French The Kid

Born in Essex, but raised partly in the southwest of France, French The Kid switches fluidly between French and English; his rapid, hard-edged flow and tough-as-nails delivery have turned him into one of the UK’s rising rap stars. He kicked off that rise by throwing freestyles up on social media, before dropping his debut single in 2019. “Bella latina” provided a breakneck introduction to the bilingual rapper, as he spits French bars at machine-gun speed, seamlessly shifting languages over a shadowy beat. In 2020, he outlined a rags-to-riches dream on the doomy-sounding “Broke Toys” and moved in a slightly poppier direction (complete with extra glitz on the production) for 2021’s “Can’t Feel My Face”, which is heavy on skittering trap hi-hats. That same year also brought the reflective “Thrill”, which showcases both French’s on-point raps and his melodic capabilities, as he sings his own hooks over melancholy strings in the background.