Konnichiwa is Skepta’s fourth studio album and is by far his most impactful in assisting the UK “really can rap” petition get its respect. The album accomplishes the task of showcasing the British grime style to a wider audience in a much more digestible fashion – contrary to his past underground projects. For those unfamiliar with the grime subgenre, simply put its short pocketed electric influenced beats with a slang ridden, pulsating street delivery. Thanks to this album in particular, what was once a niche category of rap music buried deep in London’s east end is now starting to slide into the mainstream.
The album has a running time of just over 40 minutes which results in minimal filler. “Lyrics” sets the standard fairly high with Skepta running through lines like “Yeah, you got murked last week/Couldn’t even get a rewind, that’s peak/Couldn’t get out your punchlines on time/Now you wanna diss me? Oh blood, what a cheek/Sidewinder, you got air on the roads/Eskimo Dance, you was spitting off-beat”. The way he stacks said rhymes into the tightened beat pocket without breaking tempo is what makes Skepta’s sound top notch grime.
However, there are times when his rapid fire flow and grimey cadence disguise some cringe worthy lines. On “Man” he spits out “Dressed like I just come from P.E/You’re dressed like you just come from church/Better do your research/You don’t wanna hear my verse come after your verse”. Yikes.“Corn on the Curb” and “Crime Riddim” also follow the traditional grime sequence that will satisfy those looking for a hoppy London sound to ring off in the club but the actual words (Wanna put me in the van, wanna strip a man/Fuck that, I ain’t a chippendale/Wanna strip a male) might deter the more intricate listeners.
Skepta handles a lot of the production himself but employs the signature sound of South London’s Blakie and Ragz Originale – who have both been curating the British street sound for years. Towards the middle of the album is where Skepta mixes in some more universally recognized sounds and rhythms. “Ladies Hit Squad” mixes Skepta’s cunning lyrics and throws them against a hollowed out trap beat with a shot of Americano as it features Harlem’s A$AP Nast. “Numbers” is another example of Skepta’s traditional style with American transplanted instrumentation provided by Pharrell.
Each song carries an anti-establishment vibe where Skepta reminds us that he is constantly fighting the “man” and keeping it incredibly grass roots despite his newfound stardom. When he raps about he and his “Gs ain’t scared of police” and also “don’t listen to no politician”, crowds instantly get hit with a feeling of anarchy. Sonically, “That’s Not Me” could double for a 1980s Japanese pinball game but is the most blatant example of his unapologetic self-respect. “Yeah, I used to wear Gucci/I put it all in the bin cause that’s not me” can best be interpreted as a jab at the current flagrance in modern Hip Hop (Skepta mentions multiple times how comfortable he is in his simple black tracksuit). Unfortunately the very last cut, “Text You Back” is quite the anticlimactic love song and should have been left off this particular album.
Skepta manages to craft his best yet with Konnichiwa. A concise project that focuses on taking him past his south London ends and into Hip Hop’s mainstream. Pioneering the modern grime sound will always serve him well but if he really wants his career to truly win over the Yanks, some of those subpar lines need to be cleaned up.
Considering the time he took to make this, it wasn’t great. We already knew 5 of the songs from it. How did it take you multiple years to come out with that?
Trash
Numbers is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard. The extent some people are prepared to go to in order to get a pointless famous feature blows my mind. Skepta needs to see himself out.
you dumb brah…
you just used to future shit and all those FUCK UP SOME COMAS type hooks
Skepta’s from North London, Tottenham; Meridian Walk.
FIRE!!!
How you gonna review this and not review kanos “made in the manor” album. If anyone wants to hear a real british rap album with real lyrics about life in london then listen to kano, made in the manor
British culture is very different to American and Canadian cultures. You downgraded this album for your judgement of the British culture rather than the music- based on what I’ve read above. Fair enough though, I’ve lived in the UK for 10 years after living in Toronto for 10, it took me a while to get used to this place to and that’s grime’s main hindrance going forward. We love it in the UK though.
Grime is better than u.s rap! Grime is more lyrical and can understand what they saying. Stormzy is tha future
Fire
Meh…. Singles are ok, nothing interesting on the album though
Grime music has its origins in El-P beats while with Def Jux. Especially between the years of ’02-03. That’s where true grime comes from. Dizzee Rascal knew it too. This album is a masterpiece. Great beats. Not as hardcore as in the past.
1/5
Grime is pure trash, wow such a bad album.
Good album..you yanks know nothing about grime. The review was cringe worthy.
Nobody cares about this fucking album! Where is the new rittz album review I been waiting to see for 2 weeks?! It’s his best work yet
Not sure Skepta is trying to win over the yanks. He’s on his own vibe, not heavily grimey, and more mainstream than some of his earlier cuts. Saw him live around 6 months ago, having not seen him for about 4 years, the vibe, atmosphere and completely hyped up crowd showed exactly what Skepta is about, he’s big time over here, but the sound doesn’t translate well into the US market, and that’s no bad thing. He aint gonna convince a market that rates Rick Ross or Tyga or 2chainz, because that market lost it’s soul and credibility a long time ago. He aint gonna change the minds of people who are into kendrick or joey Bada$$ beacuse lyrically they destroy him, and musically they are pushing boundaries that he isn’t close to. He aint he best advert for grime, but this will expose the sound more to the mainstream in the UK. Hey, my 7 year old loves him. and Stormzy.
“Dressed like I just come from P.E/You’re dressed like you just come from church/Better do your research/You don’t wanna hear my verse come after your verse”. Yikes.
So I read that line in the review… I listen to hip-hop all day. THIS is cringe-worthy? How? It sounded cool on the album.
Does the reviewer need this line broken down for him? How about I dress cooler than you, and if you don’t come correct on the track, I’m gonna crush you and you’re gonna regret it. Not bad.
I been reading this site for the last 10 years. I stopped for a while cause it was getting wack. I remember at the beginning, the aim of the review section was to give us the quality the Source had purchased from them. But, the last few years it just feels like they pass an album that just got dropped to a freelance writer, they listen once and then give us some one-listen opinion. Get back to an editorial board on this shit. Your ratings are getting dangerously close to the garbage that comes out of XXL. Less reviews, better quality.
trash, close-minded review.
Great album.
Bit disappointed that nearly half the album was older stuff, stiff giving it a 3/5
Hey, decent piece but just wanted to say that you mention Skepta’s south London ends and just to make you wary of this but Skepta is from Tottenham which is in north London.
Incredible project, Americans cannot sleep on this album