Rap in the UK Skepta and up-and-coming Nigerian singer Portable's distinct personalities are on display in their amazing bond”Tony Montana.” The collaboration is unexpected, but not unwarranted, given that Skepta's background is also Nigerian, having even become a chieftain in his home state of Ogun.
On the song, Skepta raps effortlessly over African drums and shakers, over the beat of Jae5, the British producer who directed key tracks at the center of Afroswing, the UK's hip-hop/Afrobeats hybrid. In English, Pidgin and Yoruba, Skepta spits festive bars like “Yeah, I remember, when ebi n pami / Breakfast, lunch and dinner, we drink garri / Now they want to take pictures, I'm living fancy / Who's gonna stop me, huh? Ewo pelu tani?' Portable gets the hook, where its reference to Tony Montana seems to lean more towards the storied rise of the famous, legendary drug lord than the horrific means by which he got there. “Big Smoke pulu tobacco,” he sings, nodding to Skepta's moniker and label.
Their looks and personalities make for a fun juxtaposition in the music video: Skepta, tall, crisp and stately, keeps his cool even when doing a light two-step, while Portable, much smaller, with hair cut into vibrant pastel sections, she dances much more freely. In a scene where the pair enjoy a lit but elegant all-white party, Portable, having spent the night in the center of the floor, leads the crowd in the chest-pumping dance move that was pounding throughout.
Skepta is a staple on the 2016 UK album Konnichiwa won the Mercury Prize that year. He released his sixth album, Knife and fork, in January. Portable is a street-pop artist with a reputation of hothead, best known for his popular 2021 high-energy track “ZaZoo Zeh” featuring Nigerian rapper Olamide and dancer Poco Lee. Released an EP, Tony Montana of London, last month.
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