Since winning the Mercury Music Prize for 2016 album Konnichiwa in September, Skepta has been keeping busy: planning a BBK feature film; working with Drake to revive the US BBK signing’s favourite UK TV series, Top Boy; and linking up with Levi’s for an awesome community music project in North London.
Having pledged to use his £25k Mercury prize money on community music projects, Skepta got some practice in, working with Levi’s to establish a studio for young artists in his Tottenham hometown. Skeppy personally mentored 12 up-and-coming artists as part of the project, presenting them at showcase held in the V&A during it’s Music and Revolution season. “They’re already stars,” Skepta says in the film, “They just need the confidence to move to the next step”. “A big reason why I’m doing it,” he adds, is “… because nobody did it for me”.
The project has been immortalised in a short documentary released today, showing off the skills and charting the aspirations of the 12 exciting new talents: Aaron Ferrucci, Conor Henry, Delano Heath, Hakeem Baker, Jason Mombele, Kali Mcloughlin, Makeeda Osei, Nina Hudson, Renee James, Sarah Eloho, Tom Amos-Oke, and Rocky Nico.
“There was no such thing in my mind as ‘independent’; I didn’t know what that was,” one artist comments. “Now it’s kind of like a movement, and Skepta’s one of the leaders”. Check out the full documentary, below.
Credits
Text Charlotte Gush