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Skepta's highly anticipated single titled Jangrova for his new movie has finally been released to high praise. The song finds Skepta teaming up with Idris Elba and ODUMODUBLVCK to deliver an Afro-trap beat-infused track with heavy bass and 808s.
The song was released as a lead single for his upcoming directorial debut, Tribal Mark. Besides directing the movie, Skepta (also known as Big Smoke) takes on the roles of co-producer and lead actor. The film explores the narrative of a group of Nigerian immigrants navigating life in a foreign land, interwoven into a storyline involving the undercover Black Secret Service.
Fans have been excited about this project ever since Big Smoke first announced the film on his social media accounts. The UK rapper has been consistently dropping hints about the project leading up to its release, which has fans excited about what to expect from it.
In the Jangrova teaser, released on January 16, the artist previewed the first 30 seconds of the song in a clip that showcases BTS footage of Tribal Mark being filmed.
The official music video released on January 19 dives deeper into the film with a thematically shot BTS footage video. With the song and accompanying music video now released, fans are on the edge of their seats, awaiting Tribal Mark's release on January 26, 2024.
Breaking down Skepta's Jangrova, which gives a deeper insight into his upcoming movie, Tribal Mark
The latest release from UK BET Award winner Skepta has finally given fans their first look at what Tribal Mark aims to bring to cinemas this January.
With captivating lyrics capturing the essence of the upcoming movie in a music video, Skepta has managed to give his fans their first look at the characters and plot points from the upcoming film.
The music video gives viewers a side-by-side preview, with one shot showcasing how the film was made, including BTS and make-up room clips, and then immediately following up with a fully produced clip of the same shot from the movie. This gives a unique artistic approach to shooting conventional music videos, as Jangrova plays out as a trailer for the movie instead.
The music video showcases scenes like character dialogue, Skepta directing the film, the writer's room, and shots of actors getting their makeup done for the movie.
Although the visuals gave fans and viewers a greater understanding of the upcoming movie, by acting as a trailer, the lyrics added significantly to the concepts behind the movie.
Skepta opens the song with his chorus, where he sings:
"Epo moto Jangrova, Epo moto Jangrova."
The phrase is a statement that references a popular Nigerian nursery rhyme, which ties neatly into the theme of the movie, which revolves around Nigerian immigrants.
Skepta follows up with his opening verse, which takes viewers through a supposed worldview of crime and growing up in tough environments. It seems to allude slightly to the possible scenarios and feelings the main character would display with lines like:
"Was out in the cold, tryna sell a man snow. Stayed down ’til I came up, tryna be the main character the second man blows."
ODUMODUBLVCK carries the song to the second verse, bringing a distinct Nigerian rhythm to his vocals and flow. He provides the song with a bop that complements the style and aesthetic set by the chorus and Skepta's verse, with catchy lyrics like:
"Let their complications, don dey listen my music. They know my MO, na me be chosen."
A surprising addition to the track was hearing the OBE-awarded British actor, Idris Elba, rap on the final verse of the song. Although the actor is more famous for his movies like The Suicide Squad (2021) and Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023), he is also a credited alumnus of the National Youth Music Theatre in London.
Idris Elba brings forward his best musical talents and skills by opening the third verse of Jangrova. He seamlessly adds to the vibe built by Big Smoke and ODUMODUBLVCK with a dynamic vocal style and flow.
His verse, for the most part, deals with Idris flexing on his haters and stating his heritage with pride, easily evidenced in lyrics like:
"Just swing by on a back and forth for a quick sixteen in my size sixteens. Oi, big old African man with a big wide nose, and I still look clean."
With Jangrova being the lead single for the upcoming movie, fans have a better understanding of the film through the world the artists have created with their lyrics, greatly assisted by the visuals in the new music video.
Acting as both a trailer and teaser, fans can't wait to get their first look at the movie dropping on January 26, 2024.
Fans take to X to share their opinions on Skepta's Jangrova
Skepta fans seemed to take the Internet by storm on January 19, when the artist officially released his highly anticipated single from his upcoming movie Tribal Mark.
Although this single was previously teased with a 30-second clip, the completed song seemed to match the anticipation and hype that the small teaser had generated, with many fans taking to X (formerly Twitter) to share their opinions on the latest release.
Several users from ODUMODUBLVCK's native Nigeria flooded Skepta's X account to congratulate him on the collaboration and the success of the song.
One individual, @Buyor_47, even proclaimed their appreciation for ODUMODUBLVCK and Nigerian rap music by stating:
"@Odumodublvck_restored my faith personally in Naija Rap so I’ll always be biased towards him when it comes to rap, he held his own IMO and that’s more than enough."
One fan even posted a statement to his X account where he claimed Idris Elba had a better verse than both the other artists.
Fans of all three collaborators showed them love for their contributions to the song, which serves as a music preview for what's to come to theaters this January.
With Skepta's latest single, Jangrova, generating such a substantial response from fans outside of the UK, the anticipation for his upcoming directorial debut, Tribal Mark, is quite high.
Tribal Mark was produced under the rapper's "1PLUS1" production company and boasts a 90% minority ethnic cast and production team.
