The spark of U.K. rap’s new era was ignited in 2021, and it glowed with the familiar warmth of plugg. “I’m in Mayfair eating lobster (lob-sta)/ She want me to take her to Costa (kos-tah)” raps YT on “Arc’teryx,” a song that heralded the new scene’s subsumption of American rap traditions mixed in with splashes of homegrown flavor. Since then, more and more U.K. artists have emerged with exciting, provocative styles; suddenly, the country’s rap scene is as hot as it’s been since 2014, when Skepta stepped in front of the green screen for the “That’s Not Me” video.
And those American influences run deep. These days, U.K. artists tend to rely on jerk beats, revitalized by stateside artists like xaviersobased; spreading them across songs like nails in load-bearing walls, while lyrics are packed with references to American brands and athletes. But the best artists embrace their respective regional quirks (EsDeeKid’s thick scouser accent, for example) and cannily tap nostalgia to turn heads (see the frutiger metro aesthetic of YT and Lancey Foux’s “Black & Tan” music video, directed by Lauzza). Unlike the grime scene of the past, the new gen has been raised on the internet: they know what plays on TikTok, but that doesn’t dictate how they move.
What separates the current crop of fresh faces from UK rappers in the last decade who have found varying degrees of success — such as Central Cee, Skepta, Slowthai, J Hus, Dean Blunt, and Pretty V — is a cross-pollination across the group writ large. A kwes e video will feature a cameo from Jim Legxacy. Searching for Legxacy might yield his live beat session on Plaqueboymax’s In The Booth series. From there, the recommendation algorithm might feed you Fakemink aura farming on the same stream, opening up the associated rabbit hole that bridges you to EsDeeKid’s “LV Sandals” featuring Fakemink and Rico Ace.
The scene’s breakout has been building for years. Lancey Foux, a wily veteran of the current ecosystem, emerged in the late 2010s as an across-the-pond stylistic disciple to Playboi Carti. His path served as an early template for how many of these artists have found success: Building off of American production styles and vocalizations, by leaning into the contours of his near-wailing, English register with cybernetic flair.
Like a young NBA core coalescing into their prime together, listeners have seen hallmarks of the undercurrent of U.K. rap develop in real time. And by stumbling on any one of them you discover an entire world with clear throughlines connecting the dots. Here are some of the moments that have come to define this universe, treading the line between grassroots and global.
Dec. 6, 2019: Lancey Foux Releases the Friend or Foux tape
Before Foux would assume his role as the Demar DeRozan of this collection of younger British talent — a good player who served as the foundation for a perennial playoff squad in the Toronto Raptors, but could never reach championship heights — he was more associated with the four horsemen of the pre-plugg Soundcloud period (Carti, UnoTheActivist, Thouxanbanfauni, and Lucki).
This was not only because of a clear indebtedness to Young Thug’s veering cadences, but also due to a penchant for popular lonerism (mysterious social presence, coupled with a physique tailor-made for Rick Owens).
Friend or Foux highlighted his peculiarities even if they were framed in familiarity: “India,” the biggest song on the project features a steadily rising vocal range over a Pi’erre Bourne-type beat (Foux has since dismissed the track as a “pop song.”)
March 14, 2021: “Arc’teryx” drops
A crossroads for YT and the existing movement that would take off on TikTok. Patagonia’s swagless corporate uniform associations are rejected in favor of renewed gorpcore fetishism. It also marked the beginning of a fruitful partnership with Lauzza.
The song’s success led to labels eager for a sequel to court the then-Oxford student with five-to six figure deals. YT wisely rebuked them to focus on honing his craft without label backing. The result? His 2023 mixtape #STILLSWAGGING. It was on this project where YT put it all together: a single production style (the tape functions like an homage to the jerk era) laced with memorable hooks (“Really stingy with my money: Mr. Krabs”), playful bars (“I was really fourteen makin’ hundreds off Supreme/And my stocks going up like it’s Doge or AMC”), and a refreshing self-awareness.
Summer 2023: Phreshboyswag orbits the broader jerk revival
But before #STILLSWAGGING, there was Phreshboyswag who slotted into the 2020’s jerk renaissance alongside artists like xaviersobased, YhapoJJ, and tenkay.
For the uninitiated: Phreshboyswag was incorporating indie sleaze into his general persona well the early 2010s-era trend returned. His pants? Outrageously tight. His leather accessories? Studded. His hair? Perpetually messy. His cover art? Mega-filtered images of unbridled partying reminiscent of the halcyon days of IG and Tumblr.
As for the music itself — he employs a guttural English inflection to spin depraved tales of sloppy hedonism: “I step out the house in skinny jeans and makeup/I’m a party boy yeah I think we’re gonna break up,” he delivers dissonantly on “Throwing Up.” While building out his verses, Phreshboy will often repeat the same structural line, tacking on more detail with each repetition like he’s reciting an incantation.
Associated more with a burgeoning scene in New York than his London roots, the 24-year-old artist would be recognized more as a rapper who happened to be British rather than a British rapper, despite making music that at least built off similar American traditions as some of the other artists listed here. Formerly part of 1c34, the rap collective started by xaviersobased, Phreshboyswag unceremoniously left last summer after assault and abuse allegations surfaced online.
Late 2022: Emergence of Victory Lap
What started as a travelling talent spotlight by photographer Joseph McDermott has ended up becoming a bonafide radio station housed in NTS’s physical HQ and a melting pot for emerging and established UK talent to share the same mic. Victory Lap was one of the only platforms (along with I Am Next) supporting the faces involved in the swelling movement — see this birthday celebration for Lauzza, which featured YT and Kwes E participating in the same intimate cypher with phil, a producer who predates the current scene by a half-decade but has gotten behind the boards for Pinkpantheress and Jim Legxacy.
Through these group cyphers, Victory Lap is able to channel the effortless camaraderie that so often shows up in music videos or on posse cuts. It also pairs larger names with up-and-comers like when Central Cee and Dave, fresh off “Sprinter,” shared the same room with Len.
Victory Lap also serves as an outpost for Anglo-American relations — Slimesito and Shawny Binladen have performed live at the station’s studio, while Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE have delivered interviews.
December 2023: Fakemink’s ascendence
The 20-year-old critical darling who has been “grinding on FL studio since he was 10 years old” also helped shape a micro-genre — moody jerk — its sound reminiscent of a voicemail spouting juvenile malaise recorded from nearly 10,000 feet in the air right before the transmission breaks up. The Fakemink agenda is flirting with an increasing proximity to the mainstream, with songs like “LV Sandals” finding its way into Camilla Caballo’s studio downtime playlist.
“Black & Tan” teased as video snippet, proceeds to soundtrack summer 2024
From IG snippet to video snippet to a song that met expectations and then some. A crowning jewel of the jerk revival from any country, “Black & Tan” happens to be a masterclass in back-and-forth one-up-manship that somehow feels relatable because of the lack of self-seriousness: “I’m in Ikoyi in Lagos spendin’ very large amounts /
I might fly to Montréal, cop some JJJJound.”
Lauzza’s run of videos
The mind behind the “Black & Tan” video has been instrumental in expanding the overall visibility of the scene. By cannily tapping nostalgia (which has been examined by Alphonse Pierre at length) Lauzza offers a familiar setting for those raised in Discord trenches and snippet-sharing group chats.
Rather than just lift the mapping architecture from an arbitrary level, the director/videographer will impose fantastical video game or other digital signifiers onto reality and oscillate between the two: In the video for “Father,” for example, Jim Legxacy rides a bus that traverses through Windows Vista landscapes, while YT and Fimiguerrero’s “MVP” borrows physics from the NBA Street series but also checks off a list of contemporary basketball fandom’s visual cues including Kobe’s brooding, Larry O’Brein trophy-clutching locker room portrait.
Since the release of “Black & Tan,” Lauzza has burrowed deeper into early aughts video game simulations further resonating with a generation that has grown up defining their existence within virtual planes.
Sept. 25, 2025 – Feb. 14, 2025: Feng’s What The Feng rollout
Ahead of his debut project the 19-year-old born-again Christian by way of Croydon released a few videos that went beyond nostalgia-baiting, into something harder to pin down. You get the sense that Feng is trying to timestamp his adolescence rather than cling onto it — images and scenes of carefree kickbacks are refracted through 480p haziness.
A typical Feng listening experience will incorporate synthy cords reminiscent of Ratatat-era electronica with rolling snares that build but never boil in the vein of a more restrained, early 2010s Atlanta trap loosie. Imagine the first 20 seconds of an operatic production from Metro Boomin or Lex Luger looping indefinitely.
It’s not meant to be profound, especially when paired with his straightforward lyrics: “Future looking bright, like I got on sunglasses,” he drones on “Walk in the Park,” levelheaded about what’s to come without being in a rush. A good portion of his subject matter is rooted in faith but doesn’t feel watered down: Youthful hedonism isn’t castigated but is navigated around, focusing on the pillars of a simpler existence.
March 2025: Plaqueboymax hosts a UK version of In the Booth
Megastar streamer Plaqueboymax is the de facto tastemaker of a new generation, demonstrating a legitimate curiosity about emerging rap talent while also recognizing forefathers of the genre.
What might seem like a baselevel prerequisite is actually a jarring quality when compared to the rest of his comparatively disinterested peers. His tentpole series may hold the key: “Song Wars” is a form of bracketology where up-and-coming rappers create tracks on the spot that are judged by a panel until a winner is selected. “In the Booth,” his other landmark series, features the 22 year-old playing the role of the laidback engineer, crafting songs on the spot while shooting the shit in equal measure.
The music that emerges can often be surprisingly good, with some tracks even catapulting into the Billboard charts. But he’s also fostered an approachable environment where artists can ease into more authentic versions of themselves, or at least approximate whatever naturalism is possible when tens of thousands of people are watching your every move.
In March 2025, Max headed to the U.K. for a special edition of In the Booth and tapped the likes of YT, Len, Fimiguerrero, and Jim Legxacy, releasing the songs on the EP 5$TAR SESSIONS: LONDON.The percolating wave of U.K. rap had officially become entirely borderless.
