Skepta says new album reflects what an immigrant child can achieve

Skepta says his new album, *The Fork and Knife*, is intended to show what can happen when an immigrant child is given a chance, as the rapper uses his first record since 2019 to address immigration, racism and British identity.

“I’m British and I thought before I even get into a campaign, I wanted to let my stance be known that I’m for multiculturalism,” he told BBC Newsbeat. Born Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr in Tottenham, north London, Skepta is the son of Nigerian parents who came to Britain after fleeing Nigeria’s civil war.

The album, released on Friday, is his sixth and follows *Ignorance Is Bliss*. Skepta said it had taken years to make because he wanted to handle its subjects carefully. One track, “Innocent Smile”, features Chase and Status and Madness frontman Suggs and questions whether Brexit and Covid have intensified hostility towards immigrants.

Skepta has previously said grime was shaped by immigration, pointing to artists including Wiley, Stormzy and Dizzee Rascal. He described his own music as a way to express emotion without a filter, and said he wanted the new record’s lyrics to endure.

The album’s release follows a controversy over artwork for his 2024 single “Gas Me Up (Diligent)”. Skepta removed the image after criticism that it referenced the Holocaust. He said it was intended to refer to skinhead culture, but acknowledged that people could find it offensive without that context and promised to be more mindful.

Reviews of *The Fork and Knife* have been mixed. Complex called it “top-tier” and worth the wait, while The Observer described it as well-intentioned but questioned whether it was “over-egged”. Skepta said he hoped the album would help raise standards in UK rap and grime.