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Skepta has revealed that he delayed the release of his album Konnichiwa to avoid dropping on the same day as Drake. The London-based grime artist's album was originally due out on April 29, the day Drake ended up putting VIEWS out, but it eventually arrived on May 6.
Speaking to BBC 6 Music's Lauren Laverne following his the announcement of his Mercury Prize nomination this morning, Skepta confirmed that this delay came after Drake gave him a heads up about his own plans. "We were supposed to put the album out a week before and Drake text me and said he was releasing his [album, VIEWS] on the same day," he said. "I was like, Thanks for telling me a week before, innit?"
However, the move ended up working out for the best as the new release day coincided with a trip to Japan. "My manager called me said, 'You've just moved your release date to the day we're in Tokyo and your album is called Konnichiwa and you've never been there before. I was like, Magic."
The full interview, in which Skepta also talks about performing with Pharrell and sampling Queens Of The Stone Age on "Man (Gang)", can be heard here now. The FADER has reached out to Drake's representative for comment.
Addendum: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Skepta delayed his album's release date at Drake's request. It has since been edited for accuracy.
