BANNED FROM AMERICA
It was gritty, nasty, rough, sweaty, and my body is definitely feeling it today. Last night Skepta said it best, “THERE’S A PROPER VIBE HERE TONIGHT!” A new type of vibe, but a proper one nonetheless. The crowd was intense from start to finish, there was no lows, just highs. We were amped the entire hour and a half Skepta was on stage. But that’s what got me thinking, a year ago could anybody have pictured a Los Angeles crowd going absolutely mental for a grime artist from across the pond? The answer is no. Even last night I was unsure of what kind of energy Skepta could create, but all of my doubt was put aside before he even got on stage.
He conquered the United Kingdom, he took over the charts and award shows, and now he’s bringing his music, style, and aggression to the United States. Which was wildly prevalent in his performance, Skepta genuinely seemed grateful to the crowd, you could feel his sense of accomplishment, but do not mistake that with complacency. He was thankful to us, the crowd, and we were thankful to him. All the energy he was giving us, we were giving it back to him, tenfold. This tour was just the beginning of his new journey.
You never want to say that any roadblock a person had to overcome was a blessing, but it’s hard to say that the visa issues Skepta had last year did not almost make this “Banned from America Tour” even sweeter. It gave our culture more time to soak in his style and demeanor. It made us yearn to see him live; it built frustration in us that we could not see an artist that we love, it made me appreciate this performance more than any other I have ever been to. Skepta came to the show and well, it was shutdown.










