Earlier this year, the big-deal dance producer Fred again.. and the long-established London grime star Skepta got together, joining forces with streamer PlaqueBoyMax to release a single called "Victory Lap." That song was a massive hit, reaching #4 on the UK singles chart, Skepta's best-ever showing. A random-ass group of rappers -- Denzel Curry, That Mexican OT, D Double E, Hanumankind -- appeared on remixes. Last week, Skepta and Fred again.. followed that single with another one called "Back 2 Back." Today, the two of them release Skepta .. Fred, an entire collaborative EP that wasn't announced ahead of time.
"Victory Lap" and "Back 2 Back" stand as the bookends of the Skepta .. Fred EP, with three other new tracks -- "London," "Last 1s Left," and "21 Years" -- sandwiched in the middle. It's a short record, just 16 minutes long, and it doesn't have any guests besides the credit for PlaqueBoyMax on "Victory Lap." That works just fine. Skepta and Fred again.. might not be obvious collaborators, but they make sense together. They both adapt their styles to fit each other, and it's especially fun to hear Skepta just making fun and energetic music that doesn't strive to serve as a grander statement. Stream the new EP below.
The Skepta .. Fred EP is out now on Epic.
