Skepta stirred up major controversy with the original artwork for his new single “Gas Me Up (Diligent).” The mood board for the British rapper’s upcoming album Knife And Fork supposedly draws from the football-centric skinhead culture of the 1980s, which led to artwork featuring the title tattooed onto the back of one bald head among many. This image understandably reminded many people of a Holocaust gas chamber, especially given the song title, and major backlash ensued. Skepta has since pulled the art and apologized for the mistake. Now the song itself has arrived.

“Gas Me Up (Diligent)” finds Skepta applying his commanding vocal presence to a smooth synth-driven Cardo beat that reminds me a bit of late aughts Polow Da Don. Skepta begins, “We don’t get angry, we don’t get even/ We don’t talk about beef/ By the way, did I mention I just turned vegan?” Watch the video below.

TOUR DATES:
04/12 – Indio, CA @ Coachella
04/19 – Indio, CA @ Coachella
07/06 – London, UK @ Big Smoke Festival
07/11 – Airport Trenčín @ Pohoda Festival
07/12 – Gräfenhainichen, GR @ Melt Festival
07/19 – Dour, Belgium @ Dour Festival
08/09 – Stuttgart, GR @ Hip Hop Open Festival
08/17 – Tampere, Finland @ Blockfest

Knife And Fork is coming soon via Big Smoke Records/Epic UK/RCA.