The moment that got people talking was not the headline set itself, it was when Skillibeng called Koffee out onto the KOKO stage in Camden and the two ran through their “Rapid Fyah” collaboration in front of a crowd that had clearly been waiting for exactly that.
The energy in the room shifted the second Koffee appeared, and by all accounts the audience went into full chaos mode.
The show on August 30 was part of the wider Notting Hill Carnival celebrations, which gave the whole night a specific kind of weight.
Carnival in London has always been a space where Jamaican music feels at home, and having two of the genre’s sharper voices share a stage there carried a certain meaning beyond just the performance itself.
Observers at the event were quick to point out that the Skillibeng and Koffee link-up was a good sign for dancehall more broadly.
The argument being made is that when Jamaican artists show up for each other on international stages, it does something real for the genre’s visibility and credibility outside the island.
Skillibeng did not stop at one surprise either. He also brought out UK-based artist America Foster, and the two performed their collaboration “Rotate” together, which landed well with the crowd.
It was a smart move, giving the local audience someone they could connect to while still keeping the Jamaican roots of the night front and center.
The St Thomas native has been building toward moments like this for a few years now. He broke through in late 2019 with “Brik Pan Brick” and has since stacked up a run of recognisable records including “Crocodile Teeth,” “Wap Wap,” “Torpedo,” and his appearance on the “Shake It To The Max” remix with Moliy and Shenseea.
His stagecraft has clearly developed alongside his discography. Performing a catalogue that dense in front of a crowd singing every word back at him is a different kind of test than studio work, and by the reports coming out of Camden, he passed it without much trouble.
Off the back of the Notting Hill show, Skillibeng is still deep into a run of tour dates with no sign of slowing down.
He has also been in recording mode, working with local and international producers on what comes next.
His most recent single “Big Glock” has been picking up traction steadily since its release, adding another thread to a year that has already seen him perform on one of the most culturally loaded stages a dancehall artist can land on in the UK. The conversation around what he does next is already starting.
