Many people tend to look at UK Rap with a London-centric lens; however the scene has always had talent in other regions.
In the last decade we’ve seen rappers who live outside the M25 smash it globally, such as Aitch, Bugzy Malone, Mist and many others.
Today, we will be spotlighting 18 upcoming UK rappers from outside London who have been making waves and who we foresee doing well in the near future.
Kenzo Str8drop:
Starting of strong with rising Manny star Kenzo Str8drop. Kenzo has hit the ground running since being released from Prison in October 2024. Since then he has rapping like the rent is due. The Manny rapper has since dropped 7 banging singles with the highlight (In our opinion) being Weren’t All That. He also dropped his first ever Interview on our platform whilst performing at Ellie Prohan’s headline show. Watch it here. If that wasn’t enough he also featured on Aitch’s track Pop It Off which you can catch on the album 4. Kenzo is an artist you definitely need to keep an eye out for!
Nicole Blakk:
Located just outside the city is multilingual rapper Nicole Blakk. She’s went viral multiple times for freestyling in Hindi, Punjabi and French. She has put in crazy work over the years with tracks such as SONYA & White Wine. Her talent and hard work led to her being recruited by Dave on the critically acclaimed emotive track Fairchild, which can be found on his latest album The Boy Who Played The Harp. Nicole Blakk is yet to release a project but when the time comes i know she’ll be one to put Hertfordshire on the map.
Sav NDO:
We’ll be staying in Hertfordshire to talk on Sav NDO who hails from Hatfield. He is a rapper who is helping to put wave rap back on everyone’s radar. He has hits that have went viral such as All This, Hoods Hottest and Distance. If he manages to be consistent this year he could definitely cement himself in the UK Rap scene. The wave rapper is someone I foresee putting Hertfordshire on the map.
SBK:
SBK is another Hertfordshire rapper who hails from the town of Stevenage. SBK is a talented individual who can also produce. In the past legends such as Novelist, JME, Skepta as well as other greats showed him crazy love. Although he’s had his ups and downs throughout his career, he undoubtedly has the talent to succeed and go far in the UK Scene. Tracks such as Working and 100% have proved it. Go give him a listen.
LedByHer:
We previously covered LedByHer in our post, in light of International Women’s Day; However it is worth covering her again. LedByHer was born in Ingolstadt, Germany, where her father was stationed with the Royal Air Force. She would later move to Medan, Indonesia with her mother and then the Norfolk countryside and later moved to London at age 19 to pursue her music dream — a decision that seems to have paid off. Her unique voice, unorthodox flow make her a worthwhile listen. Take her in.
Drippah:
Drippah is a rapper who we’ve had the opportunity to meet with a few times. The rapper hails from Leeds and has been slowly killing the scene. He has also been consistent this year, dropping Swag Out & What You Started. We’ve had the opportunity to see his unreleased tracks & trust that he is cooking! The Yucky Prezident also has some collabs pending (which i will not talk on, at least yet…). If you’re a fan of Young Thug, D-Block Europe or Future then you need to tap in w/ Drippah expediously.
Klyrae:
Another artist we touched on in the our post highlighting women in rap is Handsworths Klyrae. She has been making consistent strides in the midlands and has featured on deed0t’s single Stand & Lean. The Birmingham rapper someone who is worth keeping an eye on as her work had Brummie Trillary Banks draft her in for her track Electric Avenue. Check her stuff asap and then thank us later.
Juuggyy:
Brighton rapper Juuggyy is someone who built up a crazy buzz in 2024 & 2025. His aggressive social media marketing of his tracks Top Strikers & No Prince Charmers are what helped put him on the map. Juuggyy is known for his energetic bars and rapid flow. In August he featured on the track G-Cat Freestyle which can be found on Groundwork’s project Catergory: G. He is currently incarcerated for unknown reasons; However once he is free theirs no reason he won’t pick up where he left off!
ArrDee:
Brighton’s biggest artist, ArrDee came into everyone’s radar in 2021 with tracks such as 6AM in Brighton & Cheeky Bars (Freestyle). Over the years he’s worked with top artists in the UK scene such as Digga, Tion Wayne, Mazza L20, Russ Millions and many other household names in UK Rap. His debut mixtape, Pier Pressure, was certified Gold by the BPI. Although he has been failing to resonate with a portion of his audience we believe he can still get back to the heights he was once on a few years ago.
N3:
Mr. BigManBars is someone who’s been rapping since a pickney. Hailing from a place hailed as “Britain’s worst Town”, N3 is a MC who commands respect on any stage. He is someone who’s been showed love from legends in the scene such as Wiley and Scorcher to name a few. N3 is a cold lyricist and jumps on the mic with pure energy. He recently dropped his debut project titled 2000 Hours, dedicated to the hours put into his craft. Go and take that in now!
Eze:
Eze is another rapper from Luton. He is a multifaceted MC who is able to rap as well as produce (A skill that many artists overlook). Whilst listening to his discography, we see him transition from an artist influenced by the UK Drill scene and his transition into Grime. Eze dropped his first track of 2026 on March 6 called Oh My; In addition he also produced Awize’s latest single featuring Amzzino, titled Salem. Go take him in.
Awize:
Another Grime talent from Luton is AWize. The talented MC is versatile enough to rap on both Grime beats as well as HipHop. AWize has a joint 3 song EP with fellow Luton resident Eze titled Mark My Words. He has recently released a track called Salem which features rising star Amzzino as well as production from Eze. A wise man would invest in AWize because he can definitely reach the next level if he can become consistent enough.
BXKS:
BXKS is the last artist on this list who hails from Luton (how many rappers can be from one town?). BXKS is another artist we covered previously on our IWD post. The Innit Gyal rapper is a very versatile artist who demonstrated her artistic prowess the best on her mixtape titled FEAR OF ECLIPSE. The 11 track project features dancey vibes, Grime vibes as well as UK Underground. We implore you to take her in.
Pozzy:
In 2025, Pozzy, who hails from Bury St Edmunds quickly became the talk of the town and for good reason. Last summer he featured on Sir Spyro’s ‘Sounds of the verse’ which saw him stand shoulder to shoulder with MOBO nominee namesbliss. If that isn’t enough Pozzy also blessed us with his project it’s all up in the air. He has already begun 2026 in style with Rectangles.
Oskar:
Oskar is an underrated standout star. Hailing from Crewe, he has been on a tear throughout 2025, appearing on BBC 1Xtra as well as performing with other upcoming stars at the Adidas event, hosted by JD. He’s already started 2026 off to a very strong start, releasing Skate on January 2nd as well as a collaboration with producer Wilfred on the single EVERYONE MOVES released exactly three weeks after ‘Skate’ on January 23rd. Most recently Oskar released Wonton Rice!
LiamG:
LiamG is very versatile act who we met at our Christmas cypher last December which you can watch here. The artist who hails from Cambridge has been releasing music since 2022 where he dropped his debut project 14 Frames Of Mind. The rapper is capable off singing, hitting melodies as well as rapping on a variety of beats, meaning he isn’t boxed to any specific sub-genre of music. If he is able to find a reliable rollout strategy he will get to where he needs to be in no time. The penthouse & had to make it up are clear examples of this.
Jayahadadream:
Another artist from Cambridge is Jayahadadream. She is just another amazing artist we covered in our post highlighting women in rap. Jaya who attended The University Of Nottingham has stated that her move to Notts played a pivotal role in shaping her music career. She credits Nottingham for helping her find her sound, saying “I was born in Cambridge but Nottingham raised me, Nottingham raised this musician that you see.”. Regardless she is definitely an artist outside of London you need to take in!
Meduulla:
Last but not least is Manchester’s Meduulla. The finalist of The Rap Game Season 3 has been able to do music full-time some time now. We had the chance to meet her whilst co-hosting Dapo Agiri’s radio show ‘The Vinyl Resting Place’ which you can listen to on Hoxton Radio. Last year she blessed us with her project Tabula Rase which was produced by Ethan Hill. Meduulla who has previously performed at Reading & Leeds festival is yet to drop us any tunes this year; However whatever she drops will be worth the wait. Catch her at the great escape festival in Brighton on May 13 or at the Jazz Cafe on June 9.
