Two thousand and twenty-five was the year of the UK rap renaissance.
On the mainstream side, Skepta headlined major festivals, Central Cee released his long-awaited debut album, Can’t Rush Greatness, and Dave returned with his first solo project in four years, The Boy Who Played the Harp. (Both albums stood out as two of the year’s best.)
But if you zoom in on the fringes of the scene, a bubbling UK underground is experiencing explosive growth. Artists like Jim Legxacy, YT, and EsDeeKid are driving the momentum. EsDeeKid in particular—thanks in part to Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Supreme rollout—has been one of the most-streamed rappers of the past two months.
Still, if there has been one constant amid that growth, it’s been 20-year-old Essex-born rapper fakemink. His hype surged in the spring of 2025, and he has earned recognition from some of pop culture’s biggest names, including Clairo, Frank Ocean, Playboi Carti, Drake, and Timothée Chalamet. (He has also been tied to the Marty Supreme rollout.)
He has been one of the year’s breakout young rappers, and it looks like he’s starting 2026 with a bang. fakemink has been teasing that his new album, Terrfed, is “coming soon.” Before the album drops, here’s a quick refresher on one of the most promising young rappers to emerge from the UK. Here’s everything you need to know about fakemink.
Who is fakemink?
Born Vincenzo Camille, fakemink comes from Essex County, England, and was raised in the small suburban town of Basildon, roughly an hour outside London. He has Indian and Algerian roots, a detail he shared on X back in the spring of 2025.
What fakemink songs blew him up?
Despite putting out music for years, fakemink gained his biggest exposure from his feature on fellow rising stars EsDeeKid and Rico Ace’s 2025 track “LV Sandals,” which is one of the best songs of 2025.
While both EsDee and Rico deliver solid verses, mink’s hook is clearly the standout moment of the track. His stuttered repetition of the word “Louis,” paired with a pitched-up delivery, results in what is arguably one of the most memorable hooks of 2025.
The song became one of the biggest singles from EsDee’s debut project, Rebel, and helped propel mink into the spotlight. Even artists like Jack Harlow and Camila Cabello were spotted vibing to mink’s chorus.
Fakemink music beginnings: When did he start?
fakemink has been making music for years.
In 2024, he told No Bells, “I have been using FL Studio since 2015, and I am 19. So I have been using it for like nine years.”
He first released music under the name 9090gate before later rebranding to his current moniker. In a 2025 interview with Hyperpop Daily, he explained how the name change came about, describing it as a “spur-of-the-moment” decision made while sitting on his ex’s bed.
His Spotify profile under the 9090gate name still exists as a pseudo-archive of his earlier persona and continues to attract over half a million monthly listeners.
What is fakemink's music style
fakemink actually started out as a producer and only stepped behind the mic after learning his way around FL Studio.
He spoke about his origins as a rapper with No Bells, saying, “While I was making my music, I was listening to ‘Headlines’ by Drake, and I copied the exact same snare pattern from ‘Headlines’ by Drake, and that is the snare pattern they use in jerk music. And I feel like jerk music is more hyperpop-y. But because I have been working with producers that solely make jerk beats, I am kind of a jerk artist.”
fakemink’s sound is rooted in the fidgety rhythms of jerk, but it’s difficult to pin down to a single genre. His music is a sonic smoothie, pulling from a wide range of internet-born styles. The blaring synths and bassline on the euphoric “Easter Pink” reveal a clear Crystal Castles influence. On “Kill Everything,” he flips Imogen Heap’s “Headlock,” a sample previously used by ASAP Rocky, Lil B, Cochise, 41, and Duwap Kaine. Fakemink adds a refreshing indie-electronica twist, letting the sample stutter and shimmer in the background.
Vocally, mink constantly experiments with pitch, which is on full display on his debut album, London’s Saviour, released in 2023. On some tracks, like “London Life,” his voice sounds as if he inhaled helium before recording, while on others, such as “Loser Monologue,” he uses his natural register or even pitches it down slightly. Regardless of the tone, mink’s distinct nasally voice dominates every genre or instrumental he tackles.
For new listeners, a good place to start is his 2024 EP Wild One, where mink pushes genre boundaries even further. Tracks like the slow, gritty “Chinchilla” and the bouncy, cloud-jerk rhythms of “Blow Me” showcase the full range of his eclectic style.
FakeMink collaborations
fakemink began as a one-man operation. On an Instagram Live, he bragged that he could “produce, record, write, mix, master, and engineer an album in three days,” which is how he made London’s Saviour. As his buzz has grown, that self-contained approach has given way to a widening list of collaborators, from the UK underground to artists in the United States.
Starting in his home country, he has collaborated with the aforementioned EsDeeKid on multiple occasions. The duo has developed strong chemistry beyond “LV Sandals,” releasing tracks like “Tropical (Remix)” and “Slurricane,” both of which push further into the UK’s take on jerk. Mink has also worked with EsDeeKid’s producer, Wraith9, on the ominous track “Fidelio.” Beyond this, he has collaborated with other rising UK underground artists, including GhostInnaFurCoat, Fimigurrero, and Zukovstheworld.
In recent years, mink has also built connections in the US. One of his earliest collaborations was with jerk pioneer xaviersobased on their 2024 song “Shih Tzu.” Xavier told Complex that Mink is his favorite UK rapper, saying, “That is my boy because I really chilled with him, you feel me?”
Since then, Mink has released multiple songs with underground producer WeGoneBeOk, including “Music And Me” and “Look At Me.”
fakemink co-signs: Drake, Frank Ocean, Timothée Chalamet, and more
Mink has been making the rounds, and it all started when Drake brought him onstage during his three-day Wireless Festival takeover. There, Mink performed “Music and Me” and “LV Sandals,” a major moment that put him in the spotlight and set off a series of A-list co-signs.
Shortly after, Frank Ocean followed mink on Instagram and shared a photo of the rapper wearing Homer jewelry for Face Magazine. Later, mink took to IG live to talk about the insight Frank has given him. “He has given me the best advice out of anybody in this game. He is very understanding and he listens. He is not a talker. He talks when he has to, but he really listens, so that is why I fuck with Frank.”
Playboi Carti helped bring mink exposure with a co-sign, inviting him to perform at the LA stop of his Antagonist 2.0 Tour. mink was seen vibing onstage and later performed “LV Sandals” at Carti’s afterparty. Timothée Chalamet is another unexpected co-sign, having been spotted at mink’s show in August. SZA shared his song “Truffle” on her IG Story, and Clairo even followed him on Instagram.
Other notable artists who have been seen linking up with mink include Yung Lean, Pinkpantheress, A$AP Rocky, Ecco2k, Plaqueboymax, Clipse, André 3000, Yeat, Lazerdim700, and Bladee.
Has fakemink worked with Kanye West?
Yeezy has always been an artist with an ear for new promising talent, so it would not be a stretch to assume mink met one of his biggest inspirations.
There’s no official confirmation, but several hints suggest that the UK rapper has at least linked up with Ye. Earlier this year, amid all of Mink’s buzz, he posted a cryptic IG story showing what appeared to be a Chrome Maybach—Kanye’s signature vehicle of choice.
Beyond that, Mink shows a strong Kanye influence, from his drip to his attitude. During his Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival set, he paused the show to play “On Sight” and held his Yeezy Louis Vuittons to his ear, paying homage to the designer. On IG Live, he declared himself “more than just a rapper and later echoed some classic “Kanye-isms,” claiming he’s better than every rapper “dead or alive.”
Is fakemink beefing with Nettspend?
Initially, Mink and US underground rapper Nettspend shared a budding friendship. They were seen hanging out together during New York Fashion Week 2025, alongside Lil Yachty and Slawn. Later, the duo teased a collaborative track at the Grailed event in New York City that September.
For some unknown reason, mink and Nett supposedly fell out with one another and unfollowed each other on IG. In October, Mink posted a story reading: “Showing fake love will not get you nowhere in this world boy,” which fans speculated was aimed towards Nettspend.
Mink then released a track titled “Look At Me,” co-produced by Nett’s go-to producer WeGoneBeOk. Over a moody instrumental, Mink raps: “You be poutin’ on your lips, movin’ like a diva / I got everything you feel like you want and need, uh / I, I’ma let you try and cut because I cut deeper.”
fakemink would deny it was a diss, but fans speculated that these lines were subliminal shots at Nettspend—following his recent modeling work for high-end brands like Miu Miu and Marc Jacobs.
Tour? New Album? What are fakemink’s next steps?
The fourth quarter for Fakemink has been a whirlwind. Just weeks after performing for the first time in the US at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City in September, he made his Camp Flog Gnaw debut, scored a collaboration with Sad Boys Gang leader Ecco2k, and was selected as the key model for the True Religion x Supreme collaboration.
Musically, he’s been teasing his new album on Instagram and dropping loosies on SoundCloud. The album, titled Terrified, is expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2026. Recently, he went on IG Live to explain why the project is taking a bit longer, saying:
"Terrified would not be the album that it is if I did not get all this hate. I had a whole draft album, but as soon as I got this hate, I realized, damn, I have to prove myself even more."