Skepta finally says Konnichiwa – (Konnichiwa album review)
14 May 2016
The wait is finally over. After announcing the name of the album approximately 2 years ago, Skepta’s long-awaited new album Konnichiwa is finally out. The album’s name means hello in Japanese which may act as a way of Skepta saying hello to his new found international fame. From shows in Japan and all across the United States, 2015 was a very successful year for the North London grime artist and it seems, that with this already critically-acclaimed album, the remainder 2016 will be no different.
Skepta spontaneously announced a London show to celebrate the album which sold out almost instantly. The show at KOKO in Camden was a night to remember and included special guests such as Wiley, Jme, Giggs and the Boy Better Know crew.
The album’s intro which is the title name definitely incorporates Japanese attributes within the production and is reminiscent of a grime sound-tracked Kill Bill. The next song, Lyrics features MOBO Nominated Artist Novelist and it would appear that this song is a continuation of the ‘Nasty’ diss Skepta dropped last March (2015) in response to Chip reigniting the Skepta and Devilman beef.
A song that really stands out within this album is ‘Corn on the Curb’ and this is because of the extremely heartfelt phone exchange between Skepta and Chip played at the end of the track. It consists of Chip explaining the misunderstanding they had over the Nasty diss and then he goes to praise Skepta over his recent success and for taking North London to the world. Adding this to the album shows the genuine love between artists within the music industry and that the support still remains.
Track 7 entitled ‘Numbers’ features the one and only Skateboard P, also known as Pharrell Williams which was the last person expected to be on a grime album but the transition isn’t all that bad. Skepta manages to incorporate his unique and personal flow on the Pharrell produced beat and so this song feels like it actually belongs in the album.
Of course, it won’t be a Skepta album without a Boy Better Know family affair taking place. Detox features BBK Members Shorty, Frisco, and Jammer and honestly it is the ultimate pre-turn up song. This song makes you want to do all the exact things they rap about in this such as ‘anywhere I go, man are blazing a spliff’ and the production from Footsie makes it much more insane. Last track is Text Me Back which seems like an apology song to all the important women in his life who he forgets to contact back. It feels like this song was made to resonate to those who are in relationships with people trying to become successful and fills in as a perfect outro.
The album definitely shows improvement in life and artistry since Blacklisted. Good things come to those who wait, and a good thing definitely came to the world.