Five minutes face-to-face with Skepta

Skepta says his nomination for this year's Mercury Prize is a "good reward" for the work his team put into it.

His album Konnichiwa is among 12 records shortlisted for this year's award.

After criticism from some that grime was overlooked on the 2015 shortlist, both Skepta and Kano find themselves on the list this year.

Skepta is notoriously interview-shy, so we relished getting five minutes to talk face-to-face with him.

Newsbeat: Congratulations on the nomination. How do you feel?

Skepta: "Amazing. When we started this I was just going to make the album for my team. I'm so happy we did something for ourselves - but the team now gets rewarded.

"Stuff like this is good for me and the team to get together and to celebrate all the work we put into it. It's a good reward. I'm happy for the team more than anything."

NB: You had a complete blank canvas when you started the album then?

"Yeah, I was working so hard at music and trying to do this whole 'industry' thing and realised that it wasn't for me. We had to find out what our set up was.

"We had to make a setting for ourselves to say 'this is what it is, this is how we're going to move and these are the people that believe in us to work together'. Making the album was nothing to do with TV, radio or award ceremonies.

"I had to say that to my team too. I had to say 'let's go and work - but we're not going to get accolades and awards'. So even though we did the album for the love, this is sick. Good times."

NB: Last year this award ceremony got criticised because there was no grime on the list. This year both you and Kano are there. How do you feel about being nominated as a grime artist here?

"Big up Kano as he's definitely been working for a lot of years. He was someone I looked at when I was trying to carve my settings out. I looked at him because he was at once in grime, but out of it at the same time. I know that I'm in grime but I had to separate myself and do things myself.

"There is so much good music from our scene in the UK and I'm happy I'm part of that movement. For a long time we were trying to do what the Americans were doing, we were trying to do what the pop stars from England were doing and we just didn't understand.

"We were a very fresh thing and it was very young. Everyone in it was very young and our mentalities weren't ready to do what we needed to do. We needed to work out how to take our sound around the world.

"Now we're older and understand ourselves. It's a sick time for the UK. I'm happy to be alive right now to have seen this point where artists in the UK are themselves again."

NB: You do shy away from press and what you say is the 'industry' so does the Mercury feel an odd experience?

"I go to award ceremonies but I always like to be in my world. That's the only place I can control where I won't get upset. I'm happy in this world and I know myself.

"It doesn't feel weird because I'm enjoying it for my friends, for the team that put all this together. Everyone always sees the star. They see one person but there's so many people who believe in me and helped to get here. For them I will have an amazing time."

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