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Rap essentials

Your essential rap artists in one place. Central Cee, Doechii, J. Cole and Cristale lead the charge with the hottest rap, drill and hip-hop fully certified by 1Xtra.

1Xtra’s Rap List your essential guide to the week’s biggest rap, drill, grime and hip-hop records. If it’s shaping the culture, it’s landing here.

Central Cee, Doechii and J. Cole are setting the pace, with Dave, 21 Savage, Headie One, Clavish, Cristale and KiLLOWEN keeping the energy high. From viral freestyles to heavyweight releases and collaborations taking over your timeline, these are the tracks running the rap scene right now.

Only the hottest and most talked-about records make the list the songs your group chats are debating, your favourite artists are rating, and the ones pushing the culture forward.

Fully certified by 1Xtra, Rap Essentials is your no-skip rundown of the best, the newest and the most in-demand rap out now. Stay ahead of the curve or catch what you’ve missed if you care about where rap is heading, this is where you lock in.

Listen on BBC Sounds wherever you are. If you’re in the UK and heading abroad, take the BBC Sounds app with you and keep streaming. And if you’re listening outside the UK, you can find the 1Xtra live stream on BBC.com/audio.

Produced by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 1Xtra.

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BBC Radio 1Xtra

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Music Played

  • ArrDee & Mazza L20

    Trouble

  • TeeZandos & Cristale

    No, Yes!

  • Kairo Keyz

    Float 2.0 (feat. Thiago Sub)

    • No Given.
    • © 2025 Isekai / broke.

  • Gunna

    wgft (feat. Burna Boy)

    • 300 Entertainment.

  • Nemzzz

    8PM

    • Atlantic.

  • Knucks

    GOLDTOOTH (feat. Blaqbonez)

    • No Day Off Ltd.

  • D‐Block Europe

    Wrongs (feat. Lil Tjay)

    • PTSD 2.
    • D-Block Europe.
    • 3.

  • A Boogie Wit da Hoodie

    Part Of Me

    • Atlantic / Highbrigde The Label.

  • Kairo Keyz

    3AM In South

    • New Jazz.
    • Hitmaker Music Group /Graduation / Hitmaker Distro.

  • JayaHadADream

    Hideout (feat. Frisco)

  • Blaqbonez

    Consistency (feat. AJ Tracey)

    • Chocolate City Music.

  • Drake

    Dog House (feat. Yeat)

    • Iceman.
    • OVO Sound & Republic Records.

  • Strandz & Teejay

    Rebel

    • Strandz Music Ltd.

  • Nemzzz

    ART (feat. Latto)

    • Elevated Music Limited.

  • Scorcher

    No More Parties (feat. Jme)

    • Lizzy Records.

  • JID, Clipse, Pusha T & MALICE

    Community

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

  • Offset

    Different Species (feat. Gunna)

    • Motown Records.

  • Sarz

    Getting Paid (feat. Wizkid, Asake & Skillibeng)

    • 1789.

  • Blxst

    Aye Girl

    • Blxst LLC / Empire.

  • Knucks

    Cut Knuckles

    • Copyright Control.

  • Lil Baby & G Herbo

    All On Me

    • Quality Control Music.

  • Tyler, The Creator

    Mother

    • Columbia Records.

  • Headie One

    Bellingham

    • Bellingham.
    • One Records.

  • Lancey Foux

    Daytona

    • Human Re Sources.

  • Pozer & Kasst 8

    What's Good

    • Pozer.

  • Rimzee & Tiny Boost

    Lonely Nights

  • Wretch 32 & Avelino

    More Fire More Flamez

    • Wretch 32 Limited.

  • J Hus & Skepta

    Outside

    • Militér Music / EMPIRE.

  • Skepta & Wizkid

    Energy (Stay Far Away)

    • Boy Better Know.

  • Central Cee

    Booga

    • Columbia.

  • 21Savage

    DOG (feat. GloRilla)

    • WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS?.
    • Slaughter Gang, LLC/Epic Records.

  • Drake

    NOKIA

    • OVO Sound/Santa Anna Label Group/Republic Records/UMG Recordings.

  • JayaHadADream

    The Bank

    • JayaHadADream.

  • Dave

    No Weapons (feat. Jim Legxacy)

    • Neighbourhood Recordings.

  • Dave

    Chapter 16 (feat. Kano)

  • Little Simz

    Free

    • Little Simz.

  • Chef BKay

    The Game Freestyle

  • Tsb, DC & Cristale

    Paper Planes

  • Mimi Mxnroe, Toddla T & Steeze Factory

    Parking Sensors

  • ODUMODUBLVCK

    Pay Me (feat. Stormzy & Zlatan)

    • 0207 DefJam.

  • Ty Dolla $ign, Young Thug & Lil Baby

    TYCOON$

    • TYCOON.
    • Atlantic.
    • 6.

  • Wale

    City On Fire (feat. Odeal)

  • Doechii & SZA

    Girl, Get Up.

    • Top Dawg Entertainment / Capitol Records.

  • D‐Block Europe

    PRIVATE FLIGHTS (feat. Nemzzz)

Broadcasts

  • Last Saturday01:00
    BBC Radio 1Xtra
  • Next Monday01:00
    BBC Radio 1Xtra