Skepta drops ‘Más Tiempo Vol. 2’ and tells Esquire UK that ‘Fork And Knife’, his first album since 2019, now has seventeen tracks locked in
Seven years is a long time to wait. Skepta dropped ‘Ignorance Is Bliss’ in 2019, collected his critical praise, and then largely let the world wonder what came next. Now, the Tottenham MC is moving on two fronts simultaneously: a new house-leaning EP titled ‘Más Tiempo Vol. 2‘, released Friday via his own Más Tiempo label, and the most detailed public account yet of his long-gestating album ‘Fork And Knife’, shared with Esquire UK. The combination signals something clearly. The wait is nearly over.
‘Más Tiempo Vol. 2’ is a three-track set built explicitly for the dancefloor. The EP carries ‘Do It SK’, ‘The Whistle Tune’, and ‘Play Me Right’, each one leaning into the groove-driven, rhythmically hypnotic sound that Skepta has been developing through his Más Tiempo club night and label venture, co-founded with fellow Boy Better Know member Jammer. The release is also direct context for what is coming: a 23-week Saturday residency at Hï Ibiza’s Club Room this summer, one of the most demanding DJ commitments the island’s circuit has seen from a UK artist. For Skepta, the club is not a detour from his rap identity. It is an extension of it.
‘Fork And Knife’: Seventeen Tracks In, Finishing Touches Being Added
The more significant news arrived in the Esquire UK interview. Skepta confirmed that ‘Fork And Knife’ now has seventeen tracks locked in and that he is in the final stages of completing the record. “A lot of the stuff on there is music I’ve made travelling the world, booking studios here and there when I can,” he said. “A lot of it has that celebratory energy I get when I’m travelling. Now I’m just adding the finishing touches.” The album does not yet have a release date. What he described is a project trying to hold two things at once: the festival-sized energy of his live performances and the weight of a moment that demands more than party music.
“As well as the celebratory music, I want some conscious stuff on there too,” he said. “Especially right now… I feel like it’s an important time to be saying things and not bringing out an album that’s tone-deaf to the world. So, I’m adding some depth.” He added: “I’m essentially a festival artist, so I make music for shows and clubs. I’m just making sure I cover all ground and speak for the voiceless.” The album’s title carries a specific emotional charge rooted in his upbringing. “The whole idea behind ‘Fork and Knife’ is about being a child of immigrants,” he explained, “that simple ambition of wanting to eat well and sit at the table with cutlery. That was the inspiration.” It is a quietly powerful concept, the kind that earns its title rather than just wearing it.
A Summer Built for the Stage
The timing of this EP and these disclosures is not incidental. Last summer, Skepta stepped in to replace Deftones at Glastonbury 2025 with a performance widely described as one of the festival’s standout sets. His collaboration with Fred Again on ‘Victory Lap‘, a Grammy-nominated dubstep flip of Doechii and Rico Nasty’s ‘Swamp Bitches’, made NME’s list of the 50 best songs of 2025 and confirmed his ability to move across genre without losing an ounce of credibility. He arrives at this season with momentum, a growing club music identity, and a first solo album in seven years almost ready to go. Beyond Ibiza, his summer schedule includes sets at Reading and Leeds Festival and a headlining slot at Parklife in Manchester. ‘Fork And Knife’ remains dateless for now, but with seventeen tracks chosen and the finishing line in sight, it would be a surprise if it stayed that way much longer.
