Manchester and Birmingham are the cities pushing the UK Rap sound forward

London will always be the hub for Rap music in the UK but it’s no longer the sole force in steering its trajectory.

London was the birthplace of the UK’s Rap scene, no one will debate that. But the sound has branched out of the Capital and spread to other major cities in the country as well as some of its offshoots going abroad, like Drill over to New York. For a long time the key artists of the genre were definitely London based, that has begun to shift. Birmingham’s M1llionz and Manchester’s Meekz are the two artists that are the keys to the genre continuing to evolve.

M1llionz needs no introduction anymore. When he drops a song everybody knows about it. Having only dropped 5 solo singles and a few collaborative tracks M1llionz is clearly special. It once seemed like he had a formulaic approach to making tracks, namely not having a hook, but when he dropped ‘Y Pree’ it reignited support that he can do it all. Testament to how important he is, he already has cases of artists imitating his very distinct delivery with Swarmz being one of the latest to be seen jumping on the trend. With his trajectory looking almost cemented right now, I can only expect more big things from and for M1llionz.

Meekz might not be a name as familiar to many but he has managed to quietly build up a fanbase that consistently runs the numbers up. The Manchester native distinguished himself through his ability to conquer any tempo and constantly adapt. In 2020 alone he already has one of, if not the biggest, Drill link ups with the aforementioned M1llionz as well as Teeway and PA Salieu. His rise has even been picked up on the industry front with a deal between Meekz and Lizzy Records (UMG) for ‘Can’t Stop Won’t Stop’.

Meekz and M1llionz alone are shifting the boundaries of the UK Rap sound and that’s barely scratching the surface of artists from outside of London that are doing big things. Now, this isn’t to say that there aren’t exciting talents coming from London, Teeway, Lavida Loca, Benjamin A.D and more are all bubbling and creating a buzz around themselves. But despite each having their unique styles they haven’t had the impact on the Rap scene that Meekz and M1llionz have had yet. The musical landscape has changed and is continuing to grow, with innovators coming from all over.