Skepta isn’t buying into the idea that Eminem is unbeatable in rap beef—and he’s pointing to Machine Gun Kelly as proof.
The UK grime legend stirred things up on Thursday (July 3) with a tweet expressing his interest in clashing with an American rapper to finally settle the long-running UK vs. US rap debate. Taking a cue from dancehall’s rich battle culture, Skepta made it clear he’s looking across the Atlantic for his next lyrical opponent.
“I wanna clash an American rapper anyway, finally get this UK/US rap debate sorted,” he posted.
When a fan warned him to steer clear of heavyweights like Kendrick Lamar and Eminem, Skepta clapped back with confidence: “MGK left Eminem a chink in his armour, why you talking like Slim Shady is untouchable.”
Looks like Skepta’s ready to shake the table.
The Eminem and Machine Gun Kelly feud dates back to 2012, when MGK tweeted about Eminem’s then 16-year-old daughter, Hailie Mathers, calling her “hot as f*ck.” Though he eventually apologized, things escalated years later in 2018 when MGK claimed he was blackballed from Eminem’s SiriusXM station, Shade 45. That sparked a round of diss tracks, with MGK dropping “Rap Devil” and Eminem firing back with the blistering “Killshot”—a track that many believe ended the beef in Em’s favor.
Amid his own conversation about going bar-for-bar with American rappers, Skepta responded to a fan who mentioned “Praise the Lord (Da Shine),” his 2018 collab with A$AP Rocky. “I think me vs Rocky would be a clash,” he replied. “No violence, just bars, punchlines and counteractions.”
Skepta later clarified that he’s not trying to stir up drama—he just wants some lyrical sparring. When a fan tweeted, “You don’t need beef to have a clash. It’s sport,” Skepta reposted it and added: “What I should have said earlier. This is the tweet, Good night.”
In true Skepta fashion, it’s all about bars over beef.
