British-Nigerian hip-hop artist Skepta’s latest single “Tony Montana” features Nigerian rapper and singer-songwriter Portable in a bouncy Afrobeats and hip-hop blend, which showcases the duality of Skepta’s background. In the song’s official music video, released in March 2024, elements of Skepta and Portable’s Nigerian culture are present throughout, all while demonstrating the luxury and style attributed to the UK hip-hop lifestyle. The song features grime and Nigerian influences, as seen in the visuals and the lyrics themselves: “Yeah, I remember, nigbati ebi n pami / Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we drink garri / Now they wanna snap pictures, I live flashy / Who gon’ stop me, huh? Iwo pelu tani.”
Skepta’s above verse fuses the importance of his Nigerian culture, by including lyrics in Yoruba, with aspects of typical UK rap, seen in the references to flashiness and photographs. Skepta then alludes to the unity of the international Nigerian community in his lyrics, “You’ll never catch me stuntin’ on my own people/ That’s my brother from another mother.” Skepta signifies that despite his acquired wealth and fame, he will not forget where he comes from.
The video opens with a scene of a hotel employee rolling a baggage cart of Louis Vuitton suitcases, zooming in on the luggage tags. They read, “LHR” (London Heathrow) to “LOS” (Lagos). This illustrates Skepta’s intention to represent both Nigeria and the UK in the song and music video, further emphasized by Portable’s feature on the track. Later scenes include Skepta and Portable arriving at an all-white party, with people wearing all-white clothing and dancing.
“Tony Montana”, both the song and music video, speak to the importance of Skepta’s Nigerian background by demonstrating its influence on his music. He continues to pursue UK rap and references fame, fortune, and partying, yet he ensures that his message remains two-sided. Portable adds to this message by bringing his Afrobeats background onto the track and creating more of a Nigerian presence.
