“A top writer only needs 2 bars to make an impact.” This is what Skepta said after listening to Jim Legxacy’s hook on No Weapons, an instant classic on Dave’s recent release. With Skepta set to release ‘Knife and Fork’, his new album, why not enlist Jim Legxacy to provide another hook or a verse even? Jim took over the UK scene in 2025 with an authentic fusion of real raps and beautiful self-produced neo-soul and his work is so exciting and fresh it would make total sense to pair it with Skepta’s ever-evolving, never-stagnant sound. It felt like Skepta was outside the entirety of 2025, with constant features, releases and his massive Big Smoke Festival in August. Continuing this momentum into 2026, he remains one of the most exciting and fresh artists in the UK over 20 years into his career. Bridging the North/South London divide and bringing the Lewisham and Tottenham sound together could be the best music we hear this year.
Like Jim Legxacy, Ceebo used 2025 to really prove himself to the UK scene, with the release of ‘blair babies’. This was a project devoted to the reclaiming of the narrative surrounding the generation born in the UK during 1997-2007, the tenure of Prime Minister Tony Blair. The topics were heavy. The Lambeth rapper covered subjects such as the numbing over-consumption, institutionalised racism, rising cost of living, causing many to box him in as a purely conceptual, serious rapper. But behind this incredible social commentary is a rapper who likes to have fun in spite of it all, showcased at his recent headline show. Enter J Hus, resident provider of song-of-the-summer in the UK. Ceebo was part of a generation raised on tracks like ‘Did You See’ and ‘Lean & Bop’ and I am truly sure he could lend his services to the creation of the next in a long line of hits.
Loyle Carner and Olivia Dean are two artists cut from the same cloth. The two BRIT school graduates have collaborated before, ‘Homerton’ on Carner’s 2022 album ‘Hugo’, but we are long overdue another. Dean had a massive year in 2025, releasing her second album ‘The Art of Loving’, gaining 50 million monthly listeners on Spotify and becoming the first female solo artist to simultaneously have four singles in the Top 10 of the UK singles chart. Carner likewise was busy throughout the year, with his album ‘hopefully !’ releasing in June which saw him step into a new sound, lush and ethereal, even singing on some tracks. This intimate side to Loyle Carner added to the warmth familiarity of Olivia Dean would produce some real beauty, something laid-back and sunny for the summer or cosy and affectionate for the colder autumn months.
I was lucky enough to see AJ Tracey on his “Not Even A Tour" in 2025, a series of shows in smaller venues across the UK which brought him much closer to fans after years of playing festivals and arenas. There was so much energy in the crowd, everyone was on the same wavelength and it was clear Tracey loved connecting again like this.
Strandz, at a different stage in his career to the now veteran AJ, also used his 2025 show to connect with fans and bring back that party feeling to concerts. With the sound of ‘Diaspora Dance Music’, Strandz reset the barometer for gigs in my eyes and hopefully more artists will follow his lead bringing a feeling of fun and community to concerts. Clearly the two need to link up on a party anthem to propel this into the mainstream convention, something which can unite a dancefloor in a small concert hall and a major festival mainstage alike.
Greg and Tom, known to many as Window Kid and Niko B, are two enigmas of the UK rap scene who have both mastered the balance of music and personality. With their online presences, they have individually cultivated tight-knit fanbases who hang on their every story, repost, tiktok and song release. With the similarity of the two it is almost strange they haven’t collaborated yet with their uniquely British tongue-in-cheek bars and judicious production choices. While Window Kid does usually bring UK Garage/DnB tracks, much louder and brasher than Niko B’s lofi style, the rise in popularity of reworking grime songs onto chill beats shows us Window Kid can definitely flow on this type of tune. Or who knows, maybe we could hear Niko B on a dirty grime beat, stranger things have happened! One thing we do know is hearing the two go bar for bar, reference for reference, punchline for punchline, would be a fantastic watch.
2025 was an undeniable year for the UK underground, many are even debating whether it can still be called that. From this crowd arose Sinn6r as a wunderkind and his release ‘#FEDERAL’ had a grip on the scene even before its release, highly anticipated after his single ‘Personally’. Fimiguerrero spent the year feeding ‘Conglomerate’ fans with singles, such as ‘my bad bro’ and ‘designer’, each taking over Tiktok and Instagram stories. His two features on Esdeekid’s “Rebel” only propelled him further, fans now left itching for another project. If we see arrive in 2026, the inclusion of Sinn6r would be exciting, both rappers containing this bouncy flow, always with an unapologetic presence on the beat. The unified forefront of the UK Underground has always seemed inherently collaborative and its best work comes at the intersection of its most sensational artists so to see these two on a track would be definitely remarkable and would naturally dominate social media.
All photo credits: Adam Brocklesby @acwbrocklesby
