English female rappers: 9 UK rap artists to know

Our selection brings together nine English female rappers active in UK rap, each with a dated project or tour and a source. It runs from Little Simz, the 2022 Mercury Prize winner, to newcomers Ledbyher and PIXY, whose projects date from 2026. The artists appear in alphabetical order, with no scores or ranking. Dates come from the music press, streaming platforms and concert venues, checked on October 22, 2026.

At a glance

• Selection: 9 female rappers based in England, in alphabetical order.
• Criterion: a project, single or tour dated between June 2024 and October 2026.
• 2026 releases: Ledbyher’s The Elephant (February 13), Ms Banks’ album (March 13), PIXY’s XY (March) and Little Simz’s Sugar Girl (May 8).
• Honours: Little Simz won the 2022 Mercury Prize and is among the 2026 Brit Awards nominees (Hip-Hop/Grime/Rap Act).
• Coming up: Cristale’s mixtape Clear Intentions, announced for November 6, 2026.
• Compared with our November 2024 list: Ledbyher and PIXY come in, Shaybo drops out.

Nine English female rappers from UK rap at a glance

Summary table: city or scene, recent project, source

Rapper	City or scene	Dated recent project	Source
Cristale	South London (Brixton), rap	Single “Top 3” (May 2026). Mixtape Clear Intentions announced for November 6, 2026.	Clash, May 18, 2026 ; Clash, September 9, 2026
ENNY	South East London, rap	Single “Cabin Feva” (August 1, 2025).	The Line of Best Fit, August 1, 2025
Ivorian Doll	London, drill then pop	Single “Anti” (September 25, 2026).	Apple Music ; Last.fm
Lady Leshurr	Birmingham, rap and grime	Tour for 10 years of Queen’s Speech (October 2026).	UEA SU ; Visit Glasgow
Ledbyher	Norfolk then London, jerk and “lady trap”	Mixtape The Elephant (February 13, 2026).	Clash, February 13, 2026 ; Dazed
Little Simz	London, rap	EP Sugar Girl (May 8, 2026).	Clash, May 8, 2026 ; mxdwn
Ms Banks	South London, rap and afrobeats	Album SOUTH LDN LOVER GIRL (March 13, 2026).	Clash, March 13, 2026 ; Rolling Stone UK
PIXY	London (north-west), rap and hyperpop	EP MADEBYGOD (September 25, 2026). EP XY (March 2026).	Clash, September 25, 2026 ; Complex
Stefflon Don	London, rap, dancehall and afrobeats	Album Island 54 (June 28, 2024).	Wikipedia ; Clash, May 24, 2024

Alphabetical order. The “City or scene” column repeats what the cited sources say.

How we put this selection together

We kept female rappers based in England for whom rap is a major activity, with at least one project, single or tour dated between June 2024 and October 2026. Each date rests on the music press, on a platform (Apple Music, Last.fm) or on a concert venue page. When two sources disagree, we say so.

Compared with the November 2024 version, Ledbyher and PIXY join the selection. Ms Dynamite and Nadia Rose move to reference points, for lack of a precisely dated recent project. Shaybo drops out: we found no release dated after November 2021 (Wikipedia).

The nine female rappers, one by one

Cristale

A South London rapper (Brixton), Cristale released the EP What It’s Like To Be Young (seven tracks) in June 2022. Her single “Roadents” came out on OVO Sound in September 2023 and goes with the final season of Top Boy, where she made her acting debut. She was nominated for Best Hip Hop Act at the MOBO Awards (ceremony of February 18, 2025). The single “Top 3” (covered by Clash on May 18, 2026, produced by Young Chencs) comes ahead of the mixtape Clear Intentions, announced for November 6, 2026 on Believe Records.

ENNY

ENNY comes from South East London. “Peng Black Girls” (2020) made her known, followed by a version with Jorja Smith. Her EP Under Twenty Five (seven tracks) came out in July 2021, then We Go Again (six tracks, with Loyle Carner as a guest) on April 13, 2023. After two years without a release, she returned on August 1, 2025 with the single “Cabin Feva”, on FAMM. The sources we consulted announce no album.

Ivorian Doll

A London rapper who came up in drill, Ivorian Doll released “Rumours” on April 2, 2020 and received a 2020 MOBO Awards nomination for Best Newcomer, according to Wikipedia. In February 2024, the single “Bulletproof” shows, according to Clash, a more pop energy while keeping a link with her beginnings. Apple Music and Last.fm date her most recent single, “Anti”, to September 25, 2026.

Lady Leshurr

Originally from Birmingham, Lady Leshurr is known for her video freestyle series Queen’s Speech. She has won MOBO Awards (Best Female Act, Best Rap/Grime Act) and received the British Empire Medal in 2020. Her autumn 2026 UK tour marks ten years of Queen’s Speech: venues list shows on October 16 and 22, 2026, among other dates. According to Wikipedia, she also released the single “Set Up Chicks” in 2025.

Ledbyher

Ledbyher grew up in Norfolk and lives in London. She produces part of her own music and describes her style as “lady trap”, between jerk and alternative R&B, according to Clash. Her mixtape The Elephant came out on February 13, 2026, with Biig Piig, SINN6R and 5eb as guests. Complex names her among the most promising talents of British underground rap.

Little Simz

A London rapper, Little Simz won the 2022 Mercury Prize for Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Her album Lotus came out on June 6, 2025 on AWAL, her first without the producer Inflo according to NME. She is nominated for the 2026 Brit Awards (Hip-Hop/Grime/Rap Act) and, at the 2026 MOBO Awards, in the Best Female Act and Best Hip Hop Act categories. Her four-track EP Sugar Girl came out on May 8, 2026, with JT, DEELA and 070 Shake as guests. Clash gives it 7/10 and describes it as a club-leaning record.

Ms Banks

A South London rapper, Ms Banks released her first album, SOUTH LDN LOVER GIRL, on March 13, 2026. Rolling Stone UK presents it as a long-awaited debut album and Clash gives it 7/10. The singles deal in particular with the effects of crime and addiction, domestic violence (“SOUTH LDN LOVER GIRL”) and natural hair (“4C”). The tour announced by Clash runs from April 10 (Amsterdam) to April 23, 2026 (Islington Assembly Hall, London). Her previous mixtape, Bank Statement, dates from July 2022.

PIXY

PIXY, a British-Brazilian artist based in London (north-west, according to Complex), began by posting covers and raw tracks on SoundCloud in 2025. Her EP XY came out in March 2026. “LEGACY”, produced by the London duo Badbadbad, is its lead track. On September 25, 2026, she released MADEBYGOD (eight tracks, SoundCloud exclusive). A show at Phonox (London) is announced for November 4.

Stefflon Don

Her single “Hurtin’ Me”, with French Montana, entered the UK singles chart on August 24, 2017 and reached number 7 (27 weeks on the chart, according to Official Charts). Her first album, Island 54 (20 tracks, on 54 London and BMG), came out on June 28, 2024, after an initial announcement for June 14. Stefflon Don describes it, according to Clash, as a fusion of dancehall and Afrobeats. Buju Banton, Tayc, Bnxn, D-Block Europe and Adekunle Gold appear as guests.

Two reference points: Ms Dynamite and Nadia Rose

Ms Dynamite

Ms Dynamite won the Mercury Prize in September 2002 with her debut album, A Little Deeper, released in June 2002. Hello! then presented her as the first solo Black artist to receive the prize. She was made an MBE in the 2018 Birthday Honours (UK Music, June 11, 2018). Skiddle lists her on the bill of the Summer Jams festival in Leicester on August 7, 2026. We found no recent project with a precise date: she stays a reference point.

Nadia Rose

Nadia Rose released her first EP, Highly Flammable (nine tracks), on January 13, 2017 on Sony/Relentless, according to The Fader. Miloco Studios says she was among the nominees of the BBC Sound of 2017 list. Apple Music lists several singles in 2026, without a precise date: that does not allow us to place her in the selection.

Awards and nominations cited

Date	Distinction	Artist	Source
September 2002	Mercury Prize: winner	Ms Dynamite, A Little Deeper	Hello!
October 18, 2022	Mercury Prize: winner	Little Simz, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert	Music Week ; Mercury Prize
February 18, 2025	MOBO Awards, Best Hip Hop Act: nominee	Cristale	Music Week
February 18, 2025	MOBO Awards, Best Female Act: nominee	Little Simz	Music Week
February 28, 2026	Brit Awards, Hip-Hop/Grime/Rap Act: nominee	Little Simz	NME
March 26, 2026	MOBO Awards, Best Female Act and Best Hip Hop Act: nominee	Little Simz	Official Charts

Only the “winner” lines are wins. The others are nominations, whose outcome we have not verified.

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Sources

• Clash, Cristale : EP What It’s Like To Be Young (article du 13 juin 2022)
• Clash, Cristale : single Top 3 (18 mai 2026)
• Clash, Cristale : mixtape Clear Intentions (9 septembre 2026)
• British Hip Hop, Cristale : Roadents (8 septembre 2023)
• Wonderland, Cristale : Roadents (13 septembre 2023)
• The Line of Best Fit, ENNY : Cabin Feva (1er août 2025)
• Dork, ENNY : EP We Go Again (22 mars 2023)
• Dork, ENNY : Bernie Mac et EP Under Twenty Five (19 octobre 2021)
• Mixmag, ENNY : entretien (23 août 2021)
• Wikipédia, ENNY
• Clash, Ivorian Doll : Bulletproof (16 février 2024)
• Apple Music, Ivorian Doll
• Last.fm, Ivorian Doll
• Wikipédia, Ivorian Doll
• UEA SU, Lady Leshurr : 10 Years of The Queen’s Speech (16 octobre 2026)
• Visit Glasgow, Lady Leshurr (22 octobre 2026)
• Wikipédia, Lady Leshurr
• Clash, Ledbyher : mixtape The Elephant (13 février 2026)
• Dazed, Ledbyher : entretien (13 février 2026)
• Complex, projets du rap underground britannique (12 avril 2026)
• Clash, Little Simz : critique de Sugar Girl (8 mai 2026)
• mxdwn, Little Simz annonce Sugar Girl (30 avril 2026)
• NME, Little Simz : critique de Lotus (4 juin 2025)
• NME, nominés aux Brit Awards 2026
• Official Charts, nominations aux MOBO Awards 2026 (15 janvier 2026)
• Music Week, nominés aux MOBO Awards (4 décembre 2024)
• Music Week, Little Simz remporte le Mercury Prize (18 octobre 2022)
• Mercury Prize, palmarès des années précédentes
• Clash, Ms Banks : annonce de SOUTH LDN LOVER GIRL (12 février 2026)
• Wikipédia, Ms Banks
• Last.fm, Ms Banks
• Clash, Ms Banks : critique de SOUTH LDN LOVER GIRL (13 mars 2026)
• Rolling Stone UK, Ms Banks : SOUTH LDN LOVER GIRL (13 mars 2026)
• Clash, PIXY : EP MADEBYGOD (25 septembre 2026)
• SoundCloud Stories, PIXY (24 septembre 2026)
• Clash, Stefflon Don : annonce d’Island 54 (24 mai 2024)
• Wikipédia, Island 54
• DancehallMag, Stefflon Don : date annoncée d’Island 54 (24 mai 2024)
• Official Charts, Stefflon Don et French Montana : Hurtin’ Me
• Hello!, Ms Dynamite remporte le Mercury Prize (17 septembre 2002)
• UK Music, Birthday Honours 2018 (11 juin 2018)
• Skiddle, Summer Jams 2026 à Leicester
• The Fader, Nadia Rose : Highly Flammable (13 janvier 2017)
• Miloco Studios, Nadia Rose : Highly Flammable
• Apple Music, Nadia Rose
• Wikipédia, Shaybo

Updated October 22, 2026. Cristale’s mixtape (November 6) and PIXY’s show (November 4) are announced and may change.