Today (May 31) Skepta releases his highly-anticipated new album, Ignorance Is Bliss, via Boy Better Know with distribution from The Orchard.
The record – which was trailed by singles Bullet From A Gun and Greaze Mode – is the follow-up to 2016’s Mercury Prize-winning and BRIT Award-nominated Konnichiwa and has been hailed by Skepta’s co-manager Sam Burton as his “best album” yet.
“I suppose you’d expect me to say that, but it is,” Burton – who manages Skepta with Music Week Women In Music Award winner Grace Ladoja – told Music Week. “The production is totally different and there are so many quotable lines... You can hear his journey. I’ve been with him since the beginning and this is the best work he’s done. It’s a big statement and when everyone hears it they’ll get that.”
Konnichiwa peaked at No.2 and has 185,053 sales to date, but Burton stressed that the Ignorance Is Bliss campaign won’t revolve around chasing recognition or accolades.
“Skepta’s always been consistent with peaks and big moments, but it’s not just about Week One,” he said. “We don’t think like that. We used to, you get a bit brainwashed and you get made to feel like you need to be on certain playlists, hit this chart position or get nominated for that.”
Burton did, however, stress that plotting international growth started early on.
"I’ve been talking to key markets to get an understanding of how their marketplaces work,” he said. “We all know streaming has taken over the music game, but different things apply to different territories, Latin America, Germany and Africa are very important to us.”
Subscribers can read the full Burton interview here.
