16 U.K. Rappers to Look Out For in 2016

Location: Tottenham, London

North London wordsmith Avelino has built up a significant reputation for his cutting wordplay, deep-seated puns, and distinctive delivery. Known to sit back on the beat and dazzle rather than force the listener into submission, Avelino possesses an incredibly refreshing style for a U.K. rapper, harnessing a lyricism reminiscent of street laureate Akala.

His Behind Barz session is a three-minute master class in poetic posturing, and you’d be a fool to ignore his Fire in the Booth freestyle with veteran MC Wretch 32, where he arguably stole the show with his opening gambit. Following a collaborative release with Wretch (Young Fire, Old Flame) that came out at the tail end of last year, he’s now dropped his debut EP F.Y.O, which has been executive-produced by fellow North Londoner Raf Riley.

Location: Ladbroke Grove, London

AJ Tracey is undoubtedly flying the flag for West London. The 22-year-old MC from Ladbroke Grove released two killer EPs in 2015, including December’s Alex Moran, which featured the trap-infused single "Spirit Bomb," produced by Ezro. 2016’s already seen him drop a Fire in the Booth with Charlie Sloth, take his crew MTP to 1Xtra for a Gimme Grime session, and feature on the massive remix of P Money’s "10/10." Tracey also hosted a legendary birthday set on Radar that saw pretty much the entire scene turn out for two hours of heavyweight barring.

We spoke to him in October about his ascendancy and he resolutely pointed towards the importance of radio for the grime scene. It seems that the countless sessions he’s spent refining his craft across Radar Radio, NTS and Rinse FM are starting to pay off in a big way.

Location: Hackney, London

If you wanted to scout out another artist who’s equally committed to radio, then look no further than East London’s Jammz. He’s become something of a permanent fixture on Sir Spyro’s Grime Show over the past year or so, and can also be found straight shelling on Mode FM with Spooky at any given time of night. In his words, "Jammz is radio live in the flesh."

You’d be mistaken to think that he’s one-dimensional, however, since he’s also a highly talented beat maker. Jammz self-produced 2015’s huge Hit Then Run EP and Mr X and RD’s single "Think Twice."

His regular show "I Am Grime" on Radar is a continual reminder of his unassailable capabilities, which have recently secured him a touring spot alongside Kano on the Made in the Manor tour. Jammz' latest single, "Mr Wait" produced by Trends and Mr Dubz, is out now, and he just dropped a really impressive eleven track project with Jack Dat. Sign up on his website here to download.

Location: Brighton

Arguably the brightest star on High Focus’ roster right now, Ocean "Spitz" Wisdom has built significant momentum since he burst onto the scene with 2014’s "Walkin'," which has now reached over one million views on YouTube. At just 22, he possesses remarkable perspective, and his acute commentary on his new home of Brighton is hilarious and cutting in equal measure. He’s been making significant movements in 2016, and just last month Wisdom was featured in London’s Evening Standard as an up-and-coming creative talent.

His debut album Chaos ’93 came out in February and is exclusively produced by Dirty Dike, which helps to provide a cohesive feel throughout. It also showcases his characteristic double-time flows, satirical wit, and relentless lyrical capabilities. This is the year of the Wizzy.

Location: Croydon, London

Although not an individual MC, the rise and rise of Section Boyz has been monumental to say the least, and no list would be complete without a mention of Croydon’s finest. Their dextrous flows and gritty realism evoke the harsh realities of London’s streets, and their prominence in 2016 has paved the way for other crews—such as 67—who are also picking up attention.

The collective—made up of Sleekz, Swift, Inch, Littlez, Knine, and Deepee—had an unreal 2015, mostly due to the overwhelming success of single "Lock Arff" and their incredibly consistent mixtape Don’t Panic, which grabbed the attention of a certain Canadian whose OVO show on Beats 1 has had Section on steady rotation. Drake even took it upon himself to drop by at Section’s headline show at London’s Village Underground a few months back.

Co-signs aside, they’ve kept up the hype consistently releasing banger after banger, and their latest two tracks—released on the same day last month—exhibit both their trademark energy and bravado on "Dig Dat" and a further look towards the U.S. with "Bimma," produced by DJ Carnage.

Location: Birmingham

This isn’t the first time that Lady Leshurr has attracted stateside interest. Back in 2011, she covered Chris Brown’s "Look at Me Now," and her mind-numbingly fast flow sparked considerable intrigue from Atlantic Records. She infamously turned down the deal when Atlantic allegedly tried to pit her against Nicki Minaj; a "divide and conquer" tactic that is often targeted at female MCs by major labels who can’t quite fathom how to market their talent.

Nonetheless, she’s now spectacularly back on the radar with her "Queen’s Speech" series taking 2015 by the jugular. It's a wry, tongue-in-cheek collection of freestyle videos accented with witty quips and ridiculous taglines (“your lips look like crispy bacon”). Episode Four topped 26 million views on YouTube, which is not too shabby for an MC from the West Midlands.

January saw her Midas touch grace Tanzanian-born artist Tiggs Da Author’s sunshine anthem "Run," and Leshurr's latest single "Unleshed" is one of the best "Panda" remixes we've heard to date.

Location: Tottenham, London

CasisDead—although initially from North London—is from an artistic world unlike any other. His horror-fuelled concoctions are a distant relative to boom-bap; that nihilistic, once-removed cousin who's only invited over for Christmas dinner as a begrudged obligation. Make no mistake, though—his work possesses rare genius. 2012’s "T.R.O.N" accrued a cult following, and CAS became one of the most talked about—but least understood—artists to contort the hip-hop idiom.

He re-emerged last year with mixtape Commercial 2 and a video for "What’s My Name," that saw the masked MC spit gutter flows in a sordid strip club, a meth lab, and a crystal white prison cell. In true CAS style, he then released a pseudo-Panaroma episode (read: incredible track) that documents the life of a drug addict named Simon in heartbreakingly honest and powerful fashion. It was produced by Detroit beat wizard Skywlkr and gives a sneak peek of what to expect from this highly idiosyncratic artist this year.

Location: Lewisham, London

After the somewhat acrimonious parting of Novelist and the Square last year saw DeeJillz send for Nov in pretty brutal fashion, it seemed that the South London crew had lost their leader, and consequentially their direction. These worries were fleeting at best, however, thanks to the ascendancy of both Faultsz and Elf Kid.

Elf Kid’s inventive rework of Jamie xx’s "Gosh" got the people talking last autumn, and even earned him a place in Red Bull’s Top 24 Under 24. But it was Elf Kid's "Golden Boy" that really cemented his position as one of the top MCs in the game.

Gliding across Lolingo’s "New Cross Gate" instrumental, his skippy flow captures life growing up in South East London—flirting with girls, acting up at school—and even features a sly send for former teacher Miss Hudson, who thought he was destined for a life behind bars. But, in Elf’s words, he’s "too smart for that," and with the resounding approval of Ameriie to boot, it shows anything is possible for this incredibly exciting young talent.

Location: Birmingham

It’s taken nearly seven years on the scene for Slick Don to release his debut single, but the wait has been fully worth it. The Birmingham MC started making moves on the Midlands bassline scene when he was just 14, and he’s jumped on some wicked collaborations over the past few years, including "Crux" with I Killed Kenny, and 2014’s "Can’t See U," which was produced by Lenkemz.

Now he's signed to Bad Taste Records, whose eclectic roster of artists includes Itoa, ELWD and Lean Low, and he just dropped "Brap," a fiery track that reps 0121 to the fullest. The video is shot on a Birmingham council estate, and it harkens back to the old school days of Channel U and Crazy Titch going on lethal with a whole crew behind him in support. It's a quick reminder that though that he’s "Made in Brum, not Bow E3," his devastating flow fits perfectly with Walter Ego’s Eastern-influenced instrumental. It's another surefire banger, and another indication that Slick Don's stock is set to rise exponentially in 2016.

Location: Croydon, London

Bonkaz planned out his entrance into the music game carefully, starting with the 2015 release of hyped debut single "We Run The Block" and continuing through the rest of the year as he dropped the Forgive Me When I'm Famous EP and Dizzee Rascal-sampling "You Don't Know." he hasn't let up in 2016, with Mixtape Of The Year showing off his versatility, from hype tunes like "And Dat" with Stormzy to ominous storytelling like "Paid In Full 2."

Keeping up a steady stream of drops on SoundCloud, the South London MC is set to have a big year.

Location: Croydon, London

If you’re after an MC who possesses intricate rhyme schemes, breakneck delivery, and powerful content, then South London’s Rocks FOE is your go-to guy. His debut Legion EP birthed a militant, visceral aesthetic that emblazons each of the four tracks with an unmistakably signature style.

It's especially remarkable when you realize Rocks is equally capable of evoking highly conceptual poetics and decimating a 140 dubplate. He also crafted every beat on the release, and his emergence as part of the inimitable Black Acre roster is yet another reason to hold his name in high regard.

But back to the music: while his single "Law" continues to spread, Rocks FOE collaborated with bass-specialist and Deep Medi alumnus Commodo for a track entitled "Set It Straight." Both tracks have incredible videos, watch them below.

Location: Camberwell, London

This South London MC has a whole heap of attitude and a tenacious delivery to go with it. She’s come a long way since 1Xtra’s Sian Anderson rightly tipped her as a "Next Generation Shout" at the beginning of last year. Ms Banks has never been one to shy away from confrontation—she secured her place as one of the most promising female rappers in the UK with November’s "Hallelujah," a vitriolic anthem that takes shots at anyone who dares to get in her way.

She’s started 2016 fantastically, receiving an invitation to lay down a coveted Fire In the Booth Session with Charlie Sloth. She went fully in on the session, and—true to form—took on one of the hottest beats of the moment with Kanye West’s "30 Hours."

Location: Nottingham

The Midlands are all too often overlooked when it comes to grime. It’s home to Safone, Trilla, and S-X—who produced the iconic "Woo"—but the only artist to have achieved widespread appeal up to this point has been Devilman. Mez could change all that.

Last year he took 1Xtra’s "Next in Grime" competition by storm, and his high octane, frenetic barring style has spurred comparisons to Newham Generals’ D Double E. Very significant praise indeed.

Mez had a quiet winter, but promised via Twitter that he’s been working on some very exciting projects. He wasn’t kidding—later that same month Mez released an anthemic ode to his hometown entitled "Nottingham," and put out killer single "HFTP," produced by Kidda Beats.

Location: Hoxton, London

It would be reductive to consider Kojey Radical as merely a rapper or MC since his expansive oeuvre covers the entire realm of artistry. As an illustrator—and graduate of the London College of Fashion—his creative exploits in the visual sphere thus far have fed directly into his bold lyrical content. His debut EP Dear Daisy: Opium documented the life of an artist attempting to lure a prospective partner through intellectual curiosities and eclecticism. It was a wonderful offering and featured production from fellow East Londoner Jay Prince.

Fast forward two years and his hotly anticipated follow-up 23 Winters is again making the world sit up and listen, having debuted at No. 3 in the UK Hip-Hop Charts. It’s a wise and mature record tackling themes of nationhood and displacement, articulated through his relationship with his father, who acts as narrator throughout. A recent invitation to Boiler Room saw a captivating live performance, and he seems to be adding summer festival appearances by the day. Expect 2016 to be a big year for Kojey Radical.

Location: North London

Capo Lee is by no means a new name on the block—he started out as a DJ on classic urban station Heat FM in its glory days. However, the release of last year’s "Liff" was a seminal moment in his career, and his first time taking centre stage as an MC. A collaborative EP with Spooky (Welcome to Clartsville) dropped soon after, and resulted in a meteoric rise for the North London MC. He’s now widely considered to be one of the key players in London’s grime scene.

Capo Lee possesses a bewitching flow, one that continually pushes and pulls the beat in a manner akin to hip-hop supervillain MF DOOM. His lyrics are honest, outlandish, catchy, and inventive. And, like many artists on this list, he’s also demonstrated an unwavering commitment to radio, often barring alongside Kwam, Nico Lindsay, Mic Ty and Rocks FOE, who all featured on Capo’s huge Why Not? mixtape released at the turn of the year.

In the intervening months he’s shelled down innumerable dances, conscripted grime veteran D Double E for the Sir Spyro produced "Mud," and dropped a monumental remix of "Liff."

Location: Camden, London

We’ve been championing Camden’s Blue Daisy for some time now, and for good reason. Kwesi Darko’s debut record The Sunday Gift came out on Black Acre in 2011. His productions drew comparisons to the dark, industrial sound of the UK dance music underground and the woozy hip-hop feel of Los Angeles’ Flying Lotus.

It’s taken five years for his sophomore record to surface, and in the intervening time he’s supported Tricky on tour and released 2014’s Psychotic Love EP, the first real instance in which his own voice came to the fore, albeit chillingly deformed through filters and distortion. Darker Than Blue finally emerged last autumn on R&S (also home to Paul White and James Blake) and is fittingly macabre, featuring tracks such as "Alone"—a stunning collaboration with vocalist Connie Constance—and "We’re All Gonna Die."

He let loose "Pure Anarchy"—a blisteringly charged heretical anthem—for free download back in December and has maintained relative radio silence since, leaving us on high alert for his next ingenious offering.

There's so much exciting rap music coming out of the U.K. right now.