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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鈥檚 running the scene.

This is 1Xtra鈥檚 Rap List, your essential guide to the week鈥檚 biggest rap, drill, grime and hip-hop records. If it鈥檚 in the culture, it鈥檚 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鈥檚 moving the scene right now.

This week鈥檚 line up arrives fully charged, showcasing the depth, creativity and raw power running through rap right now. J. Cole steps in with razor鈥憇harp 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鈥憆eady drill flavours to soul鈥憈inted 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鈥憆ap, grime, trap, conscious hip鈥慼op, melodic wave, arena鈥憆eady anthems - this playlist moves through styles like it鈥檚 second nature, keeping the energy high and the versatility unmatched from start to finish.

Handpicked by the team at 麻豆社 Radio 1Xtra, the Rap List is where you鈥檒l find the records that matter. The ones your friends are posting, your timeline鈥檚 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鈥檚 making noise.

Produced by 麻豆社 Audio for 麻豆社 Radio 1Xtra.

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Last on

Sat 11 Apr 2026 01:00
麻豆社 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鈥檛 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 2026 01:00
    麻豆社 Radio 1Xtra
  • Mon 16 Mar 2026 01:00
    麻豆社 Radio 1Xtra
  • Wed 1 Apr 2026 01:00
    麻豆社 Radio 1Xtra
  • Sat 11 Apr 2026 01:00
    麻豆社 Radio 1Xtra