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UK Rap

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How the Home Counties took over UK rap

  • The Huck Long Read
  • Music
  • Fred Garratt-Stanley
  • 9 min read

Queen Millz: “Getting kicked out of school changed my life”

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s leading Leicester wordsmith Queen Millz.

  • Music
  • Queen Millz

Joe James: “I will never be absent in my children’s lives because I know it doesn’t feel nice”

Hard Feelings — As the silky MC prepares to release his debut album ‘The Ends Never Ends’, he joins our column on fatherhood and masculinity to discuss leaving his childhood home at 16, the manosphere and his risk-embracing approach to life.

  • Music
  • Robert Kazandjian

Kibo’s compendium of Kwengletarianism

Kwengletaria:Ragamyff — As UK rap’s latest prodigious MC announces his most ambitious project to date, Rob Kazandjian spends time with Kibo in a north London pub to chat about his rise, as well as the inspirations and ideologies underpinning his music.

  • Music
  • Robert Kazandjian

Why is the Met Police using EsDeeKid for ‘copaganda’?

Slop Enforcement — Among the AI slop and ragebait of late-stage social media, newsletter columnist Emma Garland has noticed a jarring trend – London’s police force appropriating criminalised subcultures for engagement purposes.

  • Culture
  • Emma Garland
Black man in striped shirt holding microphone, smiling. Colourful graffiti wall behind. Yellow "WHAT MADE ME" text overlay bottom left.

POZER: “Music was like an anchor”

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s UK Jersey-drill purveyor POZER.

  • Music
  • POZER
Black and white image of man in leather jacket and cap against concrete wall. Red and blue text reading "HARD FEELINGS" in bottom right.

Scorcher: “There was anger towards the establishment”

Hard Feelings — The grime originator joins our column on masculinity and fatherhood to catch up with his old school friend Rob Kazandjian. He talks about his relationship with his dad, raising his own children, and what he learnt from his time in prison.

  • Music
  • Robert Kazandjian
Person in hooded jacket holding microphone in dimly lit room with purple and blue lighting, industrial ceiling visible above.

How teaching in prisons and a new mixtape is inspiring UK rap innovator Jords

Inside tracks — Two years since releasing his sophomore album Dirt In the Diamond on the legendary Motown Records, the South London MC returns with Mixtape J – a bold, independent, 10-track statement. We caught up with him to talk about the new project, his creative process and running writing workshops in UK prisons.

  • Huck 82: The Music Issue
  • Niall Smith
Asian man with moustache sitting in wooden chair against black background, wearing white waistcoat and shorts, tattoos on legs.

“An Asian rapper? It feels like an impossible reality”: Jianbo on doing it for the family

East x South East — As the pandemic drove a wave of ESEA xenophobia, Jianbo realised that he couldn’t pretend to be anything other than himself. Zing Tsjeng sits down with the South London MC – vanguard of a burgeoning creative movement.

  • Huck 82: The Music Issue
  • Zing Tsjeng
Overhead view of person in white apron and dark clothing holding mop on wet grey floor with scattered pink stains and white drain grate.

Kojey Radical will never look down

More than a rapper — From his days skating around East London and charming local grassroots venues, the multitalented emcee, poet, singer and visual artist has emerged as a one-of-one creative force and storyteller. On his latest album Don’t Look Down, he continues to lay his own path.

  • Huck 82: The Music Issue
  • Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson
Woman with long braided hair in grey hoodie with black fur-lined hood, standing in lift with yellow and pink text overlay.

JayaHadADream: “A lot of us feel the world right now is dystopian”

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s UK rap breakout hotshot JayaHadADream.

  • Music
  • JayaHadADream
DJ performing at outdoor street event with crowd gathered around mixing desk, urban setting with buildings in background.

DJ AG teases that he is working on a 2026 festival

AG Fest? — The open format DJ dropped a cryptic post on social media yesterday, along with a link to sign up to a mailing list.

  • Music
  • Isaac Muk

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