Mixtape Madness’s Top 25 Projects of the Year

As 2025 draws to a close it has been one of the greatest years for UK rap and its surrounding genres since the turn of the decade. From outstanding lyricists, stunning songwriting, and an underground scene that is demonstrating global appeal, the UK feels back at the forefront and cutting edge of music. We at Mixtape Madness have compiled our favourite 25 projects this year in no particular order and have highlighted them below:

EsDeeKid – Rebel

Probably the greatest breakout story of the year, EsDeeKid has become a global phenomenon thanks to the success of ‘Rebel’. His sound is raw, gritty and instantly recognisable, making him a beacon of the UK underground scene. Whether it’s ‘LV Sandals’, ‘Phantom’, or ‘4 Raws’, EsDee’s rasping Scouse accent carries so much weight. More than just a viral moment, this is an artist prepared to take the torch for many years to come.

Joe Simpson

Marnz Malone – Sabr

Released on Valentine’s Day, Marnz Malone’s Sabr (Arabic for ‘Patience’) evolves the narrative of his debut project Maktub. Moving beyond the resignation of destiny, this 12-track project captures the spiritual discipline of an 11-year sentence, turning a cell into a high-fidelity studio that defies “jail rap” conventions, with features from Chip and NorthSideBenji, the album fuses mainstream appeal with harrowing insights on inmate suicide and recidivism as well as the flaws within the UK prison system. Sabr proves that despite physical confinement, Marnz’s voice remains a dominant, uncontainable force in UK culture.

R’Mello Hamilton

Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving

Olivia Dean has had a remarkable 2025, aided by the fantastic release of ‘The Art of Loving’ back in September. Refining her signature sound into something even more expansive and emotionally articulate, she blends soul, pop and R&B, all while exploring love of all forms in a gentle yet incisive manner. An intentional feeling of softness to the project with highlighted vulnerability, lush instrumentation paired with her effortlessly warm and silky vocals, makes this project a no-brainer as one of the best from 2025, and that’s without mentioning her selling out six O2 dates for 2026.

Harvey Marwood

Central Cee – Can’t Rush Greatness

‘Can’t Rush Greatness’ kicked off the year in UK Rap with a polished, versatile debut album from Central Cee. The project saw Cench at his best lyrically, going toe to toe with Skepta on ‘Ten’ and producing one of his most heartfelt performances on the final track ‘Don’t Know Anymore’. As one of the few artists from his genre to have successfully crossed over stateside, CRG has opened the door this year for the UK sound to cross the Atlantic.

Joe Simpson

Joy Crookes – Juniper

A grounded, self-assured and emotionally precise album, Joy Crookes’ ‘Juniper’ pairs the roots of neo-soul and jazz with beautiful vocals that emulate the finest of red wines. Leaning into warmth and restraint, reflective songwriting that explores love, identity and emotional boundaries with an earned clarity, the moments of vulnerability nestle in the warmer, catchier tracks off the album. ‘Juniper’ is an essential in any top album list for 2025, and my personal number one for the year. 

Harvey Marwood

BexBlu, Paul Stephan, Awaiting Kvng – Protect the Silence

Bexblu and Paul Stephan have staked their claim as the producer/rapper combo of the year. With help from fellow new wave producer Awaiting Kvng, the blend of soulful, spacious soundscapes blends perfectly with Stephan’s hard hitting lyricism and deep vocal tones. Saiming’s appearance on ‘Made in the Manor’ is a highlight on the tape, while ‘Protect The Silence’ as a whole is a cornerstone of a new subgenre in UK Rap.

Joe Simpson

Loyle Carner – ‘hopefully‘

Another introspective and emotionally open project, Loyle Carners’ third album ‘hopefully!’ started the summer on a strong footing. Across warm, jazz-tinged production, he reflects on fatherhood, grief, healing and personal growth with characteristic honesty. It’s a deeply human body of work, reinforcing his position as one of the UK’s most emotionally articulate and consistently compelling voices.

Harvey Marwood

Ceebo – Blair Babies

Ceebo made our list last year with his breakthrough project, ‘LAMBETHNOTLA’. 2025 saw the south London artist reach an even higher echelon, dropping one of the most lyrically and politically introspective projects to come out of our scene in years. ‘Blair Babies’ explores themes of depression, institutional racism, and a call to arms for those in the UK underground to engage more and challenge the true reality of Britain in 2025. Ceebo is a star in the making and this release has certainly put him on the map.

Joe Simpson

Jim Legxacy – black british music

‘black british music’ is a real tastemaker favourite from this year, and honestly, every single accolade and positive recognition of this project is wholly justified. Blending alt-pop, rap, and diaristic songwriting, Jim Legxacy navigates ambition, burnout, identity, and vulnerability with unfiltered honesty, utilising slick, innovative production choices and techniques that lean into imperfection while creating an audibly aesthetic soundscape. It’s a level up from the artistry we have seen from Jim Legxacy in previous years, cementing his position as one of the most unique and authentic talents in the world. 

Harvey Marwood

Afrosurrealist – BUYBRITISH

‘BUYBRITISH’ is demonstrative of the hotbed of talent currently breaking through in UK Rap. At the forefront of this project however is the masterful production and execution from afrosurrealist. He can move effortlessly between  the rich, 80’s synth inspired ‘Spend The Night’ to the tender, soulful drill sounds of ‘Boys Don’t Cry’. BUYBRITISH feels closely related to Ceebo and Jim Legxacy’s projects that both make this list, as we witness the birth of a new era for Black British Music.

Joe Simpson

Blood Orange – Essex Honey

On ‘Essex Honey‘, Blood Orange continues Dev Hynes’ tradition of crafting deeply immersive emotional worlds. The album drifts between R&B, indie, funk and electronic textures, creating a hazy, introspective atmosphere that feels both personal and expansive. Themes of memory, intimacy and emotional displacement run throughout, delivered through understated vocals and slow-burning arrangements, with collaborations woven in seamlessly to serve the mood. It had been a long, six-year wait for a new album from Blood Orange, but it was most definitely worth that wait. 

Harvey Marwood

Svn4vr – Postgrad

An artist difficult to pin down, svn4vr transcends genre thanks to his haunting, distorted vocals and vibrant, acoustic production. An artist who remains anonymous, at times his music reminds you of Young Thug and in the very same song you can draw comparisons to Bon Iver. ‘Stop Talking to AI, Talk to God’ is a standout track on the EP, but as a whole ‘postgrad’ feels like the beginning of an inevitable success story.

Joe Simpson

PinkPantheress – Fancy That?

‘Fancy That?‘ captures PinkPantheress at her most confident and refined. Still drawing from UK garage, drum & bass and early-2000s pop, the project sharpens her nostalgic sound while pushing it into richer, more intentional territory. Tracks remain short and addictive, but the emotional scope feels wider, exploring longing, uncertainty and romantic vulnerability with greater depth, with her soft, intimate vocals embedded perfectly within the production. PinkPantheress once again proves that subtlety can be powerful, cementing her influence on the UK’s evolving pop landscape.

Harvey Marwood

Tems – Love Is A Kingdom

Tems this year has taken the leap from superstar to megastar. Her rich, warm vocals and emotive lyricism, coupled with a sonic backdrop that effortlessly complements her, this is an artist at the very top of her game. Across seven tracks, ‘Love is a Kingdom’ is an exploration of love in all dimensions, and with Tems at the helm, she delivers some of her best work to date.

Joe Simpson

Skepta & Fred again… – Skepta..Fred

A fantastic collaborative project from one of the UK’s greatest ever artists, Skepta, and continuously rising global sensation Fred again…, grime-rooted delivery meets electronic euphoria, creating tracks built for both introspection and release. Elevating one another to find a great balance in experimentation, the project thrives on contrast, and also helped create one of the cultural highlights of the summer, when Fred again… closed the second day of Big Smoke Festival with some of the biggest grime icons over the past couple of decades.

Harvey Marwood

KOKOROKO – Tuff Times Never Last

‘Tuff Times Never Last’ certainly lives up to it’s name. Drawing inspiration from a viral meme, KOKOROKO draw upon the beauty and emotion that comes from overcoming challenges in life. The septet soundtracked the London summer, displaying innate musicality and soul whilst covering topics of community, loss, and perseverance. This group makes up some of the very best musicians the UK has to offer.

Joe Simpson

Dave – The Boy Who Played the Harp

2025 saw Dave make his highly anticipated return with his brand new album, ‘The Boy Who Played the Harp‘. Stripping his sound back to favour intimacy, introspection and emotional precision over grand statements, the album felt a lot more reflective and centred around vulnerability, faith and inner conflict across subtle, restrained production. A thoughtful marking in his artistry, the new album further blessed us with one of the best tracks this year, ‘Raindance’ featuring Tems.

Harvey Marwood

Feng – What The Feng

Feng has been another huge success story of the UK underground wave this year, and ‘What The Feng’ is demonstrative of why. The Croydon rapper is ferociously authentic in his lyricism, tapping into a myriad of instrumental influences as well as lyrical references. There is something unapologetic about Feng which shines through in what is rapidly becoming a market that so many are trying to tap into right now. As the underground vaults itself into the mainstream, this is an artist who has genuine talent and will not be a flash in the pan.

Joe Simpson

Proph – HURT’S THE NEW SEXY

Word to Wretch 32, “the sky is the limit” for Proph – his project ‘HURT’S THE NEW SEXY’ proving exactly that. Leaning fully into emotional exposure, blending alternative R&B, rap and experimental pop, his lyricism shines through as well as his immense production skills, making his fully self-produced offering proof of frontrunning an exciting new era for UK rap.

Harvey Marwood

Odeal – The Summer That Saved Me

Odeal has had a stellar year, rounding off 2025 with a Tiny Desk Concert and a new project, ‘The Fall That Saved Us’. He reached new heights earlier in the year however with ‘The Summer That Saved Me’, combining smooth falsettos with rich, vibrant production. Displaying great chemistry with Leon Thomas on the acoustic driven ‘Miami’, as well as channeling his inner Sampha on the bouncy ‘London Summers’, this feels like just the beginning for an artist who is continually evolving into his final form.

Joe Simpson

dexter in the newsagent – Time Flies

South London’s dexter in the newsagent’s ‘Time Flies’ is a beautiful, introspective and rounded project documenting the blurs of growing up whilst also navigating loss, grief and love, articulated through lo-fi textures, diaristic songwriting and silky vocal layers. It’s a deeply personal mixtape that offers the world a window into dexters vulnerability, a highly commendable project no doubt.

Harvey Marwood

Chip – Grime Scene Saviour

An undisputed icon of UK rap, Chip has gone back to a sound that suits him so well on ‘Grime Scene Saviour’. Living up to its name, there is a venom and ferocity that permeates this record, whilst still taking the time to create tracks that can pop off outside. Over 15 years deep, Chip has established himself as one of the goats in our scene, and with no signs of slowing down or diluting the product, ‘Grime Scene Saviour’ shows us he’s not going away anytime soon.

Joe Simpson

Amaarae – BLACK STAR

‘Black Star‘ finds Amaarae pushing her genre-fluid sound further, blending alté, pop, R&B and dancehall with bold confidence. Her vocals shift effortlessly between softness and swagger, exploring desire, power and self-definition. The result is a vibrant, globally minded project that feels hers unmistakably.

Harvey Marwood

Nippa – Hope She Hears This

For some time now Nippa has quietly made himself a huge part of the backbone of UK R&B. ‘Hope She Hears This’ is a perfect representation of how he has honed his craft over the past few years to create an EP that focusses on attempting to move on from someone else. Emotional, honest, and littered with wonderful vocal work, this is some of Nippa’s best work to date.

Joe Simpson

Little Simz – Lotus

Another year, another great project from Little Simz’ in ‘Lotus’. Using the flower as a metaphor for transformation, resilience, and growth from difficult circumstances, reflecting her personal journey through betrayal with a former producer, the album draws from soul, jazz and hip-hop, balancing vulnerability with clarity and control.

Harvey Marwood