SKEPTA: From Grime to Renaissance Icon
Words and photos by Adam Brocklesby
Calling someone a renaissance figure in 2026 can feel like an easy cliché, yet with Skepta the description feels earned. Although the disciplines themselves have changed over the centuries, he has mastered the art of weaving influence across areas. What makes his case persuasive is how organic that expansion out of music feels. None of his ventures read like distractions or vanity projects. His grime origins remain the centre of gravity and everything else grows naturally from that creative foundation.
Skepta is nothing short of a national treasure and last summer has truly cemented it. Now over twenty years deep in the game, multihyphenate Joseph Adenuga is continuing to break new ground and push himself into fresh creative territory. His musical releases have seen him evolve alongside a new generation of rappers without ever sacrificing the London authenticity which grounds his identity. His appearances at major festivals over the summer each proved a different side to him and highlighted his importance at every level of culture: last-minute at Glastonbury, special guest at Wireless; literally running the show at his own Big Smoke Festival.
Beyond the music, he’s been just as active in fashion with his vision represented in both the runway and the streets. In the high fashion world, his curated brand Mains had its second successful runway at London Fashion Week; balanced by more accessible collaborations with brands such as Corteiz and Puma. His collaboration with Corteiz in particular keeps him connected to the raw, street driven spirit that grime was built on. These ventures all showed evolution without compromise, Skepta at the peak of his powers across all creative outlets, massively relevant without bending to others.
As 2026 begins, Skepta took the opportunity to join the in-demand visual artist Slawn to reconnect with his painting skills, a medium previously trapped back in the Covid lockdowns. The two took to Slawn’s open studio in the Saatchi Yates to collaborate on multiple paintings in Slawn’s signature style. I want to see him return to another past endeavour this year, his filmmaking. 2024’s Tribal Mark was so stunning visually and had some fantastic creative choices, Skepta truly excelled on screen and behind the camera. He must not let this go to the wayside but I honestly don’t think he would and I definitely don’t think it is the last we have seen of Tribal Mark himself.
What really makes him a modern renaissance figure is authorship and authenticity. He goes further than just participating in these spaces: festivals, fashion, fine art, they orbit around his perspective. In a creative economy driven by algorithms and short attention spans, sustaining that level of control is rare. So maybe the better question is not whether he is a renaissance man, but what that term even means now. If it means mastery across disciplines without dilution of identity, then Skepta fits the definition. He is not expanding to escape music. He is expanding to redefine what a British artist can be in the first place.
