Skepta confirms Drake has signed with his BBK label

Skepta has confirmed that Drake has signed a deal with his Boy Better Know label, something the Canadian rapper first hinted at earlier this year.

In February Drake appeared on stage in London with Skepta at a Section Boyz gig in Shoreditch. After the show he claimed he was the “first Canadian signed to BBK” despite having a deal with Lil Wayne’s Young Money label (a subsidiary of Universal) who released his latest album ‘Views’ earlier this month.

Since then information on the deal has been scant but, in a new interview with Time Out, Skepta confirmed that it’s true. “We’re putting together an official worldwide BBK label,” he said, “but we haven’t talked about how it’ll work yet. It’ll be separate to his existing contracts. Trust me, I am not gonna sue Lil Wayne.”

Speaking about how he first met Drake, Skepta remembers a party the Canadian threw at a Miami mansion where he was staying, though he was asleep when he got the invite and was woken by a friend telling him. “I was like, ‘Why the fuck would you open my door and tell me to wake up?’’ he said. “She just goes: ‘Would I wake you for a joke? I know you’re cranky!'”

Matias Albach

Elsewhere in the interview, Skepta distanced himself from any involvement in the potential return of TV series Top Boy but confirmed work on its revival is underway. “Despite all the articles online, I am not working on bringing back Top Boy! They – Ashley Walters and Drake – are working on bringing it back. I’ve proper learned about the internet now. People say something and then everyone just believes it. I just laugh at it now.”

Skepta released new album ‘Konnichiwa’ last week (May 6), it includes hit singles ‘Shutdown’ and ‘That’s Not Me’, plus guest features from Pharrell Williams, Wiley and others. Previously unveiled songs ‘Man (Gang)’, ‘It Ain’t Safe’ and ‘Ladies Hit Squad’ also appear.

Stream ‘Konnichiwa’ via Spotify below.

Skepta will play gigs in London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester this week. The London date is tonight at KOKO in Camden.

On Tuesday (May 10) Skepta will be at Birmingham’s Rainbow Warehouse before gigs at SWG3 in Glasgow (May 11) and Manchester’s Old Granada Studios on Thursday (May 12).

Skepta will play:

London, KOKO (May 9)
Birmingham, Rainbow Warehouse (May 10)
Glasgow, SWG3 (May 11)
Manchester, Old Granada Studios (May 12)