heard his voice layered into a track without knowing it. Maybe you've danced to one of his edits at 3am and only clocked it days later. He's a producer, vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist – a modern-day polymath with a sampler and a keen ear for emotion. Now, following the announcement of his solo Asia tour, he's set to bring that instinct centre stage. Stops include South Korea, Singapore and, yes, Bangkok. At the core of his work is a kind of sonic diarising: voice notes from friends, fleeting conversations, fragments of lived experience turned into dancefloor elegies. His tracks – leave me alone, Turn On The Lights again.., Rumble – feel as much like personal memos as they do chart staples. This is a man who once won two Grammys for Actual Life 3 and still manages to make music that sounds like it was recorded in the Notes app at 2am. And then there are the collaborators. The list reads like a who's who of genre-defying innovators: Skrillex, Baby Keem, Skepta, Future, Anderson .Paak, Four Tet. He moves between worlds – rap, house, garage, glitch – with the kind of fluidity that doesn't beg attention but earns it. He's not selling nostalgia, nor spectacle. What he offers is something quieter but stickier: intimacy in high definition, connection disguised as club music.
Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The rapper Fekky on his secret spots and the gig he wishes he'd seen
There is something special about the way the south London rapper Fekky wants to go down in history. The artist garnered fame for his ability to blend traditional grime with hip-hop influences, while reflecting themes of street life, resilience and ambition. Since releasing his debut album, El Clasico, in 2017, he has worked with artists including Dr Dre and Skepta as well as launching the community initiative CC Foundation, which aims to fight youth violence and social inequality. One of its key projects is the Christmas turkey drive, in which the foundation distributes free turkeys and other food essentials to families who might otherwise struggle to afford a festive meal. It is this initiative that earned him a finalist place in the Voices to
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Playboi Carti Compares His Commercial Success To Peak Lil Wayne
Playboi Carti is feeling the weight of his latest triumph, and he's not shy about drawing comparisons to one of Hip-Hop's greatest. The Atlanta rapper recently took to social media to celebrate his album MUSIC, boldly likening his impact to that of Lil Wayne. 'FEELING LIKE WEEZY WE ALREADY PLATINUM N DA STREETS,' Carti wrote, seemingly referencing Weezy's legendary commercial peak when Tha Carter III sold over one million copies in its first week of release. The statement signals Carti's confidence in MUSIC's dominance, particularly as it becomes his second consecutive album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album's success has been undeniable, logging the biggest streaming week for any project since Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department last May. Adding to the significance, MUSIC's gold certification arrived around the same time as the anniversary of Carti's breakout single, 'Broke Boi,' a track that introduced him to a wider audience years ago. Released on March 14, MUSIC debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, marking his second consecutive album to top the chart. His previous album, Whole Lotta Red, also reached that summit in 2023, accounting for over 100,000 album-equivalent units sold during its first week of release. Carti has also paid direct homage to Lil Wayne, subtitling the deluxe edition of MUSIC as Sorry 4 Da Wait—a nod to Wayne's classic mixtape of the same name. While his comparison to Weezy is bold, Carti's ability to captivate audiences and push boundaries suggests he's carving out his own legendary path. The album, which includes features from Kendrick Lamar, Future, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Jhené Aiko, Skepta, Lil Uzi Vert, Ty Dolla Sign, and Young Thug, also became the most-streamed studio album in a single day on Spotify in 2025. See Playboi Carti's Instagram post below. More from Playboi Carti Pays Homage To Lil Wayne With 'Music' Deluxe Album Playboi Carti Calls Shenanigans On His Album's First Week Sales, Says He Sold This Many Playboi Carti Tells Ye To "Shut The F**k Up," And Cassie Agrees
