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Rap essentials: J. Cole, Baby Keem & Kendrick Lemar, Ms Banks, EsDeeKid, Lil Simz

The hottest rap, drill, grime and hip-hop tracks right now. Fully certified by 1Xtra. This is your essential weekly guide to what’s running the scene.

This is 1Xtra’s Rap List, your essential guide to the week’s biggest rap, drill, grime and hip-hop records. If it’s in the culture, it’s on the list.

Only the hottest, heaviest and most talked-about tracks make the cut. From bar-heavy bangers to viral heat, breakout names to legends still shelling it down, this is what’s moving the scene right now.

This week’s line up arrives fully charged, showcasing the depth, creativity and raw power running through rap right now. J. Cole steps in with razor‑sharp cuts from his album that remind us why his storytelling sits in a league of its own. Headie One, Central Cee, Clavish, Blanco, Ms Banks, M Huncho, Little Simz, Kasst8, Pozer, EsDeeKid and AJ Tracey keep proving why the UK scene continues to set the global tempo.

The range of styles on display is serious.

Across the Atlantic Doechii and Don Toliver add everything from club‑ready drill flavours to soul‑tinted trap and modern US swagger. And just when the mix feels complete, Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar jump in with their unmistakable experimental chemistry, pushing boundaries the way only they can.

Alt‑rap, grime, trap, conscious hip‑hop, melodic wave, arena‑ready anthems - this playlist moves through styles like it’s second nature, keeping the energy high and the versatility unmatched from start to finish.

Handpicked by the team at BBC Radio 1Xtra, the Rap List is where you’ll find the records that matter. The ones your friends are posting, your timeline’s quoting, and your favourite artists are rating.

Stay ahead of the game or catch up on what you missed. This is your no-filler, all-fire rundown of what’s making noise.

Produced by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 1Xtra.

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Music Played

  • Central Cee

    Iceman Freestyle

    • Columbia.

  • AJ Tracey, Blade Brown & Carns Hill

    Ibiza

    • Revenge Records.

  • Blaqbonez

    Consistency (feat. AJ Tracey)

    • Chocolate City Music.

  • J. Cole

    SAFETY

    • The Fall-Off.
    • Cole World Inc. / Interscope Records.
    • 3.

  • Little Simz

    Lion (feat. Obongjayar)

    • Little Simz/AWAL Recordings.

  • A$AP Rocky

    STAY HERE 4 LIFE (feat. Brent Faiyaz)

    • Don’t Be Dumb.
    • A$AP Rocky Recordings.
    • 5.

  • Baby Keem

    Good Flirts (feat. Kendrick Lamar & Momo Boyd)

    • Ca$ino.
    • pgLang / Columbia Records.
    • 4.

  • Pozer & Kasst 8

    What's Good

    • Pozer.

  • Headie One

    Bellingham

    • Bellingham.
    • One Records.

  • Lancey Foux

    Daytona

    • Human Re Sources.

  • Latto

    Gyatt (feat. Ice Spice)

    • StrameCut / RCA.

  • JT

    Girls Gone Wild

    • Copyright Control.

  • Lady Ice

    Brazy (Ya Na)

    • Lady Ice.

  • ODUMODUBLVCK

    Pay Me (feat. Stormzy & Zlatan)

    • 0207 DefJam.

  • KiLLOWEN

    Motion Sickness (feat. Songer)

  • Dave

    Raindance (feat. Tems)

    • Neighbourhood Recordings.

  • Doechii & SZA

    Girl, Get Up.

    • Top Dawg Entertainment / Capitol Records.

  • Wretch 32 & Avelino

    More Fire More Flamez

    • Wretch 32 Limited.

  • J. Cole & PJ

    Legacy

    • The Fall-Off.
    • Cole World Inc. / Interscope Records.
    • 6.

  • Fredo

    Birthday (feat. Burna Boy & Steel Banglez)

    • Since 93 / RCA.

  • Meekz

    Bk2life

    • TRU ENT.

  • Blanco

    Akaza

    • Paradise On A Lifeboat.
    • Believe UK.

  • Kojey Radical

    Drinking My Water (feat. MNEK)

    • Warner Music UK.

  • Cardi B

    Safe (feat. Kehlani)

    • AM I THE DRAMA?.
    • Atlantic.
    • 8.

  • Blxst

    Aye Girl

    • Blxst LLC / Empire.

  • Chronic Law & DJ Mac

    Badness Upgrade 2.0

    • DJ MAC MUSIC / CRASHDUMMY.

  • Clavish & Chy Cartier

    CC Walk

    • Yesterday Was Once Tomorrow.
    • Clavish.

  • Central Cee

    Booga

    • Columbia.

  • Knucks

    GOLDTOOTH (feat. Blaqbonez)

    • No Day Off Ltd.

  • Ms Banks

    WHY?

    • SOUTH LDN LOVER GIRL.
    • Believe UK.

  • Kidwild

    Still Indecisive

    • Kidwild.

  • M Huncho

    Championship

    • 10K Projects.

  • Don Toliver

    ATM

    • OCTANE.
    • CactusJack/Donnway/ATL.

  • Don Toliver

    Body

    • OCTANE.
    • Atlantic Records.
    • 2.

  • Pozer

    Money & Power

  • EsDeeKid

    Century

    • XV RECORDS /.

  • Knucks

    Cut Knuckles

    • Copyright Control.

  • Knucks

    FRIENDS (feat. Tyler Daley)

    • No Days Off Ltd.

  • Digga D

    DPMO

    • Black Money Records.

  • TeeZandos & Cristale

    No, Yes!

  • JID, Clipse, Pusha T & MALICE

    Community

    • God Does Like Ugly (Preluxe Edition).
    • Dreamville/Interscope Records.

  • Offset

    Different Species (feat. Gunna)

    • Motown Records.

  • Wale

    City On Fire (feat. Odeal)

Broadcasts

  • Sat 28 Feb 202601:00
    BBC Radio 1Xtra
  • Monday01:00
    BBC Radio 1Xtra
  • Wed 1 Apr 202601:00
    BBC Radio 1Xtra