UK underground rap streams jumped nearly 300%, SoundCloud says
The platform’s 2026 report highlights fakemink, EsDeeKid and the scene’s growing U.S. audience.
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SoundCloud says UK underground rap streams increased nearly 300% during 2025, making it the platform’s fastest-growing scene in both the UK and U.S. Its 2026 Music Intelligence Report puts fakemink and EsDeeKid at the center of that story, alongside a wider map of connected artists.
Growth on the platform
The report says fakemink’s SoundCloud streams rose almost 300% over the year. It reports an increase of more than 70 times for EsDeeKid, the masked Liverpool rapper. Those are SoundCloud’s figures for listening on its own service, rather than measurements of the entire streaming market.
The page also points readers toward Feng, YT, Snoa, ghostinafurcoat, svn4vr and llondon actress. It includes tracks such as fakemink’s “Easter Pink” and EsDeeKid and Rico Ace’s “Phantom.”
