Thomas Howells

Since the early 2000’s Skepa (Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr) has been a pioneer for the British grime scene by winning 2 MOBO awards, 1 Mercury Prize and multiple Brit Awards Nominations. However, this year he has reached out into film with his directorial debut “Tribal Mark”.

The film follows Mark, a Nigerian immigrant who becomes a hitman after struggling to fit in after moving to England as a child, with Skepta playing the role. The musician told the BBC that the film is about the “dissociation of an immigrant living in the UK”, something he could relate to on a personal level as someone raised by Nigerian parents in Tottenham. 

He’s said that he chose to create the “character for black actors” following the on going debate of having a black James Bond, something Skepta had previously mentioned in his 2018 song “Energy” featuring WizKid. Saying “Black James Bond that’s the new silhouette” as a lyric. This also follows the backlash Idris Elba faced when he was rumoured to be the new 007. Which in turn, caused the Luther actor to turn down the Bond role. Calling conversations regarding the race of the character “Disgusting”.

Set to release January 26th at Everyman Cinema, Tribal Mark’s aim is to produce more opportunities for black actors within the film industry. This could also encourage creators to bring forward more original characters to be played by a wider range of actors in the future.