Skepta is Double Trouble!!!!

Since the announcement of a new Skepta Album, here, at Viber we have been very intrigued as to what sort of album to expect. Will it be a Grime album? A concept album? A more reflective album? But all our queries were put to bed this week as Skepta hit fans with not one but two new singles.

The first single, 'Bullet From A Gun' is reminiscent of something that would be released by a Novelist or an old Dizzee Rascal. It is out of the box, slightly experimental and provides a nice pocket for Skepta's vocals to sit. The main melody (a short, plucked square synth sound) is overlayed by the same melody but reversed and this simple but effective trick does add a 'trippy' element to the beat.

The drums for this track are nice and simple: a single kick, a single snare and a standard hi-hat to carry us through the track. The bass is grime. It is not that familiar slow release 808 trap bass, it is that distorted sub bass that all us Grime kids know. From Dizzee's 'Stop Dat' to Wiley's 'Firefly' 12" vinyl it has always been there.

'Bullet From a Gun' was not made for the club. It was made for your hi-fi at home, it was made for when you want to relax by yourself and this i can appreciate. Although everyone loves a good club banger, an experimental piece that takes a while to understand should actually gain Skepta points in terms of being a credible solo artist and not just a feature artist leaning on A$AP Mob and Drake.

After 'Bullet From a Gun' was released on the 9th, a day after, Skepta went on to release the second single from his album entitled 'Greaze Mode' and this single features artist Nafe Smallz. This track takes from 'Bullet From a Gun' in it's production style. The short plucked square is present and the simple drum pattern also. However during the verses there is no bass, but, the chorus makes up for this with its pumping 808's.

For the chorus, Nafe comes in on the 808's rapping an autotuned melody. This single will probably be received well in the clubs as in parts it adopts the more prevalent Hip-hop sound.

However, around the 2:00 mark the song introduces Skepta's signature bassline. that which can be found on songs such as 'It ain't sfae' and 'No security'. This undoubtedly moves it out of the Trap/Hip-hop category and brings it back home to the UK. It was a nice surprise to hear and a relief in many ways knowing that for this album Skepta will not be neglecting his roots in Grime.

This double trouble tease has definitely amped up the anticipation for this album and we can't wait to hear more from Skepta.