Raves to Renaissance Man: How Skepta Captured the Soul of British Style
Fueled by a raw, underground energy and the spirit of Nigeria, London’s most restless creative force is re-energizing UK fashion with MAINS.
Skepta is a relentless force. At 42, he’s in constant motion, mastering new skills, reinventing, reimagining and redefining himself year after year. Whatever you knew about him, he’s already left it behind.
Known to family as Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr., Skepta’s career is an intricate constellation of evolution and finesse. Coming from a lineage of artistic relatives, including his siblings—fellow musician Jme, broadcaster Julie Adenuga and graphic designer Jason Adenuga—the Tottenham-born Nigerian grime artist embodies the fortitude and fearlessness of the second-generation immigrant mindset.
Since emerging from the Meridian Crew in the early 2000s, Skepta has started the influential collective and label Boy Better Know, won the 2016 Mercury Music Prize, launched his fashion label MAINS, been installed as a chief in his ancestral home of Ogun State, set up Big Smoke Corporation for his commercial projects, sold his first painting at Sotheby’s, released the short film “Tribal Mark” (which saw him take on directing, producing and acting roles), and expanded his house music project, Más Tiempo, with a DJ residency at DC10. It’s a constant grind, but the Renaissance Man is more energized than ever.