Blacklisted

If Skepta was conflicted and confused about fame on 2011’s *Doin\' It Again*, “Simple Life”—one of the woozy highlights of this enthralling mixtape—makes it clear he\'s done with celebrity. Stripping away his mainstream impulses, he arrives at a slower, hypnotic sound that owes as much to cloud rap as it does to grime on the excellent “Castles” and “Badman in Tivoli.” Megaman collaboration “We Begin Things” raises the tempo, but whatever pace is set, Skepta has rarely sounded so focused and full of bite.