As you can imagine the dust is still yet to settle after Skepta famously scooped up the Mercury Prize for his album Konnichiwa, and rightly so.
It is a momentous occasion for the culture as a whole, since it’s the first time since Dizzee Rascal won the award way back in 03 and nobody has mirrored this incredible feat since. It’s great to see over a decade of hard work finally bear fruit for Skeppy.
As with anything like this, you will inevitably get some freeloaders who attempt to ride Skepta’s wave in a desperate PR attempt, but in the wake of Skepta’s achievement we wanna remain positive and not let our scepticism creep in and overshadow this historic moment for Skepta and grime as a whole.
Culture Minister Matt Hancock has claimed that he is a huge Skepta fan and has been vibzing to the Mercury Prize winners tunes in his car!
After meeting Skepta at the Mercury prize after-party, he said he was not only a fan of the music and how representative it was of Great Britain, but he was also keen to point out that he loved what Skepta himself represented.
He said, “He tells a story of his background, but the thing that excites me is he can break through. I don’t like to wallow in poverty. I think wherever you come from, you can make it.”
It’s so important that someone who holds the position of Culture Minister recognizes how relevant and important Skepta and grime is (whether he can name a song or not!).