Bruce HarperWah gwan? Big man ting, he comin’ to our yard! That’s right, UK grime superstar Skepta will be making his US debut this summer – after being denied his visa in 2016 and missing his performance at Coachella.
After he was listed on the Governor’s Ball lineup, rumors swirled of a possible East Coast tour and, sure enough, two more shows came across our radar. After his performance in NYC, he’s making back-to-back stops in Silverspring, MD & Philadelphia, PA for part-two of his appropriately named Banned From America Tour.
Although grime is massively popular in the UK, Skepta has struggled with securing legitimate spots to perform in London, as the city has been plagued by the closing of many of its iconic music venues. It also doesn’t help that the media frowns upon the grime scene due to its associated violence and drug use. This forces shows to be held at secret locations which are often vacant buildings obtained by loose squatter’s rights laws. It is here that the rapper’s fan feed off the rowdy 808s & lyrics that speak of their underground culture.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQOG5BkY2Bc&w=560&h=315]
In one of Skepta’s most notable tracks, Shutdown, he speaks to his aspiration to make it big stateside. With support from artists such as Drake and Kanye, it looks like he’s well on his way. If you’re tired of the same generic mainstream rap, and hungry for bars with actual lyrical content, look no further than Skepta.
Skepta refers to himself and his supporters as the #TracksuitMafia. If you’ve never heard of grime or Skepta, and don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb, you may want to leave the pin board at home and rock some Adidas. On second thought, maybe you should hold off as he openly calls out posers in his music.
So if you live in the DC/Bmore/Philly area, these shows are not to be missed. I promise that Skepta will spit some of the firemost bars you’ll hear all year. Tickets are on sale now, don’t sleep!