UK rap isn't bad. It is just misunderstood.

I want to destigmatise UK hip-hop as I believe that it has unfairly received a bad rep over the years, which has been highlighted by Skepta's recent clash with Joyner Lucas.

There has been only very few UK rappers successful outside of the country, with rappers across the pond in North America often taking the limelight.

Many Americans tend to make the lousy excuse that they can't understand the British accent, therefore they can't connect with or feel the music.

I find this blatantly ridiculous. Under no circumstance has anyone understood what Playboi Carti says in his songs, yet his latest album "Music" spent 3 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200.

However, the UK has had some notable names to reach heights outside of the British waters, such as Skepta, Dizzee Rascal and Central Cee.

Skepta dedicated much of the previous decade creating strong relationships in the US. The British-Nigerian DJ turned grime MC has collaborated with the likes of Drake, Playboi Carti and Kanye West.

Furthermore, in 2018 he produced and featured on A$AP Rocky's triple-platinum single "Praise The Lord (Da Shine)" which solidified his status in America.

Skepta has also reached high rankings in Africa, collaborating with the likes of Wizkid, Boj, Rema and Naira Marley.

Dizzee Rascal took the world by storm in the 2000s, boasting hit collaborations with Scottish DJ Cavin Harris and Colombian singer Shakira.

His songs blurred the lines between grime and pop, but his mainstream success faded away as trends changed in the early 2010s.

Central Cee is the most recent artist to break into America, with tracks such as "Doja", "Sprinter" with Dave and "Band4Band" with Lil Baby.

The US isn't the only overseas market that Central Cee has focused on throughout his career, as he has collaborated with many international artists, having strong fanbases in many countries, from France to Japan.

I personally believe that UK rap is insanely misunderstood.

It is an incredibly diverse industry, although I can appreciate how much of a daunting task it is to throw yourself into a scene that you may not recognise, and be able to find and immerse yourselves into artists that fit your style and niches.

I intend on bridging the gap between you and the British hip-hop and grime scenes. I will introduce you to a few different musicians from different eras and subgenres, hopefully providing you with the perfect starting point in your new musical journey!

The majority of the songs mentioned in this article can be found on this Spotify playlist, alongside some othr brilliant recommendations: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qwY1tYYRxLF6eqwPRVsCj?si=0626ddadcc2a4e02.

1. Wiley (1.36m monthly listeners)

Also known as Eskiboy, the title Godfather goes to this OG artist. Wiley is widely believed to be one of the founding fathers of Grime (or Eskimo/Eski-beat), which is known for its fast bpm.

Wiley's importance to the UK grime industry is undeniable. He created many famous groups such as Pay As U Go Cartel and Roll Deep, and brought many big names to the limelight, such as a teenage Dizzee Rascal and Skepta.

Alongside being an MC, Wiley has produced some of the most iconic instrumental grime beats, proving to be the complete package.

Formerly known as Wiley Kat, the artist has been involved in his fair share of beefs.

Trading disses with the likes of Stormzy and Dizzee Rascal, grime followers have been blessed with a variety of entertaining feuds that involved Wiley.

Wiley's flow is very distinct and unique, and remains to be one of the most iconic MCs in the UK.

Despite having seemingly being retired, Wiley recently appeared on Lethal Bizzle's new single "Can't Touch This" alongside Scorcher, hinting at a possible comeback for the Godfather.

The trio also recently performed the song with Robbie Williams at Arsenal FC's Emirates Stadium in London.

If you like fast-paced, hardcore music with a thumping bassline, grime music is the perfect genre for you.

With instrumentals falling under the range of 140-150 bpm, add some grime tracks to your workout playlist.

My favourite recommendations for Wiley are as follows:

• Boasty with Stefflon Don, Sean Paul and Idris Elba (179.5m streams) [2019]
• Ya Win Some, Ya Lose Some (0.68m streams) [2012]
• Wot Do U Call It? (6.98m streams) [2003]

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2. Dave (15.3m monthly listeners)

Dave is definitely one of the most talented UK hip-hop artists of all time, however it would be wrong to say that Dave isn't well known outside of the UK, since he has amassed a decent sized audience in Africa after collaborations with Wizkid and Burna Boy on "System" and "Location".

Furthermore, one of the biggest songs in UK rap history was "Sprinter", which was the single in his collaboration EP with Central Cee.

Contrary to his commercial successes, Santan Dave is also an incredible lyricist; I would highly recommend listening to his albums in full.

The Brixton MC started his career in grime, but has ventured into a more traditional style of rap that would definitely appeal to hip-hop fans worldwide.

He is one of the biggest rap artists in the UK, with his albums "Psychodrama" and "We're All Alone In This Together" having both topped the charts in 2018 and 2021 respectively.

Dave is arguably the most complete hip-hop artist that the UK can offer, with a myriad of songs suitable for every mood, which has helped him solidify a soft spot in many Brits' hearts.

Whether you want to listen to someone vent about social injustices on a mellow beat, groove to some afrobeats or rave to fast bpm grime tracks, Dave has it all in his repertoire.

Here are three recommendations from Dave's catalogue:

• We're All Alone (46.1m streams) [2021]
• Thiago Silva with AJ Tracey (276.3m streams) [2016]
• Children of the Internet with Future Utopia and Es Devlin (4.42m streams) [2020]

3. Loyle Carner (2.46m monthly listeners)

Another talented musician, Benjamin Coyle-Larner uses his platform to express his thoughts and feelings about many social issues, such as racism.

Loyle Carner tends to rap over jazzy beats and represents a whole different side of the UK hip-hop scene, proving to contrast drastically from grime, drill and road artists.

The rapper's style is very poetic and far from mainstream, but that hasn't stopped him from being a successful and well known artist within the UK.

He has featured on the FIFA football game soundtrack on numerous occasions, and in 2024, headlined a festival in London in which Nas was his supporting act.

It was actually at this festival that I learned to fully appreciate the talents of this artist because he was one of the best live performers I have ever witnessed. He even brought out famous poet John Agard as a special guest!

Definitely a cool artist to add to your playlist, with many mellow songs that you can relax to. I personally listen to a lot of his music whilst studying.

So without further ado, here are the three recommendations for Loyle Carner:

• Hate (13.5m streams) [2022]
• Georgetown with John Agard (6.45m streams) [2022]
• Loose Ends with Jorja Smith (68.5m streams) [2019]

4. Jim Legxacy (1.08m monthly listeners)

I thought it would be nice to include an underground artist that has been recently emerging into the mainstream. But Jim Legxacy isn't your average UK rapper.

This artist has created his own, unique sound from an amalgamation of different genres and influences that he has sold as his USP within the UK.

His talents have recently started to go viral across the UK and the US on TikTok, especially his single "Father", that samples George Smallwood and Marshmellow Band's 1980 song "I Love My Father", gaining the attention of PlaqueBoyMax.

Jim Legxacy produces all of his own songs, sampling many famous songs such as the 1995 hit "Candy Rain" by Soul For Real, Keyshia Cole's 2005 tune "Love" and Miley Cyrus' song "Ordinary Girl" from Hannah Montana.

Other notable tunes that Jim has sampled are John Bellion's "Wash", "Missing You" by Case, "Leave (Get Out)" by JoJo and "Fast Car" by Tracey Chapman.

Jim Legxacy mixes UK sounds like grime and garage with indie music or afrobeats, and tends to sing and rap on his songs.

His producing and singing is very distinctive and I believe he is the future of UK music, merging UK hip-hop, grime and alternative pop music.

His latest mixtape "Black British Music (2025)" was widely praised on release, receiving positive remarks from influential industry members such as Skepta and Anthony Fantano, as well as receiving a 5 star review from the Guardian.

Jim's most commercially successful collaborations have been extremely popular. In 2023, he produced and had his vocals featured on Fred Again... and Jozzy's track "ten", Fred Again... and SOAK's track "just stand there" and "Sprinter" by Dave and Central Cee.

Whilst still being a relatively small artist, Jim Legxacy is likely to become a household name soon!

This artist has a style and voice that can definitely appeal to mainstream audiences worldwide, opposing the narrative that British artists are hard to understand.

Here are three recommendations from his latest tape, so you can say you listened to Jim before everyone else:

• 3x with Dave (2.54m streams) [2025]
• new david bowie (0.65m streams [2025]
• sun with Fimiguerrero (0.75m streams) [2025]

5. Little Simz (6.06m monthly listeners)

Rapper and actress Little Simz is an extremely talented experimental artist hailing from Islington, London.

Not defined by any specific subgenre, she has been releasing amazing projects for 10 years, and has built herself a strong reputation in the UK.

During her rise in the music scene, fans were quick to draw comparisons between herself and Lauryn Hill, who was a big influence on a young Little Simz growing up.

Alongside being a rapper who often mixes up between grime, reggae, blues and jazz, Little Simz is also famous for acting in the popular show Top Boy, as Dushane's girlfriend Shelley.

Little Simz was not the only rapper involved in the programme, with the likes of Dave, Kano, Asher D, Bashy and Scorcher, just to name a few.

My three favourite tracks of hers are as follows:

• I Love You, I Hate You (16.6m streams) [2021]
• Gorilla (45.0m streams) [2022]
• Hello, Hi (5.81m streams) [2024]