Skepta transforms Rolls-Royce Phantom into rolling recording studio
Award-winning grime artist Skepta created a new track – Skepta RR – from the backseat of an eighth-generation Rolls-Royce Phantom
Grime artist Skepta has collaborated with luxury British car maker Rolls-Royce to record a song from the back seat of the new eighth-generation Phantom.
The Mercury Prize and MOBO award-winning musician was chauffeured along the banks of Lake Lucerne and through the mountains of Switzerland while creating the new track – called Skepta RR – on his laptop computer.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, chief executive of, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: “I want to welcome Skepta to the world of Rolls-Royce.
“He has shown a unique and exciting appreciation of the marque and interpreted Phantom’s credentials as the world’s quietest and most luxurious motor car with an exceptionally creative track and film.”
Unveiled in July, the eighth-generation Phantom has been described by Rolls-Royce as “the most silent car in the world”. To help back this claim up, the luxurious saloon features six millimetres of two-layer glazing all around the car and more than 130kg of sound insulation. Rolls-Royce says that these measures have made the new Phantom 10 per cent quieter than its predecessor – making it an ideal makeshift recording studio.
The Phantom’s new twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre V12 engine has also been designed with quiet travel in mind. The power plant’s 900Nm of torque is delivered at a low 1,700rpm, which allows for “calm low-speed progress associated with state occasions and an unfussed surge of power when one needs to press on”.
This is not the first time that Rolls-Royce has collaborated with a famous musician. Earlier this year, Roger Daltrey of The Who worked with the British firm to create two bespoke vehicles.
The legendary frontman helped design two Wraith coupes inspired by The Who’s legacy. The first featured classic iconography, such as the band’s bullseye logo and a laser-etched depiction of Daltrey’s famous microphone swing.
For the second car, Daltrey worked with Mike McInnerney – the man who produced the artwork for rock opera album Tommy – to create a Wraith that echoed the famous sleeve design.
