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Insomnia (Skepta, Chip and Young Adz album)

Insomnia
Studio album by
Skepta, Chip and Young Adz
Released27 March 2020 (2020-03-27)
Genre
Length35:28
LabelSKC M29
Producer
  • Adrian Francis
  • Sevaqk
  • Ayo B
  • Cardo
  • Curtis James
  • Da Beatfreakz
  • Fanatix
  • Jacques Toni
  • Mark Waxkirsh
  • Money Montage
  • Rxwntree
  • Skepta
  • SOS
  • Supreme & Styles
Skepta chronology
Ignorance Is Bliss
(2019) 		Insomnia
(2020)
Chip chronology
Ten10
(2018) 		Insomnia
(2020) 		Snakes & Ladders
(2021)
Young Adz chronology
Street Trauma
(2019) 		Insomnia
(2020)
Singles from Insomnia
  1. "Waze"
    Released: 25 March 2020

Insomnia is a collaborative studio album by British rappers Skepta, Chip and Young Adz, released on 27 March 2020 by SKC M29.[3] The album features a guest appearance by Dirtbike LB of D-Block Europe. It was promoted by the lead single, "Waze".[3]

Release and promotion

[edit]

The album was announced by the three artists on 22 March 2020 via social media, alongside the option to pre-order.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

A music video for the lead single "Waze" was released on 25 March 2020.[10][11] A second music video for the track "Mains" was released on 1 April 2020.[12]

Commercial performance

[edit]

"Insomnia" debuted at number three on the UK Albums chart. The entry marked Skepta's third Top 10 album, Chip's third Top 10 album, and a first for solo Young Adz (fourth including his work with D-Block Europe).[13]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic82/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash8/10[15]
The Guardian[2]
NME[1]
The Observer[16]

At review aggregator Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, Insomnia received a weighted average score of 82, based on 6 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Aimee Cliff of The Guardian wrote that Insomnia "feels calibrated for the current, strange cultural moment: it's immediately available, rides low at a tempo that's perfect for listening to while on lockdown in your house or car, and, with the title Insomnia, tackles paranoid themes with the light relief of dark humour".[2] Kyann-Sian Williams of NME concluded that "Overall, though, despite a couple of subpar verses, Insomnia is one for the books. The UK rap world has never seen three of the scene's most in-demand rappers surprisingly team up for an album. Here the best of north and south London have come together and paved the way for others to follow suit".[1] Joe Hale of Clash complimented the album's production and the chemistry between the three artists: "The three work well as a collective: Chip provides the cut-throat and fresh bars, Adz comes with the melody and Skepta is free to experiment throughout. The beats stand up too, consonantly switching patterns and breaks and bringing the best out of each artist".[15]

Track listing

[edit]
Insomia track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Mains"
Skepta3:50
2."Golden Brown"
  • Adenuga
  • Fyffe
  • Williams
  • Adrian Francis
  • Curtis James
  • Fanatix
  • Mark Waxkirsh
4:11
3."Waze"
  • Adenuga
  • Fyffe
  • Williams
Cardo3:17
4."Demons" (featuring Dirtbike LB)
  • Adenuga
  • Fyffe
  • Williams
  • Ricky Banton
Supreme & Styles2:48
5."St Tropez"
  • Adenuga
  • Fyffe
  • Williams
Skepta2:43
6."Insomnia Interlude"
  • Adenuga
  • Fyffe
  • Williams
  • Britney De Villiers
  • D. Echeazu
Da Beatfreakz2:31
7."Star in the Hood"
  • Adenuga
  • Fyffe
Da Beatfreakz2:38
8."Mic Check"
  • Adenuga
  • Fyffe
  • Williams
  • Vania Khaleh-Pari
Rxwntree2:46
9."Traumatised"
  • Adenuga
  • Fyffe
  • Williams
Sevaqk2:45
10."Sin City"
  • Adenuga
  • Fyffe
  • Williams
SOS2:57
11."High Road"
  • Adenuga
  • Fyffe
  • Williams
  • M.O. Thompson
SOS3:51
12."Intro"
  • Adenuga
  • Fyffe
  • Williams
  • Ayo B
  • Money Montage
  • Jacques Toni
1:10
Total length:35:28

Notes

Sample credits

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Insomnia
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 84
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 88
Irish Albums (OCC)[19] 19
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] 81
UK Albums (OCC)[21] 3

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Release formats for Insomnia
Region Date Format Label
United Kingdom 23 March 2020 CD, digital download SKC M29

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Williams, Kyann-Sian (27 March 2020). "Skepta, Chip & Young Adz – 'Insomnia' review: three UK rap greats team up to celebrate their scene | NME". NME. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Cliff, Aimee (27 March 2020). "Skepta, Chip and Young Adz: Insomnia review – dark, funny and perfectly timed". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Stream Skepta, Chip & Young Adz's 'Insomnia' Album". Complex. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Skepta, Chip and Young Adz are releasing a joint album this week". NME. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Skepta, Chip and Young Adz Announce "Groundbreaking" New Album 'Insomnia'". Versus. 22 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Skepta, Chip, and Young Adz Announce Joint Album 'Insomnia'". Clash Music. 22 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Skepta, Chip and Young Adz Announce Joint Album 'INSOMNIA'". Complex. 22 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  8. ^ Oliver Pometsey (27 March 2020). "Skepta, Chip and Young Adz's Insomnia brings UK rap's brightest stars together". GQ. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Skepta, Chip & Young Adz Announce Collaborative Album 'Insomnia'". Hypebeast. 22 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Skepta, Chip and Yung Adz release 'Waze', first song from collaborative album 'Insomnia'". NME. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Skepta, Chip, and Young Adz share "Waze" video". The Fader. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  12. ^ Mains (Music Video) on YouTube, Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  13. ^ "5SOS narrowly beat Dua Lipa to Number 1 album". www.officialcharts.com.
  14. ^ "Critic Reviews for Insomnia". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  15. ^ a b Hale, Joe (27 March 2020). "Skepta x Chip x Young Adz - Insomnia". CLASH. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  16. ^ Morris, Damien (29 March 2020). "Skepta x Chip x Young Adz: Insomnia review – languid tracks with chest-puffing attitude". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Skepta, Chip & Young Adz – Insomnia" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Skepta, Chip & Young Adz – Insomnia" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  19. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Skepta, Chip & Young Adz – Insomnia". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  21. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  22. ^ "British album certifications – Skepta/Chip/Young Adz – Insomnia". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 October 2024.