Skepta removed the artwork for “Gas Me Up (Diligent)” and apologized after online critics said its imagery evoked the Holocaust. He said that was not his intention, describing the rollout as connected to his parents’ move to Britain in the 1980s, skinhead culture and football culture.
What was in the “Gas Me Up” artwork?
Skepta posted the artwork on Instagram on 8 January 2024, according to The Guardian’s report. It depicted a group of people with shaved heads; “Gas Me Up” was tattooed across one person’s head. Gabriel Moses was credited as the artist, a detail also reported by Rolling Stone UK.
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Why did Skepta take the image down?
Critics online said the combination of shaved heads, tattooing, the word “gas” and the track title evoked the Holocaust. That was the public interpretation reported at the time; it does not establish the creator’s intent.
Skepta removed the image and apologized. In the context he gave for the album rollout, he referred to his parents’ move to the UK in the 1980s, as well as skinhead and football culture. He said causing offence was not the plan and promised to be more mindful.
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What did Skepta say in his apology?
In a statement quoted by The Guardian, Skepta wrote: “I can honestly see how my single artwork without context can be deemed offensive, especially in a time like this but again that was not my intention.”
He also explained the background he said informed the rollout: “I’ve been waiting to drop Gas Me Up (Diligent) since teasing it April last year, worked hard getting the artwork right for my album rollout which is about my parents coming to the UK in the 80’s, Skinhead, Football culture and it has been taken offensively by many and I can promise you that was definitely not our plan so I have removed it and I vow to be more mindful going forward.”
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Was the artwork meant to reference the Holocaust?
Skepta said the offensive interpretation was not his intention and identified family migration, skinhead culture and football culture as the rollout’s context. The available reporting establishes what critics saw in the image and what Skepta said about his intent; it does not independently settle private intent.
In a separate comment, he objected to the idea of his art being policed, saying: “But after some thought I don’t feel like I could continue being the artist you all know and love if my art is policed, I have to quit if I can’t express my art as I see it.” The Guardian reported this as an additional reaction, not as a retraction of his apology.
Was “Gas Me Up (Diligent)” still scheduled for release?
The Guardian reported that Skepta said the single would still be released on 26 January 2024, as planned. That report did not establish whether the disputed artwork was used for the release or whether replacement artwork was issued.
