The “rap is dead” crowd got particularly loud this year. The news that in October/November of this year, there were no rap songs in the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 40 for the first time since 1990 only made them more insufferable, but it should be remembered that it’s only really a coincidence when chart success and quality line up. If anything, it just made it all the more important to look past the headlines and heated discourse, to dig deeper when we evaluate who was really doing it this year.
Skepta, for example, had one of his best years in recent memory with at least half a dozen bangers to sit with the very best of his discography. Central Cee continued to reign supreme with his album, Can’t Rush Greatness, which did enjoy chart success, but also deepened his foothold in the States. Most interesting, though, were the newcomers. Alt-rap has been a healthy scene for years now, and its influence on the wider scene has yielded a crop of young stars mixing it with rap, drill, grime and more. The abrasive distortion that was once a fringe sound can be heard in fakemink’s luxurious sound, EsDeeKid’s subzero Scouse bangers, and the caustic bass sounds on Finessekid’s drill-influenced self-titled EP.
We also had some of the most ambitious creations, and maybe a rap scene that isn’t troubling the charts will start producing more of them. Little Torment’s Henny Music 4, afrosurrealist’s BUYBRITISH and Ceebo’s blair babies are three of the most inventive, conceived and perfectly realised long players we’ve ever had and they’ll never chart—and that’s a good thing. The same goes for former Mashtown rhymer Asco’s award-winning return to Kojey and Little Simz’s efforts: they’re all critically acclaimed and they even have big, memorable singles, but not shooting for mainstream success has made for more interesting and longer-lasting art.
For this year’s list the top UK rhymers, we used the following criteria:
Buzz
Impact & Influence
Body Of Work
Mainstream Radar
Rapping Ability
Other Achievements
Did your favourite make the cut? Find out below in our rundown of the Best British Rappers Of 2025, Ranked.
30. Tiny Boost
One of the Peckham old guard who deserves a lot more credit than he gets, Tiny Boost’s workrate and dedication to the core fundamentals of UK rap while still pushing the culture forward needs to be celebrated. We often talk about his rawness, but at the tail end of 2025, he showed us just how refined and fleshed out his vision is with Hunger Is Priceless. He first emerged 20 or so years ago alongside Giggs and the Peckham Young Gunners (PYG), and it’s been a long journey since then. He’s had his share of obstacles and challenges along the way, not least the same Form 696 that threatened to derail Giggs’ rise to the top, and a significant IPP sentence (a controversial scheme where offenders are handed minimum sentences with no maximum), but that seems to have given him a bloody-minded determination to dig deep and push forward.
On Hunger Is Priceless, he still goes hard and shares more candid stories of his run-ins with the law, but he sounds more comfortable in his position. It lives up to its title, but there’s melody, Game Of Thrones references, friendly spars with fellow veterans like Wretch 32 and Youngs Teflon. We doubt he’ll ever lose his edge, but this year it was good to hear Tiny Boost sound like he’s enjoying some success and security in his position. —James Keith
29. Zino Vinci
28. JayaHadADream
27. Kofi Stone
26. LeoStayTrill
25. Little Torment
Pain-rap don Little Torment made major waves in 2025 thanks to his Henny Music 4 mixtape. The latest entry in his long-running Henny Music series built on his previous work—including earlier tapes and deluxe collabs with DJTR Beats—while taking his sound to a whole new level. Tracks like “In My Feels” with Catch and “Free Us All” with Marnz Malone and KayMuni highlighted his versatility, blending raw storytelling with the brazen energy of road rap. His freestyles also went crazy viral. But what truly set Tormz apart was his consistency and his growing connection with fans via interviews and being more active online. By the end of the year, the South London native wasn’t just making waves—he was showing he’s one of the UK’s finest storytellers. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson
24. Chip
23. Sainté
22. Youngs Teflon
21. Booter Bee
20. Ceebo
South London’s Ceebo has had a standout year, firmly cementing himself as an artist to watch. Last year’s LAMBETHNOTLA kicked the door open, with tracks like “MEMORY LANE”, “ICARUS WAS A YOUT FROM BRIXTON” and “MATANGA” showcasing his depth, honesty and ambition. Building on that momentum, his highly-anticipated mixtape blair babies, executively produced by Mimi The Music Blogger, delivered on every front. Balancing awareness and release, the project features collaborators such as afrosurrealist, Chefbkay and Jim Legxacy, alongside a range of talented producers. While often labelled a conscious rapper, Ceebo blends sharp social understanding with infectious energy, allowing listeners to dance through reflection and reality. Tracks like “pentecost of living”, “buzzball summer” and “captain roscoe with a crossbow” pull from Afroswing, grime, gospel, hip-hop and UK drill, painting a vivid picture of inner-city life. A seasoned performer, Ceebo’s presence and consistency make him a hopeful symbol for the future of UK rap. —Naz Hamdi
19. Chy Cartier
18. Pozer
17. Mazza L20
16. Kasst 8
15. Finessekid
Finessekid is fast emerging as one of the UK’s most compelling new voices. Since arriving on the scene last year, his ascent has felt both rapid and refreshingly organic. In an industry crowded by digital noise and constant competition, he built momentum through carefully placed snippets and cypher appearances, creating genuine word-of-mouth long before releasing his debut single, “Badderz Got Talent”, last winter. By that point, his name was already ringing out. There’s an undeniable magnetism to Finessekid’s music. On tracks like “Like Sosa” and “Coucoo”, his playful bars and precise, technical wordplay take centre stage, seamlessly balancing turn-up energy with character-rich lyricism that keeps listeners locked in. Sonically, he pulls from Chicago drill, early UK drill, and Atlanta trap, but keeps it feeling fresh and very much of the 2020s. This year’s self-titled debut EP is a concise statement of intent: six tracks, no features, and complete confidence. With co-signs from Kenny Allstar, Lancey Foux and Skepta (including a collab with the Tottenham legend), Finessekid’s trajectory looks unstoppable, with 2026 set to be his biggest year yet. —Naz Hamdi
14. YT
13. Wretch 32
12. Asco
11. fakemink
10. Scorcher
On the menacing “9:17 PM” with Smila, Scorcher boasts he’s “wicked on rap” but “nicer on grime”—a claim he backs up by gliding effortlessly between the two. This year saw the North London MC step back into the spotlight in a major way, blending years of sharpened lyricism with new music and a renewed cultural presence. Scorcher first emerged in the early 2000s with his grime-rap sound, later establishing himself as a gifted producer and actor. But life had other plans: stints in prison, fatherhood and real-world pressures pushed music to the background. Thankfully, that at all changed when he decided to make a full comeback in 2024, and by Feb 2025, he was crowned Best Grime Act at the MOBO Awards, celebrated for injecting that raw, early-00s grit back into the scene. But, as Scorcher warned us a few months back, he’s only just getting warmed up. —JP
9. Little Simz
Little Simz has the heart of a lion. The last year or so has been tough on her, given her ongoing legal battle with former best friend and collaborator Inflo over unpaid debts, which forced a creative chasm that brought a half decade of incredible work between the two to an end. Rather than staying holed up, Simz embraced the pain and fired right back with her visceral rollercoaster of an album, Lotus. Not only does she send for Inflo on the incendiary “Thief” (as well as throughout), she opens up on her emotional tailspin and the sheer weight of the breakdown of the relationship that now lies on her shoulders. As vulnerable as she’s ever been, her creative mind knew no bounds, and it was clear this was a Simz we’ve not quite ever seen. She gave us her trademark majestic moments of musical bliss on tracks like “Only”, grit on movers like “Flood” and even playfulness on “Young”. This was Simz refusing to be counted out because of her experiences but being powered by them. Strong enough to offer the scene one of the best projects of the year, that further strengthens her album run since 2019’s GREY Area as one of the most impressive from a UK rapper. As someone who attended her glorious homecoming show at London’s O2 earlier this year, one thing was clear: Simz is resolute. And we love her for it. —Yemi Abiade
8. Knucks
It felt like Knucks was gone forever. After the success of 2022’s Alpha Place, which earned him a MOBO Award, he set on a journey of self-reflection. Time spent with his family in Nigeria allowed him to negotiate with his past life experiences and find peace in his dual identity as a London-born Brit and a proud African man. The result this year was his much-anticipated follow-up to Alpha Place, A Fine African Man, which is sonically steeped in everything from Afrobeats to Amapiano, signalling a shift in Knucks’ game. With his typically suave demeanour and execution, the North-West Londoner gave us some of the best tracks in his catalogue, including project opener “Masquerade”, “Pure Water” and “Cut Knuckles”, each mini chapters in his overall story of seeking balance within himself. This was a mature, mindful incarnation of the man who gave us Alpha Place, while still retaining the grit and lyrical dexterity that has enamoured the scene over the years. With his own production all over the project too, Knucks showed his adaptability to new sonic influences, cementing just how complete of an artist he really is. Add a killer feature on Youngs Teflon’s “Tony’s Tub” and you have a great 365 from the MC as he continues to prove why he is one of the UK’s most essential rappers and artists. —Yemi Abiade
7. Kojey Radical
Following up Reason To Smile can’t have been an easy prospect for Kojey Radical. That album was a huge accomplishment for the East London rhymer; it was a fully realised and cohesive collection, which also introduced him to larger audiences and mainstream spaces. We saw Kojey on everything from Taskmaster to Sunday Brunch, and it was great to see his music get out there and hit fresh years, but at the end of the day, we just wanted more music. Three years is a long pause, especially in this day and age, and it must have been tempting to put out some loosies or a care package, but thankfully Kojey is made of sterner stuff. Instead, he hunkered down in his live-in studio complex with writers, producers and like-minded artists and made sure he got it right. With Don’t Look Down, he stuck the landing, thankfully. Doubling down on his core values, Kojey sagely took note that what made the last LP a success was well-written and authentic rap, not mainstream pretensions and big-name collabs. Like-minded artists like Bawo, Cristale and even pop crusader MNEK fit his narrative, not the other way around. The three-year wait was more than worth it to hear Kojey get back in his funk, jazz and R&B-tinged grooves. Take as long as you need for the next one, Kojey. We trust you. —James Keith
6. Nemzzz
When a buzzy new artist arrives with a couple of hits and all the right people saying all the right things, the real test of their mettle is pushing past that and converting it into long-term success. Nemzzz did that this year. The hype train is fickle, but Nemzzz stuck to his guns, bunkered down in the studio and did the work. Two years ago, Nemzzz was the buzzy new kid on the block, enjoying huge viral success thanks to the Drake-sampling “8am In Manny”. Drake gave him the stamp of approval, and collabs with Headie One, K-Trap and even Lil Yachty followed suit. Then, last year, he made good on that promise with his debut project, Do Not Disturb. All very impressive stuff that helped him stick around for a year or so, but what earned him his place on this list was the way he reacted to it.
He didn’t coast or assume it would last forever (which, honestly, must be tempting). Instead, he went right back to the studio to set himself up for a massive 2025 with not one, but two projects—including his huge “ART” collab with Latto. Rent’s Due was a blockbuster affair with high-profile collabs and a glossy, high-end sound and features from Central Cee, D-Block Europe and Chy Cartier. Then, in November, he followed that up with a lean and hungry EP titled From Me 2 U. The latter proved his success doesn’t rest on collabs anymore and the former proved the big names are still lining up to work with him. —James Keith
5. Jim Legxacy
Although his music isn’t strictly rap-focused, it would be a mistake to leave Jim Legxacy out of any roundup of acts shaping British rap and its wider ecosystem in 2025. The South Londoner has emerged as one of the scene’s most exciting frontrunners, representing the forward-thinking sounds coming out of the UK. Since his 2021 project, Citadel, Jim has blended his Nigerian heritage, London upbringing and personal influences into the collage-like soundscape that has become his signature. His music fuses grime, Afrobeats, R&B and emo-rock, drawing in young listeners and cementing his cultural footprint. His 2025 project, black british music, arrived as one of the year’s most anticipated releases, with lead single “father” gaining major traction online thanks to its catchy hook and bittersweet reflection on growing up with an absent father, all set against playful, genre-bending production. Notably, BBM features a track called “new david bowie”, which serves as both a title and a statement, signalling Jim’s belief in his own potential to reshape music with the same unpredictability and vision as the legendary South London rock icon. —Naz Hamdi
4. EsDeeKid
Liverpool, stand up! —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson
3. Dave
The scene became whole again as soon as Dave touched back down. Though over the years he’s been busy with features and the gargantuan “Sprinter”—as well as a weighty joint EP with Central Cee—the fact that the South Londoner’s last full-length project was in 2021 left enough people shaking like New Jack City’s Pookie for the next set. It would come in 2025 with The Boy Who Played The Harp, cementing his return to the top. Though the project divided opinion, it finds Dave focused, delivering some of the best bars in his young career so far.
The album is stacked; a future summer banger with Tems in “Raindance”; a generational sit-down with Kano in “Chapter 16”; exceptional self-reflection in “175 Months” and “My 27th Birthday”. Dave certainly rose to the weight of the occasion, bringing his utmost vulnerable thoughts and state of mind to wax fearlessly and with piercing openness. Dave also paid it forward, offering a spotlight to up-and-comers such as Jim Legxacy and Nicole Blakk, while sharing stages with the likes of Tems and Kano, as well as James Blake. These are world-class musicians that the young man from Streatham comfortably stands besides, which lets you know everything about his artistic prowess. Whether Dave sticks around or goes back into hibernation is anyone’s guess, but in 2025 he showed yet again that his ability to evoke emotion through his music is unmatched and, lyrically, he’s as sharp as he’s ever been. —Yemi Abiade
2. Central Cee
Central Cee’s star continued to shine bright in 2025. At the top of the year, he dropped debut album Can’t Rush Greatness, a collection that pulled together some of the biggest moments in an already action-packed career. He didn’t go overboard with features, shooting for quality over quantity. 21 Savage team-up “GBP” was probably the biggest—no small feat when the rest of the list includes Skepta, Lil Durk, Lil Baby, Latin trap star Young Miko, and a sequel to “Sprinter” with Dave, but the overwhelming majority of the album was pure Cench. Although those collabs were high-profile and his raps were jammed with tales of success, there was something still quite lowkey about the whole thing—and it’s key to his success.
For all the hits and accolades, his presence was never oversaturated. He’s lowkey in interviews, softly spoken, and saves his bravado for the stage. When he’s finished, he goes right back to work. According to his recent Complex cover story, the West London wonder wants to retire by 30. Being able to call time early is an impressive feat if you’re able to pull it off. A legacy untarnished by late-career drop-offs is a special thing, but plenty of rap artists before him have tried and failed to stop at the height of their powers. If it turns out he can’t walk away from it all, we could forgive him (could you??), but if he does, he will have tied a bow on possibly the most successful UK rap career. —James Keith
1. Skepta
In 2025, more than twenty years after swapping his decks for the mic, Skepta is still moving (and shaking) with the same hunger he had as a fresh-faced MC from Meridian Walk. This year, the 43-year-old star reminded everyone why he’s one of the UK’s—and the world’s—most influential figures. He headlined his own Big Smoke Festival in London, curating the line-ups and delivering one of his epic live shutdowns, while also spinning behind the decks for his house imprint, Más Tiempo, proving his influence stretches far beyond rap and grime. Away from the stage, his Vogue-approved fashion label, MAINS, has continued to flourish, cementing his status as not only a sonic innovator but a style and cultural tastemaker too.
Skepta kept the momentum blazing all year, popping up on globally-recognised tracks like Playboi Carti’s “TOXIC” and the now Grammy-nominated “Victory Lap” with Fred again.. and PlaqueBoyMax—a grime-trap-dubstep bop that resonated with both electronic and hip-hop fans alike. And his feature run continued, teaming up with Sammy Virji on “Cops & Robbers”, Tiwa Savage on “On The Low”, Finessekid on “Sirens (From Ireland)”, and (a late entry) J Hus on “Outside”. He even found the time to clash U.S. rapper Joyner Lucas for fun. Skepta also had the world talking with his last-minute set at Glastonbury, which instantly became one of the weekend’s standout moments. For Joseph Jr. Adenuga, 2025 was another bold chapter in a creative journey powered by non-stop motion. Expect more greatness when his Fork & Knife LP lands next year. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson