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Key Takeaways:
- In a new GQ feature, Skepta confirmed that his first solo album in over six years, Fork & Knife, is set for 2026.
- He shared how fatherhood and personal growth are shaping his career goals.
- His fashion brand, MAINS, is now an independent design studio, with Skepta leading creative direction.
In a new feature published for GQ’s “2025 Men of the Year” issue on Wednesday (Nov. 12), Skepta dismissed the idea that anyone still controls who gets to succeed in rap. “Old people always gonna be old people, innit?” the North London star said. “Old people are still in their heads of like, ‘You ain’t done this,’ but they don’t have to. There ain’t no gatekeepers. Whoever thinks they’re a gatekeeper needs to look again at that gate.”
The 43-year-old artist, who rose to international prominence with 2016’s Konnichiwa, used the interview to reflect on legacy, mentorship and the next generation of British talent. He said his goal now is to make things easier for emerging artists and creators. The Boy Better Know frontman then made it clear that he doesn’t want his child to repeat his past struggles. “I don’t want my son to be [anything] like me,” he expressed. “I want my son to be a regular, nice boy. Like, that’s what we’re doing this for.”
Within the same conversation, Skepta confirmed that his long-awaited solo album, Fork & Knife, is officially on the way. The project — his first solo release in over six years — is slated for “the first few months of 2026.” Skepta initially announced the forthcoming album in 2024, which, at the time, was titled Knife and Fork. The rapper explained that the title comes from a family saying shared by his mother: “’In this life, we have to work hard, so one day, we’ll eat with fork and knife.’”
Regarding the LP’s subject matter, he added, “I wanted the album to be about the immigrant mindset — being in my house, and it smelling this way and looking this way and feeling this way and sounding this way, and then I leave my house and [through] the front door is like going to Narnia; you’re in the U.K.”
Skepta also discussed his growing focus on fashion through his brand MAINS. Originally launched in 2017, MAINS has since become an independent design studio operating out of his Soho workspace. Alongside designer Mikey Pearce, Skepta oversees production, design and runway shows, including September’s “Eurotrash” collection at London Fashion Week. “Some of these records I make now, they’re great, but people remember me for the freestyles, when I was wearing the white tee,” he says. “It’s the same thing with fashion — I want to have like, seven, eight years where we’re just doing it because we f**king love it, you know?”