Skepta vs Joyner Lucas: Part Two

It's funny, I kind of know how it feels now, or how all of these YouTube reactors feel when there's news that they need to react to and be quick with it, because I literally just published my first thoughts on the UK and US beef yesterday, and today, in our group chat, I was literally just no, it was yesterday I was informed that he'd already responded. I was just like, damn, okay, I've got to jump on this and put my thoughts to paper again. So yeah, here's part two.

From the jump, this feels different. Friendly Fire was Skepta testing the waters. Round 2? That felt like a full-blown punch to the face. Just him going in, bar after bar, for 3 minutes and 48 seconds straight. And that’s how long it felt like he was just punching Joyner in the face. Relentlessly.

And I’ll be real. I’m not someone who lives and breathes rap battles. I don’t catch every double entendre, and I’m not gonna pretend I’ve studied every diss track from the early 2000s. But I know energy. I know when something cuts through. And this? Yeah. I’d play it in the gym. In fact, I did. It’s already on the workout playlist. Maybe one of you will add it too.

There’s something really abraded and refreshing about this kind of send. It reminds me of when you were a kid, standing outside after school, watching two people go back and forth. It wasn’t about polished flows or PR rollouts. It was who could talk the best sh*t. Who had the sharpest tongue. Who dared to say the thing out loud.

And Skepta says it all. Straight up.

He kicks off with:

“You ain't the best, you’re just American, that’s your only appeal.”

That line hit. It’s what a lot of UK heads have been thinking, and he just said it plain. He’s not dressing it up. Just calling it how he sees it

Later on, he doubles down with:

“Man of my word, killed you with two lines.”

It’s short, sharp, and probably the coldest line in the whole track. He’s not trying to bar Joyner to death. He’s letting the weight of each line speak

He also seems to be pushing back on the idea that you need viral gimmicks to be relevant. The line “I don’t need TikTok to get in your head” makes that clear. Whether that lands with younger fans or not, it says a lot about where Skepta sees himself in the wider rap conversation.

Now, depending on who you ask, this whole exchange is either a cultural moment or something people will forget by the weekend. But to me, it lands somewhere in the middle. It’s not life-changing, but it’s refreshing. Two lyricists actually rapping again. Going bar for bar, not post for post.

For me, Round 2 lands harder. It’s cleaner. It’s bolder. Whether Joyner comes back or not, Skepta’s second swing makes it clear he’s not playing.

And Joyner if your planning to reply don't sit around for weeks. Gotta keep up the pace.