This is the 6th studio LP albeit Epic Records debut from Tottenham, London, England, United Kingdom rapper, songwriter & producer Skepta. A co-founder the Boy Better Know collective, a lot of people in the state including myself didn’t hop on board with him until a decade ago when he dropped his 4th album Konnichiwa to critical acclaim. This was followed up a couple years back with both Ignorance is Bliss & All In being welcomed to moderate reception, coming off the Fred again..-produced Skepta .. Fred extended play to drop The Fork & The Knife.
The self-produced “Secrets of Patriarchy” kicks things off talking about the weight men carry on their shoulders when they’re already providing for their families whereas “Outside” featuring Novelist finds the pair advising listeners to keep their eyes on those in the background. “Cold Shower” featuring Project Pat goes for a Memphis vibe talking about falling in love with the power while “Currency” produced by F1LTHTY of Working on Dying discusses turning his pain into cash.
“Pandora’s Box” takes a more conscious approach to his songwriting experimenting with both trip hop & chillwave leading into “Revenge” sampling “That’s Not Me” so he can talk about losing his way around the time his sophomore effort Microphone Champion was being recorded. “Magic” featuring Finessekid finds the pair telling us exactly where they come from just before “Gas Me Up (Diligent)” fuses trap, cloud rap & pluggnb thanks to Cardo talking about needing a card that doesn’t decline since every day’s a party.
Meanwhile on “Melody”, we have Skepta continuing the 2nd half of the album asking this woman where he’s been all his life while “Aloe Vera” treads the Afrobeats waters thanks to Lex Luger talking about this woman’s skin being softer than the natural supplement itself. “Chippie”featuring Aya Nakamura links up for a subpar French/English zouk duet breaking down a secretive type of romance while “Broken Hearts” featuring Central C responds to those sayin’ they got game when they’re not playing it properly.
“Innocent Smile” blends breakstep, grime, britcore & big beat to make some commentary regarding anti-immigration & political deception while “Belly” featuring Bossman Birdie, Frisco, Jme, Kibo, Kruz Leone, Mayhem NODB & Queenie finishes The Fork & The Knife with a 9 minute grime posse cut. However, he’s bringing together artists who represent that style past & present with only a couple of his BBK providing verses & everyone interpolating some of their own previous material for 16 bars each.
Exploring his immigrant identity & countering his early bombast with the wisdom of experience, The Fork & The Knife bares it’s name in honor of one of Skepta’s mother’s favorite sayings reckoning with his position as one of the most dominant forces in the grime scene & the fact he’s the British son of Nigerian immigrants in a post-Brexit cultural landscape. The trap & UK drill undertones that be heard throughout the production reveals a different side to him in the midst of him delivering the introspective subject matter.
Score: 3.5/5
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