Key Takeaways:

• Skepta’s “Friendly Fire” challenged American rap culture and called out Joyner Lucas.
• The track built on Skepta’s viral challenge to U.S. rappers.
• Skepta also reunited with Boy Better Know for “Family Tree” ahead of his Wireless and Big Smoke Festival appearances.

Skepta has officially taken the gloves off. On Thursday (July 10), the U.K. grime icon fired the opening shot in a brewing lyrical war between British and American rappers with the release of “Friendly Fire” —a diss track aimed squarely at Joyner Lucas that pulled no punches and ignited the transatlantic tension Skepta teased for weeks.

Produced by M1OnTheBeat, Gfelds, and Goxan, “Friendly Fire” began with an intro mocking American jokes about British accents before launching into pointed bars aimed at Lucas. Further verses were where Skepta really turned up the heat, calling his Massachusetts counterpart a “bastard” and ridiculing his style in lines like, “Why you rap like you studied at Harvard?” and “Talkin’ like you’re lyrical miracle, oh please, where I come from, that’s a default speed.”

Skepta also uses “Friendly Fire” to critique U.S. rap standards and media critics

In his first verse, Skepta broadened the scope beyond Lucas to target what he saw as deeper issues in American rap culture. He mocked longtime radio host Ebro Darden (“Askin’ me stupid questions”) and jabs at media hype and body-image trends. “This ain’t beef, that’s expensive, you know I ain’t tryna lose pounds, I ain’t on the Ozempic,” he quipped.

He also questioned Lucas’ reputation in the States and contrasted it with his own revered status in London, stating, “Where I’m from, I’m a GOAT, where you’re from, you’re a joke.”

The diss follows Skepta’s viral challenge to U.S. rappers on social media, where he pitched hypothetical matchups: Dave vs. Lil Wayne, Chip vs. Kendrick Lamar, Ghetts vs. Eminem. Lucas accepted, tweeting, “The moment I’ve been waiting for,” and Skepta initially brushed him off by saying he’d only give him “two bars” on a track meant for ASAP Rocky. Clearly, Skepta had more to unload.

Skepta preps for festivals and reunites with Boy Better Know collective

“Friendly Fire” dropped just prior to his highly anticipated appearance at this weekend’s Wireless Festival, where he’ll join Drake and the Boy Better Know collective on the Main Stage. Just weeks later, he’ll host his own Big Smoke Festival (Aug. 9 to 10), which will feature acts like Central Cee and Maceo Plex.

Skepta also dropped a new posse cut, “Family Tree,” with BBK’s JME, Shorty, Frisco, and Jammer on the same day. The song’s aggressive tone and nostalgic grime energy matched the competitive spirit fueling the U.K. vs. U.S. discourse.

Joyner Lucas, who is reportedly gearing up to release ADHD 2, has yet to respond on wax. Given his history of lyrical warfare — most notably with Logic and Tory Lanez — a rebuttal seems inevitable.