Skepta’s back-catalogue is astonishing in both scale and quality. Sure, there have been a few blips, but—statistically—it’s impossible to run that long and not take a couple of wrong turns (see: “Rolex Sweep”). From club bangers and introspective cuts to anthems for growing up, the man from Meridian has served us extremely well.
Through his early years DJing and MCing in Meridian Crew, his work with Roll Deep, Boy Better Know and, of course, his solo offerings, he’s been both versatile and consistent, which is no easy feat to pull off. When Skep decided to put together a list of highlights, the main challenge was cutting it all down. With so many iconic productions to his name, including “D.T.I.” and Private Caller”, both featuring other MCs, we had to draw the line somewhere and focus on tracks where Skepta himself takes to the mic.
Even then, between solo cuts over other producers’ beats (“Intensive Snare”) and the vast list of hits no one in the UK will forget any time soon, narrowing it down to just 25 was no easy task. With a musician whose history is so inextricably linked not just to London, but to the entire country, it’s impossible to talk about Skep without talking about your personal experiences. He’s been the soundtrack to our ups and downs, our relationships, break-ups and, in some cases, the much-needed bridge between ourselves and people we thought were lost to us forever.
Joseph Jr. Adenuga talks about the UK in ways we can understand. He talks about Oyster cards, about being so broke the only way you can get through the day is by luck. He talks about fake friends and real ones, about corrupt politicians and our place in the world, right through to linking that ting on the back of the bus and people getting robbed for their phones. He gets us and we hope we get him. Even as grime has evolved, generations have shifted and the sound of British music has moved in countless directions, Skepta’s influence remains impossible to ignore.
While this list will likely be updated following the release of his sixth studio album, The Fork & Knife (November 6), for now, here are The 25 Best Skepta Songs Of All Time, so far.
25. “Single”
Year of release: 2007
This Friday night anthem was made for single ladies all across the land. Lacing Wiley’s “Ice Cream Man” riddim, Skepta first released “Single” on vinyl before later adding it to his Greatest Hits album. While it’s not one of his most popular tracks ever, the light-hearted offering was mixed into many sets at early Eskimo Dance and Sidewinder raves to draw women onto the dancefloor. Enter Skepta: the Casanova! —Laura ‘Hyperfrank’ Brosnan
24. “In A Corner” f/ Trigga, Spyda, Flowdan
Year of release: 2007
“In A Corner” is one of the heaviest, hardest tracks Mr. Adenuga has ever put his name to. Over a futuristic D&B production, Skepta, then Trigga and finally Flowdan take turns jumping in with harder and harder bars. Despite the toughness, however, this is a straight-up party banger: “I don’t wanna hear no talk about straps/The only thing I wanna pop is champagne, until I collapse,” Skepta raps. “In A Corner” remains a criminally slept-on tune, but then again, even someone like Skepta has to have a couple deep cuts up his sleeve to surprise a crowd. —James Keith
23. “Duppy” f/ Trim, Wiley, Creed, Jme, Jammer, Footsie, Bossman, Bearman
Year of release: 2006
Originally released in 2006 (it would later appear on his Greatest Hits album the following year), “Duppy” was the tune that cemented Skepta’s reputation as both MC and producer. He’d already proven himself proficient at both, but this was something else. With a grand total of nine (yes, nine) spitters trading bars back and forth, there wasn’t much time to flex that lyrical muscle, but with a beat as iconic as this, they didn’t need to. —James Keith
22. “Fuckin’ Widda Team (Remix)” f/ Ghetts, Wiley & Scorcher
Year of release: 2006
Years on from when the scene’s top MCs regularly joined each other on sets and tracks, reputations had been formed and established, and were guarded just as fiercely in the years that followed. Around this time, Skepta boldly invited Wiley, Ghetts and Scorcher to remix “Fuckin’ Widda Team”, foreshadowing the coming years in which he would do battle with Wiley and Ghetts, and single-handedly take on The Movement. Unsaid but entirely understood, all of them indirectly go to war in a battle for supremacy, with each spitter’s status in the big-boy league fully at stake. —Tobi Oke
21. “I Spy” f/ Jammer
Year of release: 2007
Inspired by a b2b set he did with Jme over Rebound X’s “Rhythm & Gash”, Skepta wrote “I Spy” with added hype bars from Jahmek “Jammer” Power. He opens up the track with a highly flammable verse—”My crew put five £20 notes in a roulette machine and spin them/Anybody get rude I’ll clench my fist and chin them”—lyrics he previously used for rave and radio reloads. The R&G production is now cemented as a key riddim in grime, with remixes from the likes of Sir Spyro, Murlo and Flava D. —Laura ‘Hyperfrank’ Brosnan
20. “Sweet Mother”
Year of release: 2007
Play this every Mother’s Day, always does the trick. —Joseph 'JP' Patterson
19. “Intensive Snare” w/ Plastician
Year of release: 2007
Skepta and Plastician have worked together a good number of times since first crossing paths in 2002 at the legendary dub-cutting factory Music House, but I doubt “Intensive Snare” could ever be improved upon. Unless you were a regular at FWD>> on Thursday nights, grime MCs spitting over dubstep-style beats was still some way off becoming the fashionable thing. Capturing that crossover at its freshest and most exciting, and featuring some of Skepta’s sharpest lyrics to date, “Intensive Snare” remains one of grime’s most rewarding collaborations. —Frankie Mines
18. “Mains” w/ Chip & Young Adz
Year of release: 2020
Released just as the world went into lockdown in March 2020, Skepta, Chip and Young Adz’s collaborative album, Insomnia, remains something of an unsung gem in UK rap. Bringing together three distinct styles, the project had plenty of standout moments, but few as smooth as “Mains”. Over a hazy, laid-back trap beat, Skepta shines as he leans into his rap sensibilities, bringing a cool-headed presence and seasoned confidence to the track. Chip’s sharp lyricism and Adz’s melodic Auto-Tuned flows round things off nicely. Years later, “Mains” still sounds fresh, proving just how well this unlikely link-up worked. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson
17. “Text Me Back”
Year of release: 2016
“Text Me Back”, a fan-favourite deep cut from Konnichiwa, sees Skepta lifting the mask on the pressures in his personal life as he chases his dreams and pushes himself to his limits to take his music career to the next level. The introspective song feels like we’re sitting next to Joseph Junior on the roadside or inside his crowded tour bus, overhearing personal conversations with his girlfriend, mum and friends. The delivery feels tender in parts, and as we learnt on Blacklisted, Skepta shines when he unearths his vulnerabilities. We hear him finding the words to express his commitment to both his goals and his loved ones. Ragz Originale’s production helps Skepta’s heartfelt message hit even deeper, fusing the smooth, melodic gentleness of R&B with the raw, industrial sonics of early grime at its core. —Laura ‘Hyperfrank’ Brosnan
16. “Going Through It”
Year of release: 2019
An underappreciated diamond on Ignorance Is Bliss, “Going Through It” is gripped in tension—from the dark, simmering production he cooked up with IndigoChildRick to his tightly-wound delivery, this is Skepta on the edge. The whole album was a change of pace for Skepta. His daughter, River, had just been born (that’s her in Skepta’s arms on the cover) and fatherhood seems to have recalibrated one or two things for Adenuga. He’s looking inwards more, he’s more acutely aware of the dangers of the world, and his priorities seem to have shifted. “Stress on the brain, complain, but I know that it's all self-inflicted/Man, I gotta take a break, I'm gonna need a minute.” Vulnerable isn’t a word you’d often associate with Skepta, but on “Going Through It”, all his defences are down. He’s always given us glimpses of what he really thinks of the industry or the things that get him down, but never like this. —James Keith
15. “Mike Lowery”
Year of release: 2010
The “Mike Lowery” instrumental dominated the grime scene in 2010 and 2011. Wiley, P Money, Stormzy, Jme and just about every other top-tier spitter you can think of have laced the trap-tinged, sub-aquatic bass roller with lyrics aimed at their haters and naysayers. Also appearing on Skepta’s 2011 album, Doin’ It Again, the track caught him at an interesting point in his career, as his ambitions grew beyond the grime circuit. It’s also a reminder of just how much character Skep could pack into a production, with its eerie atmosphere, rumbling low-end and instantly recognisable bounce making it one of the most distinctive beats of that era. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson
14. “Nokia Charger Wire”
Year of release: 2008
Skepta was a war-ready MC—still is, to some degree—and charged-up cuts like “Nokia Charger Wire” served as powerful ammunition in his gritty arsenal. There’s a reason road rap fans connect with Skepta’s grime sound: he’s able to gas them up (“I want a skeng that’s looong, like my Nokia charger wire!”) like any street rapper, while giving them something to have a little bounce along to—roadman stance fully intact! With its menacing energy, quotable bars and infectious hook, this Been There Done That track had clubland on its head in 2008, capturing the raw, unfiltered side of Skep that made him such a force on the mic. —Joseph 'JP' Patterson
13. “Gas Me Up (Diligent)”
Year of release: 2024
One of the more recent tracks on this list, “Gas Me Up (Diligent)” finds Skepta in full flex mode, gliding over a hypnotic, bass-heavy production with the kind of confidence only years in the game can bring. There’s a playful arrogance to Skep’s delivery here, with his laid-back flow and cheeky one-liners doing the heavy lifting. It’s the sound of an artist who knows exactly where he stands, with nothing left to prove but plenty still to say. A certified head-nodder from one of grime music’s finest. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson
12. “Lyrics” f/ Novelist
Year of release: 2016
It’s hard to put into words the electricity that was in the air when Skepta released Konnichiwa, the masterwork album that bore this track. The album itself was one of the most anticipated of the decade in grime and the years leading up to its release had everyone on tenterhooks. “That’s Not Me”, “It Ain’t Safe”, his run in New York, Skepta was hot shit. So intense was the anticipation, he would’ve been forgiven for faltering, but he cleared everyone’s expectations to deliver a career high. “Shutdown” might have been the immediate hit, but “Lyrics” with Novelist endured as a fan favourite. It hit big through your speakers, but its lurching cadence, slow-burn energy and self-affirming mantra is still even more effective in live settings. A dynamite call-and-response, even in 2026, watch him say just one line of this on stage and see the whole crowd erupt. —James Keith
11. “No Security”
Year of release: 2017
“No Security” dropped as Skepta was enjoying a career-defining run of awards, nominations and performances following Konnichiwa. Originally teased as a Halloween special in 2016, the completed version was released in February 2017 with an additional verse reflecting on his newfound industry recognition and infamous awards-season antics. Built around the signature bass line from “It Ain’t Safe”, the track opens with a Malcolm X interview sample that sets the tone for Skepta’s fearless, unapologetic approach to success and legacy. Co-directed by Skepta and Matt Walker, the retro-style video reinforces his unconventional creative vision, from elitist dinner parties to references to Taxi Driver, Natural Born Killers and an umbrella dance inspired by Singin’ In The Rain. At the height of his mainstream acclaim, Skepta reminds the industry and his supporters that he lives and creates entirely on his own terms. —Laura ‘Hyperfrank’ Brosnan
10. “Nasty”
Year of release: 2015
For a demonstration of how lyrical wars can spiral out of control—with strays simultaneously claiming victims and drawing others into the melee—simply look to 2015’s Chip vs Bugzy saga. A brief mention of Skepta’s now-legendary Lord Of The Mics clash with Devilman in ‘06 was all it took to reawaken the Birmingham MC, who replied to Chip and, as usual, had a few words for Skepta as well. In no mood for playing games, the Boy Better Know rhymer put an end to the decade-long back-and-forth, hopping on Wiley’s “Morgue” instrumental and burying Devilman with “Nasty”. While “Nasty” opens with a light jab at Chip, any tension between him and Skepta is now firmly in the past, with their friendship and subsequent collaborations, including Insomnia, speaking for themselves. Devilman, on the other hand, was left with plenty to answer for. —Tobi Oke
9. “Energy” f/ Wizkid
Year of release: 2018
At the time, this felt like a very different Skepta to the one who had dominated most of the 2010s. About as far from grime as he’d ever gone, “Energy (Far Away)” was also one of his most mellow tracks. This was Skepta teaming up with Nigeria’s biggest star at the time to connect with his Nigerian heritage and remind the world there were a few sides to him that we might have forgotten about. It may be a more laid-back jam, but this is pure uplift; literally rebuking bad energy and giving thanks for everything good in the world. Not the first time Skepta and Wizkid appeared on wax together (he appeared alongside Drake on the "Ojuelegba" remix in 2015), but this felt more like the official start of a new chapter that would see Wiz appear on Ignorance Is Bliss extract “Glow In The Dark” with LayZ the following year. —James Keith
8. “Corn On The Curb” f/ Wiley
Year of release: 2016
In many ways, Konnichiwa was a watershed moment for Skepta. Much of the album is about Skepta returning to his grime roots, getting back to the essence, but it also has two tracks with members of A$AP Mob and another produced by Pharrell. It fits together, but it does show the duality of his career, especially at this moment. Having Wiley on a verse talking about spinning MCs and pirate radio days is probably the purest example of that. Skepta and Wiley seem to have drifted apart in recent years, so we’re unlikely to hear a reunion. Wiley accused Skepta and Jme of stealing styles from Big H and later took offence at Skepta and Dizzee working together (although he’s also since reconnected with Dizzee, if you’re keeping score). He did later apologise, but things seem to have cooled between the two… All that is to say, we’re unlikely to see anything like this again and, as last hurrahs go, this was pretty special. —James Keith
7. “Man”
Year of release: 2016
One of the last tracks to be previewed before the release of *Konnichiwa*, “Man” was a robust reassurance of the album’s consistency. As soon as you hear “Man”, two lines leap out: “I was like, ‘Nah, sorry man, I only socialise with the crew and the gang’” and “My mum don’t know your mum/Stop telling everyone you’re my cousin.” And that’s to say nothing of the production: mixing the eerie, clipped guitar melody of Queens Of The Stone Age’s “Regular John” (a brilliantly left-field choice of sample) with punchy, club-ready bass, it’s an even-paced heater built for crowds to scream back in a rave. —James Keith
6. “It Ain’t Safe” f/ A$AP Bari
Year of release: 2014
Sometimes a song strikes a chord with us because of the way it sounds, and sometimes it’s because of what it represents as a cultural moment in time. In the case of “It Ain’t Safe”, it was both. Sure, there have been plenty of collabs between grime MCs and rappers, but typically, it was on the MC to adjust their style. This time, it was the other way round, and it worked out exceptionally well. “It Ain’t Safe” is a potent snapshot of life on the streets, and then there’s the sludgy, sparse production, which took a couple of cues from the druggy haze of trap and translated them into the language of grime. To go with that bone-crunching production, Skepta and A$AP Bari (aka Young Lord) delivered hard-hitting bars that made one thing absolutely clear: grime was back, and it wasn’t about to compromise for anyone. —James Keith
5. “Ace Hood Flow”
Year of release: 2012
Blacklisted track “Ace Hood Flow” was years ahead of its time. The eerie, minimal production was a breath of fresh air in grime, and even now, more than a decade later, plenty of producers are still catching up. More like a mission statement than a club cut (although it seriously knocks in a club), “Ace Hood Flow” set out Skepta’s plans to take back control of the scene from MCs hopping on American hip-hop, stripping out everything but the best and putting grime back on top with tough beats and a real pride in being British. Now look! —James Keith
4. “Castles”
Year of release: 2012
Over the years, Skepta’s given us anthems for the raves, the radio and even the charts, but Blacklisted showed us another side of him entirely. Earlier in 2012, he’d uploaded a 25-minute video to YouTube called Underdog Psychosis, in which he kept it all the way a buck about his frustrations with the music industry, his experiences growing up and the pressures of chasing mainstream success. It was a major turning point, and you can hear that change in “Castles”. Over hazy, dreamlike production, Skepta takes stock of the world around him, trading the usual braggadocio for something more emotionally-charged. The result is one of the standout moments on Blacklisted, capturing where Skepta’s head was at during that period of his career. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson
3. “Bullet From A Gun”
Year of release: 2019
“Bullet From A Gun” opens Ignorance Is Bliss with Skepta reflecting on his life, delivering one of his most introspective songs to date. It feels like we’ve accidentally teleported into his private therapy session. Co-produced with Ragz Originale, the two great minds behind “Shutdown” offer a hypnotic, stripped-back instrumental that gives Skepta room to speak about (new) fatherhood, relationships, mortality and success. From discovering the meaning behind his Yoruba name as a child to receiving his Nigerian chieftaincy, Skepta reflects on the milestones shaping his legacy. His newfound perspective as a father is particularly moving: “All I know is there’s no better feeling than getting home and seeing my little girl in the cot.” While we’ve heard Skepta in this lane before, there’s a grown, solid confidence in his tenderness that comes with maturity and experience. Here, he's finding his stride in the life he once dreamt of. —Laura ‘Hyperfrank’ Brosnan
2. “Shutdown”
Year of release: 2015
For a generation of fans who came to Skepta through his Konnichiwa era, “Shutdown” is probably the first tune that comes to mind, and for good reason. From the boast-heavy bars to the blistering production, it’s a modern grime classic that captures just how far he’d come, from pirate radio sets to rubbing shoulders with the likes of Kanye West and Drake, something few could have predicted just a few years earlier. “Shutdown” was everywhere in 2015, topping end-of-year lists and earning Skepta the recognition he’d been working towards since the days of “Private Caller”. —Frankie Mines
1. “That’s Not Me” f/ Jme
Year of release: 2014
“That’s Not Me” crept up on the grime scene and cemented the groundwork laid by Blacklisted: the final nail in the coffin for the Ed Hardy-endorsing, Rolex-sweeping MC who had previously lingered in the realm of pop. It marked the beginning of a new Skepta, one who was no longer willing to conform to what the industry (or, indeed, society) considered to be “the norm”. Bringing Jme along for the ride, Skepta goes straight for the jugular over his own throwback, Eski-inspired production, stripping things back to the raw energy and attitude that made grime so exciting in the first place. There’s no attempt to chase trends or appeal to anyone outside the scene, just two brothers doing what they do best. And with a hook as instantly recognisable as this one, “That’s Not Me” remains one of the most important tunes of grime’s resurgence, a statement of intent that still demands respect more than a decade later. —Frankie Mines
