WHAT YOU MIGHT ALREADY KNOW
It’s been such a huge 12 months for underground artists in the UK’s rap scene that the “underground” descriptor no longer fits many of its architects. Notably,
fakemink and
EsDeeKid — who we spotlighted in last year’s Music Intelligence Report as drivers of a SoundCloud-born scene making waves — have put a heavy British stamp on trends in emerging hip-hop. As a whole, the UK underground’s streams increased nearly 300% in 2025, and it was the top growing scene on SoundCloud in both the UK and US.
fakemink - “Easter Pink (Prod Suzy Sheer)”
FAKEMINK GOT HUGE CO-SIGNS
To recap, fakemink — who, like EsDeeKid, started his career on SoundCloud — was already heating up at the start of 2025. And then he took off. The London-based rapper saw streams on SoundCloud increase almost 300% over the year. He also earned cosigns from everyone from Drake to the rock band Geese, and is booked for Coachella this summer.
ESDEEKID IS THE HOTTEST RAPPER ON EARTH RIGHT NOW
EsDeeKid, meanwhile, went stratospheric. The surreal but oh-so-real mystery of whether EsDeeKid was really Timotheé Chalamet in disguise was rocket fuel for an already ascendant artist. As rumors swirled and interest from US listeners and culture makers reached fever pitch, his streams surged. Listening increased by over 70x, and in November, the masked rapper from Liverpool hit No. 10 on the UK singles charts and broke into the Billboard 200. His debut album, 2025’s ‘Rebel,’ is now the longest-charting UK rap album ever on the Billboard 200.
EsDeeKid and Rico Ace - “Phantom”
HOW SOUNDCLOUD SHAPES MUSIC CULTURE, ON AND OFF THE PLATFORM
The rise of the new wave of UK rap offers a fascinating view of how different scenes on SoundCloud reverberate and resonate with one another. Stylistically diverse by nature, UK rap cherry-picks from grime, drill, alternative R&B and, as recently exemplified by trendsetters like fakemink and
Zukovstheworld, the “jerk” hip-hop scene in the US. Developed on SoundCloud by leading artists like
xaviersobased and
Nettspend, jerk is propelled by distinctive syncopated, shifty drums and claps, and hypnotic melodies that pull from electronic dance music. This transatlantic connection runs deep — the UK scene’s most prominent acts are working with jerk producers, including
444jet, OK, reklus1ve and
cranes— and are reshaping hip-hop on both sides of the Atlantic.
xaviersobased - “Softer (cranes)”
The shared production influences trace back to the SoundCloud scenes of the early 2010s. Then, electronic and hip-hop artists were exploring synth-laden production with a nocturnal or even gothic tint.
Salem was introducing the dark and ethereal sounds of witch house;
Yung Lean was crafting heavy, gray-sky cloud rap; and
Crystal Castles was producing gritty, disaffected electro anthems.
Crystal Castles - “Lovers Who Uncover”
We are requesting assistance in identifying or providing context for the artist “EsDeeKid.” Information is currently limited, and any relevant public details would be appreciated for informational purposes only.
How does this fit into what else is going on?
This witchy production lineage of the 2010s has colored another fast-growing scene with cultural ties to emerging hip-hop that some are calling an “electroclash revival.”
Snow Strippers,
Bassvictim and
Frost Children help lead this new wave, producing coiled-energy electro bangers with a punk spirit that feel built for warehouse after hours. This burgeoning scene covers diverse sounds, reimagining the intersections of electronic, hip-hop and indie. And its ties across genres illustrate the ways communities take shape on SoundCloud and beyond.
THESE DIFFERENT OFF-SHOOTS DON’T COMPETE; THEY CO-EXIST AND CROSS-POLLINATE
You might find artists from these different worlds sharing a stage, a producer and the same cultural space. Fakemink has opened for Snow Strippers, Zukovstheworld has featured Frost Children on a track and link ups between the world of the UK underground and jerk are manifold. Often a nexus for collaboration, the influential New York hip-hop collective and label
Surf Gang is regularly doubling as a connective tissue within these scenes.
WHERE IS THE UK UNDERGROUND GOING NEXT?
Like how SoundCloud rap’s expansive nature evolved from the intersection of trap, emo, punk and more — fueled by SoundCloud’s community-building features — today’s scenes cross-pollinate through social interaction on the platform. Expect to see the behind-the-scenes links that have shaped the UK underground, jerk and affiliated movements come to the forefront in 2026 through collaborations of leading acts. And with albums from SoundCloud day ones fakemink and xaviersobased out in 2026, expect the leaders of the underground to become household names and shape popular music for years to come. Look out for tour packages that pull from across these rising scenes, as well as legacy hip-hop and pop royalty tapping in with scene leaders on collaborative tracks.
