The highly anticipated documentary ‘Skepta: Greatness Only’ which examines the ‘Konnichiwa’ artist’s recent rise to music superstardom, has finally been released and can now be streamed online, as reported by NME.
The documentary was made by Apple and deals with Skepta’s rise, as well as the bumps, bruises, highs and lows that have come with it. The highs include the preparation for the sold-out Alexandra Palace gig earlier this month; trips to New York; the making of the single ‘That’s Not Me’; and winning the Mercury-Prize. In an interview with ES magazine Skepta spoke about the aftermath of that win, when he overcame stiff competition from artists including David Bowie, Radiohead and Kano to land the award. He reflected, ‘I stayed [at the afterparty] for a little bit then I just went home, sat on the beanbag in my front room and just looked out of the window for, like, five hours. I just stayed there by myself. The thing about awards is that a lot of those moments are about the whole world telling you that you deserve it and rah, rah, rah. I’m very appreciative of that but I love experiencing stuff by myself. Because it feels different. You know the truth and you can hear what the voice in your head is saying properly.’
However, there were also lows and the film doesn’t skirt these. Skepta’s recent mental health issues are placed front and centre in the trailer where the London based Grime MC is candid and blunt as he opens up on this topic, ‘I wasn’t doing what I was doing in the beginning. I was not happy. This was a straight nervous breakdown.’ You can check out the trailer below, and if you like what you see, and you’re an Apple Music subscriber, you can head here to catch the documentary in full.
#SkeptaGreatnessOnly
The @Skepta documentary
with @JulieAdenuga
WATCH IT NOW on @AppleMusichttps://t.co/ZIUhudlXt0 pic.twitter.com/8h28J3eINg— Beats 1 (@Beats1) December 18, 2016
The 90-minute piece tells the story through the words of those who know him best – it was, in fact, written and produced by his sister Julie Adenuga who presents a Beats 1 show. Other contributors include his brother JME (Jamie Adenuga), also a prominent member of the grime scene; his mother Ify Adenuga; his manager, Grade Ladoja; as well as fellow artists DJ Semtex and Pharrell.
This won’t be the only time Skepta hits a screen near you over the festive period after it was announced he would feature on the Top of the Pops Christmas special. This news underlines the way in which a once niche genre has now been fully accepted into the mainstream, with Skepta spearheading the charge. With his fourth album, Konnichiwa, Skepta has finnaly achieved the mainstream success his music has long deserved. Skepta also appears alongside Wiley, widely considered the godfather of grime, in the latter’s new video for ‘You Were Always’ in which the two men discuss their past relationships with a third grime MC – North London’s Belly. The track will feature on Wiley’s upcoming album, ‘Godfather’, which is scheduled for release in January 2017.
