Skepta has released a new diss track titled “Friendly Fire” on Friday (July 11), targeting Joyner Lucas and others after Lucas said their clash was the “moment he was waiting for.”
In the second verse, Skepta goes after Lucas’ rapping style and ability: “Joyner Lucas, you bastard/ Why you rap like you studied at Harvard?”
He also criticizes Lucas for not making successful songs lately. “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 raps.
Calling himself a “GOAT,” Skepta mocks Lucas as a “lyrical miracle” and suggests that in the U.S., Lucas is seen as a joke. “Where I’m from, I’m a GOAT/ Where you’re from, you’re a joke/ SK turn you to a ghost, yo/ Talkin’ like you’re lyrical miracle, oh please/ Where I come from, that’s a default speed,” he adds.
This rivalry started in the context of an ongoing U.K. versus U.S. rap conversation. On July 3, Skepta tweeted, “I wanna clash an American rapper anyway. Finally get this UK/US rap debate sorted.” The next day, Lucas accepted the challenge: “The moment I’ve been waiting for… say the word, Joyner Lucas vs @Skepta #UKvsUS.”
Before dropping the track, Skepta left a message for Lucas via Instagram: “Hey Jonah, I wasn’t even gonna reply back but I’m a rapper’s rapper,” he wrote. “I’m gonna respect the fact that you stood up and said something. The first man, you get me? But this is just another example of the ignorance. Jonah, if you was from the UK, fam? Quiet, bro, understand?”
Lucas wasn’t the only one Skepta went after. He also addressed Ebro Darden and DJ Akademiks in the opening lines: “Old man Ebro askin’ me stupid questions Tryna use me to get clicks, I said what I said.” This seems to reference a 2024 Apple Music interview where Skepta commented on the Drake-Kendrick Lamar situation.
Listen to “Friendly Fire” below.
