You very likely saw this yesterday on your Twitter timeline, where it caused so many freak-outs they made it into a Moment, but I simply cannot stop thinking about it: supermodel Naomi Campbell and her alleged new boyfriend, grime star Skepta, looking impossibly beautiful on the cover of British GQ. On the front flank and inside the mag, they’re posing topless, wearing nothing but Skepta’s new underwear line (hey, why not); apparently, the story includes the duo talking about “race, sex, love, and black power.”
I stan for grime, the distinctly British musical genre that developed out of diaspora and dancehall, but adjacent to that is my stannitude of GRIME LOVE; specifically, the grime stars involved in truly aspirational relationships that remind me every day that humans can be great. Skepta is something of a grime godfather in the young genre; along with his brother JME (my utter fave), he was a part of legendary crew Roll Deep in the early 2000s, and then branched off into his own crew, Boy Betta Know (that’s the one Drake’s involved with). So his (alleged) union with Naomi Campbell may be a bit surprising considering she usually can be found in the consort of billionaires, but not fully shocking since they’re both icons of their respective fields, and both talented artists. Should they decide to be in love and then confirm it, then so it will be; until then, they will be together in our minds.
Perhaps the most famous grime star right now is Stormzy, a 24-year-old phenom who may or may not be performing at the Royal Wedding. He found his love three years ago in television presenter/model Maya Jama and they became my #relationshipgoals icons, for being smart and cool and extremely funny, and also being just so damn freaking attractive. For instance, here they are in Vogue looking extra fly.
You might recognize Maya Jama from that new Gap commercial with all the cool girls like SZA, but true heads know her best as a person prone to posting funny Instagram posts making goofy or purposefully distorted faces, such as:
Or:
If you want to go into a true British humor k-hole with Maya Jama, I recommend watching her interview on Chicken Shop Date, in which a comedian named Amelia Dimoldenberg awkwardly interviews grime musicians and other artists:
Of the grime relationships I like, perhaps the most classic is that of Asher D, an actor and former member of the massively influential crew So Solid, and wife Danielle Walters, who you most definitely know as Tracey’s fit best friend Candice on Chewing Gum. They are both actors so I’m assuming they have a lot to talk about. They also have a beautiful family!
I enjoy following all these people on Instagram. This has been Some Relationships That I Like! Adios!