Skepta drops “Innocent Smile” with Suggs and Chase & Status (Video)

Skepta, Suggs and Chase & Status bring British music together on “Innocent Smile”

Grime meets ska and drum & bass on “Innocent Smile”, the new collaboration between Skepta, Madness frontman Suggs and Chase & Status.

Six years in the making, Skepta’s “Innocent Smile” brings together three very different parts of British music. It is also the first single from Skepta‘s forthcoming album The Fork and Knife.

Press Play on Skepta’s “Innocent Smile”

From Ska to Breakbeats

“Innocent Smile” has been several years in the making. Originally, the song started as a ska record that Skepta and Suggs worked on around six years ago. Since then, Skepta has continued developing the production before eventually bringing Chase & Status into the track.

In the finished version, the sound moves into fast electronic territory, while Suggs provides the chorus and Skepta handles the verses. Chase & Status then bring their drum & bass production to the track.

A British Music Collaboration

The collaboration connects different generations of British music, from Madness and ska through to grime, rave and drum & bass. That wider connection is also central to The Fork and Knife, which draws on Skepta’s relationship with British music culture.

For the video, director Aidan Zamiri and the production team take the track into a heightened version of London. Shot at London Film Studios, it uses British cultural references from the 2000s to create a darker visual world around the track.

“Innocent Smile” offers another glimpse of what to expect from The Fork and Knife, while bringing together three very different musical backgrounds.

Listen to Innocent Smile

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