Joseph Junior Adenuga (born 19 September 1982), known professionally as Skepta, is a British grime MC, rapper, songwriter and record producer from Tottenham, North London. Skepta, alongside his younger brother Jme, joined Roll Deep for a short period of time before becoming founding members of Boy Better Know in 2005.
With Boy Better Know, Skepta clashed with fellow MC Devilman for the video release Lord of the Mics 2, in what is remembered as one of the biggest clashes in grime history. Skepta released his debut studio album Greatest Hits in 2007 and his second album, Microphone Champion in 2009, both independently; while his third studio album Doin’ It Again was released in 2011 by AATW. He made his acting debut in the 2015 film Anti-Social. Skepta’s fourth studio album, Konnichiwa (2016), featured the hit singles “That’s Not Me” and “Shutdown”. The album, which was widely acclaimed, won the Mercury Prize.
In 2018, he is featured on American rapper ASAP Rocky’s single “Praise the Lord (Da Shine)”, which would soon become both artists’ highest charting single and a global hit. In 2019, Skepta released Ignorance Is Bliss, which charted in fifteen countries. Insomnia (2020), a collaborative album with British rappers Chip and Young Adz, became Skepta’s third album to reach the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart.
Skepta has been nominated for three Brit Awards, including the British Male Solo Artist award. His influence on contemporary British popular culture as a key figure in the grime scene saw him appear on Debrett’s 2017 list of the most influential people in the UK. On 4 April 2018, he was installed as a chief in his family’s ancestral Nigerian hometown in Ogun State, receiving the chieftaincy title of the Amuludun of Odo-Aje.