Skepta and Asake team up on 'Aloe Vera'

UK grime veteran Skepta and Nigerian hitmaker Asake join forces on Aloe Vera, a standout from Skepta’s The Fork and Knife project. It was released via Big Smoke Records under exclusive licence to Epic Records, and it’s the latest proof of the strong cultural pipeline between London and Lagos.

The production team is a powerhouse: Lex Luger, Vanko and FRANKIE XY. Heavy, trap-leaning 808s and crisp drum programming form the core, with subtle log-drum accents and acoustic melodies adding West African color. The result blends UK rap aesthetics with West African vocal structures.

That backdrop gives Skepta’s authoritative, precise delivery a compelling rhythm to lock into, and Asake meets it with his signature choir-backed Afro-fusion harmonies. Skepta’s grounded stanzas anchor the narrative, while Asake lifts the record with infectious chorus work.

Lyrically, the song uses aloe vera as a metaphor for healing and keeping your composure under pressure. The themes are resilience, soothing stress, success and self-preservation, and they give the track more depth than a typical crossover record.

With top-tier UK production talent and one of Afrobeats’ most distinctive voices on the same song, Aloe Vera delivers a cross-continental tune with immediate global appeal.