Meekz

On his way to claiming a seat at the top table UK road rap is Meekz, a Gorton, Manchester-born rapper who cut his teeth on the scene in the late 2010s, attracting attention for 2018 singles "Trxppish" and "Take Losses!!" He opted for a melodic lilt for his stellar 2019 single "6 Figures," also notching up a string of singles in 2020, including "Like Me," "Big Bag," (on which he samples Jay-Z's "Can't Stop the Hustle") and "Sweeping Up." His eagerly awaited debut mixtape in 2020, Can't Stop Won't Stop, also landed that year, establishing Meekz as a rapper who is equally capable of flexing his flow across road rap and drill and of turning in hard-edged rhymes about life's gritty realities as well as more introspective ones. In 2021, he unleashed a pair of new singles, "Respect the Come Up" and "More Money," but ended the year on a tumultuous note when he became the victim of a death hoax. The fake story, published by prank website News24hd.com, claimed that Meekz had been shot and killed at a home invasion. Nonetheless, he powered on ahead, adding his voice to Dave's hit 2021 song "In The Fire." He performed the drill-gospel smash on stage at the 2022 Brit Awards alongside co-collaborators Fredo, Ghetts, and Giggs. In November 2022, Meekz rounded off the year with the release of his second mixtape Respect the Come Up, which featured guest contributors in the form of Dave and Central Cee. His hotly anticipated third mixtape TRU landed in May 2024 and was introduced by the first Manchester-referencing single "Manny," which sampled the 2004 track “New York” by Ja Rule, Fat Joe, and Jadakiss.