Skepta stuck to his word on Friday (July 11) when he dropped “Friendly Fire” and took shots at A$AP Rocky and Joyner Lucas in a no-frills diss that reignited the simmering UK vs US rap rivalry.
The grime pioneer, who recently challenged American rappers to a lyrical showdown, opened fire on his former collaborator A$AP Rocky with a jab at his musical output and fashion priorities:
“Praise the lord, you want beast? Then I’ve got this/You haven’t had a hit song for the longest/Too concerned with your clothes/You should be focusing on flows.”
Skepta then turned his attention to Joyner Lucas, delivering a scathing verse that mocked his rap style: “Joyner Lucas, you bastard/Why you rap like you studied at Harvard?/Catch ’em outside and move to him, heartless/Cuts, bruises, and plasters/If I see him on tour in London, I jump on stage and move to his dancers.”
He didn’t stop there. Skepta made his stance clear with a blunt declaration: “Where I’m from, I’m a goat. Where you’re from, you’re a joke.”
Skepta – Friendly Fire
The track quickly lit up social media, with listeners cracking jokes and predicting how Joyner might clap back.
One user quipped, “Joyner finna rap from the perspective of a crumpet.” Another joked, “Joyner Lucas about to drop a diss track in his own voice and in Skepta’s accent. This s### gon be easy money for Joyner.”
A third added, “Joyner bout to rap from the perspective of a UK soldier during WW2 eating beans and toast.”
Skepta opened up about the motivation behind the track and his recent posts, claiming US rappers have always looked down on UK artists.
“Time to get the respect we deserve,” Skepta declared during a recent interview. He added that he’s not saying British rappers would “annihilate” their American counterparts but insisted, “It’s definitely possible.
The diss follows Skepta’s posts last week when he publicly called for a transatlantic rap battle to settle the long-standing rivalry between UK and US Hip-Hop. He emphasized the challenge was about lyrical skill, not beef: “no violence, just bars, punchlines and counteractions.”
Skepta even laid out a fantasy card of matchups, including himself vs. A$AP Rocky, Ghetts vs. Eminem, Chip vs. Kendrick Lamar, Dave vs. Lil Wayne and Central Cee vs Jack Harlow.
He argued that UK artists have an advantage due to their grime roots and deep study of American rap, while US rappers rarely return the favor.
Joyner Lucas was one of the first to accept the challenge, prompting Skepta to promise he’d be mentioned in the diss aimed at Rocky. He kept that promise.
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