So Alive (Skepta and N-Dubz song)

"So Alive" is a song by British MC Skepta and British trio, N-Dubz. It was released as an official single on 6 February 2011. It is the fourth single released Skepta's third album Doin' It Again and N-Dubz's third album Love.Live.Life. The single peaked at #99 on the UK Singles Chart.

"So Alive"
Single by Skepta vs. N-Dubz
from the album Doin' It Again and Love.Live.Life
Released	6 February 2011
Recorded	2010
Genre	Grime hip hop
Length	2:59 (radio edit) 3:38 (album version)
Label	3 Beat, All Around the World
Songwriter(s)	J. Adenuga Contostavlos Tulisa Contostavlos Richard Rawson
Producer(s)	J. Adenuga
Skepta singles chronology
"Cross My Heart" (2010) "So Alive" (2011) "Amnesia" (2011)
N-Dubz singles chronology
"Girls" (2010) "So Alive" (2011) "Morning Star" (2011)
Music video
Video on YouTube

Background

The song's radio edit lasts just under three minutes, while the album version has a longer intro and lasts nearly four minutes Skepta described the song to Digital Spy: "It's a fusion. N-Dubz are seen as a pop group and I'm more of an urban artist. Normally when those two collide the result is a big pop tune, but I wanted to do it the other way around and bring out N-Dubz's grime side. Fortunately fans of mine and N-Dubz both seem to love it!" He also explained the delay of the official single release: "I've been waiting for the right time to get it out. There was a bit of a rat race last year with so many grime artists coming out, but I feel like I've got a clear run at the moment and there's a buzz about it. Timing is everything."^[1]

Music video

The music video for "So Alive" premiered on 19 November 2010 on YouTube. At most points of the video, both Skepta and N-Dubz are all shown rapping in a ring of fire and on top of a building. The video ends with Skepta slowly jumping off the building. Dappy and Fazer are also shown in front of red illuminated gates individually during their verses. The video has over 3,500,000 views as of 22 August 2012.

Track listings

Digital download / CD single^[2]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"So Alive" (Radio Edit)	2:59
2.	"So Alive" (Cahill Radio Edit)	3:24
3.	"So Alive" (Cahill Club Mix)	6:00
4.	"So Alive" (Document One Mix)	3:06
5.	"So Alive" (Metrik Mix)	4:29
6.	"So Alive" (ShockOne Radio Edit)	4:11

Personnel

• Lead vocals – Skepta and N-Dubz
• Producers – J. Adenuga
• Lyrics – J. Adenuga, Contostavlos, Tulisa Contostavlos, Richard Rawson
• Label: All Around the World

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (2011)	Peak position
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[3]	99
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[4]	26

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
United Kingdom	6 February 2011	Digital Download, CD single	3 Beat, All Around the World

References

1. Digital Spy - Interview with Skepta by Robert Copsey. 2011-01-31
2. "So Alive by Skepta". Amazon.co.uk.
3. "The Official Charts Company – Skepta – So Alive". Official Charts Company.
4. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.