Skepta Biography

Chief Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr., also known as Skepta (born September 19, 1982), is a British-Nigerian rapper, record producer, and grime MC. He temporarily joined Roll Deep along with his younger brother Jme before helping to create Boy Better Know in 2005.

Three Brit Awards, including the one for British Male Solo Artist, included Skepta as a nominee. He was included in Debrett’s 2017 list of the most important people in the UK due to his influence on modern British popular culture as a major player in the grime scene. On April 4, 2018, he was given the Nigerian chieftaincy title “Amuludun of Odo-Aje.”

Early Life and Education

Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr. was born on September 19, 1982, in Tottenham, North London, to Nigerian parents of respective Yoruba (paternal) and Igbo (maternal) ancestries. He is the oldest of four children, including graphic designer Jason, radio host Julie, and fellow musician Jme.

He had his higher education at the Winchmore Council School in London, UK.

Career

Skepta began his singing career by absorbing influences from American and UK hip-hop music. He began influencing people by competing in regional events and making appearances on privately run radio stations. He began working as a DJ for The Meridian Group, a grime crew headquartered in Tottenham, in order to advance his career. He took advantage of the chance to release a number of instrumentals, including “DTI (Pirate Station)” and “Private Caller.”

After the dissolution of The Meridian Gang in 2005, Skepta joined his brother Jme and another rapper by the name of Joseph Bamber in Roll Deep, another grime crew. The next year, Skepta and his brother collaborated to launch “Boy Better Know” as an independent record label in London. For the “Lord Of Mics 2” DVD, Skepta engaged MC Devilman in a competitive fight. Many people still consider the competition to be the largest in grime history.

A few months after the contest, Skepta released “Joseph Junior Adenuga,” the name of his debut studio mixtape. On September 17, 2007, he also put out his first studio album, which he called “Greatest Hits.” Other songs from the album, including Bad Boy, Rescue Me, Cross My Heart, Doin’ It Again, and Lush, were released in 2009 along with another album, Microphone Champion.

Konnichiwa, his biggest hit album, was released on May 6, 2016. The album received a lot of positive feedback. It organised a party outside of Tokyo, Japan, and secured Skepta bookings for various events. Skepta made the decision to embark on his “Banned From America” music tour, which featured appearances on 14 shows around the United States and a few European nations. He called the trip “Banned From America” because he had previously been forced to cancel because of visa limitations.

Since then, Skepta has worked with a number of notable musicians, including Wizkid and Rema on the smash hit song Dimension, which was produced by Jae5 and released in 2021. He has recently returned to Nigeria to work with Wizkid on the song Mamacita with Energy.

Personal Life

Skepta is the father of one girl, named River. He is the oldest of four children, including graphic designer Jason, radio host Julie, and fellow musician Jme. He is a very private person, and details about his love life are scarce in the media.

On April 4, 2018, he was sworn in as chief in Ogun State, his native Nigeria, and was given the chieftaincy title of the Amuludun of Odo-Aje. According to the title, he is the “Chief Entertainer of Odo-Aje.” He also plans to give his parents their dream home in Nigeria.

Discography

Albums

• Greatest Hits (2007)
• Microphone Champion (2009)
• Doin’ It Again (2011)
• Konnichiwa (2016)
• Ignorance Is Bliss (2019)

Collaboration Albums

• Insomnia (with Chip and Young Adz) (2020)

Mixtapes

• Joseph Junior Adenuga (2006)
• Been There Done That (2010)
• Community Payback (2011)
• Blacklisted (2012)
• The Tim Westwood Mix (2015)
• All In (2021)

Awards and Nominations

• At the Kanye West show in London, he was named as one of GQ’s 50 best-dressed British men in 2015.
• The music video for Skepta’s single “That’s Not Me” won the Best Video award at the 2014 MOBO Awards.
• In 2015, his song “Shutdown” won the Best Song award at the MOBO Awards.
• His album ‘Konnichiwa’ received the Mercury Prize in 2016 for Album of the Year.

The full list of his awards and nominations is below.

Year	Award	Category	Recipients and nominees	Results
2011	BET Awards	Best International Act: UK	Skepta	Nominated
2014	MOBO Awards	Best Video	“That’s Not Me” (feat. Jme)	Won
2015	MOBO Awards	Best Song	“Shutdown”
2016	Ivor Novello Awards[	Best Contemporary Song		Nominated
	Q Awards	Best Track	“Man”
		Best Solo Artist	Skepta
	Mercury Prize	Album of the Year	Konnichiwa	Won
	MOBO Awards	Best Album	Skepta	Nominated
		Best Grime Act
		Best Male Act
	BET Awards	Best International Act: UK		Won
2017	NME Awards	Best British Male
		Best Album supported	Konnichiwa	Nominated
		Best Track	“Man”
		Music Moment Of The Year	Skepta wins Mercury Prize
	BRIT Awards	British Male Solo Artist	Skepta
		British Breakthrough Act
		MasterCard British Album of the Year	Konnichiwa
	BET Awards	Best International Act: Europe	Skepta

Net Worth

He has an estimated net worth of $5 million. His earnings are gotten from his numerous albums and music sales, alongside musical tours.

Social Media Handles

Instagram: skeptagram
Twitter: @Skepta