British rapper Skepta is facing criticism after things went left when he unveiled the artwork for his new single, “Gas Me Up (Diligent).” The cover features a group of men donning identical overcoats with shaved heads, and notably, one person has the words “gas me up” tattooed on the back of his head.
The cover was created by photographer Gabriel Moses. Critics argue that the imagery bears an unsettling resemblance to the Holocaust, pointing out the shaved heads were reminiscent of how Jewish people were forced to shave in Nazi death camps before facing gas chambers. They contend that the use of the term “gas me up” is a crass allusion to the tragic methods employed by German Nazis to exterminate Jewish people during World War II.
Skepta, who is of Nigerian descent, said that he had been working on the art since he announced the project’s release in April 2023. He claims the inspiration was based on the British skinhead culture from the 1960s to 1980s.
Before deleting the artwork from social media, the Mercury prize-winning UK artist tweeted, “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.”
