Skepta has apologised after the artwork for his latest single sparked comparisons to Holocaust imagery.
Earlier this week, the three-time Brit Award nominee shared the artwork for his new single Gas Me Up (Diligent), which featured a photo of a group of people with buzz cut hairstyles, one of whom had the song’s title tattooed on their head.
After many critics pointed out similarities between the photograph and Holocaust imagery, Skepta pulled the artwork and publicly apologised, insisting this was had not been his intention.
“I’ve been waiting to drop Gas Me Up (Diligent) since teasing it April last year, worked hard getting the artwork right for my album rollout which is about my parents coming to the UK in the 80’s,” he explained, noting that the photo was supposed to allude to “skinhead” and “football culture”.
He continued: “It has been taken offensively by many and I can promise you that was definitely not our plan so I have removed it and I vow to be more mindful going forward.”
In a follow-up post shared around three hours later, Skepta added: “I can honestly see how my single artwork without context can be deemed offensive, especially in a time like this but again that was not my intention.
“But after some thought I don’t feel like I could continue being the artist you all know and love if my art is policed, I have to quit if I can’t express my art as I see it.”
In order to “help with context”, this post was accompanied by a photo “mood board” showing the inspiration for the original single art.
He concluded that Gas Me Up (Diligent) would be released later this month as planned, ahead of the release of his sixth studio album Knife & Fork later in the year.
Knife & Fork will be the grime star’s first album since 2019’s Ignorance Is Bliss, which peaked at number two in the UK chart, and spawned the top 40 singles Greaze Mode and Bullet From A Gun.
Last year saw Skepta releasing Can’t Play Myself, a tribute to Amy Winehouse, which sampled the late singer’s hit Tears Dry On My Own.