Kidwild

“I’m still in pain, I tell myself life could be worse,” raps Kidwild on ‘Job’s Not Done’, track one on his debut mixtape Job’s Not Done. To say his life could be worse is something of an understatement: he’s one of the UK’s most exciting rappers, having topped Spotify’s Global Hip Hop chart for 2025 and been named as One to Watch for 2026 by the Guardian. He’s also a successful actor, appearing on TV, onstage in the West End and around the world. He even appeared in a Stormzy video as a teen and has been cosigned by Skepta. On Job’s Not Done he steps out in earnest as one of the only rappers on British soil willing to confront his innermost emotions on record.

The pain in his music remains, never more apparent than in the plaintive instrumentals and soul-bearing lyrics of his first ever full-length release. “Most of that pain comes from battling yourself,” he says. “Like, going through things, wanting life to be a certain way.” Perhaps it should be no surprise considering Kidwild’s unique childhood, his complicated relationship with his dad and the many twists and turns that have already defined his young career. It’s to be expected of a star in their later years, but striking in someone who has just turned 20.

Job’s Not Done is Kidwild telling his story so far, reflecting on the many highs and lows of achieving teenage stardom, signing with a major label and becoming trapped in a deal that stopped him releasing music, then breaking free and launching a comeback on his own terms. Despite having barely reached adulthood, the intensities of Kidwild’s rise, fall and comeback have shaped him into a mature, disciplined man. On his first full-length he takes his typically introspective lyrics to new heights, a portrait of a rounded artist who’s unafraid to graft through times both good and bad.

“I came from nothing, somehow made it work,” he raps on the opening track ‘Job’s Not Done’. Kidwild grew up in a block of flats in Stratford, east London, the second-oldest of 12 siblings. When he was little his older sister would pick him up from school and he’d have to wait in the corner of a room while she took dance classes. He spent a lot of time on his iPad, but eventually started joining in. One day his mum caught wind of an open casting call and insisted that he go for it. The next thing he knew he was acting in the West End, appearing in The Bodyguard and touring as far away as China.

“Cos I done performing arts, I didn’t spend all my time in school,” he says. “For like, three months on end, I would leave. Everyone else would be in the ends, chilling with each other. Me, I’d be gone.” Spending time with friends and what he perceived to be a normal childhood were two of the sacrifices he made, and not for a life that he’d chosen, but for a life that chose him. “I was forced,” he says. “I didn’t want to do it when I was younger.” Considering the success that it brought him, he does, however, stop short of regret. “But like… a good force, init.”

One day when he was about 10, Kidwild walked into his sister’s dance studio listening to his iPod only to discover a young J Hus in there, filming the video to his breakout single ‘Lean & Bop’. Kidwild was too young to be in it, but three years later he was dancing with Stormzy, in the video for his smash hit ‘Vossi Bop’. At a similar time he was cast as a young footballer in the BBC’s teen drama Jamie Johnson, where he stayed for four seasons.

With his career taking off, before long he was being recognised, both online and on the street. It came with its own challenges. “At age 15, I was famous, emotional wreck,” he raps over mournful piano chords on ‘Forgive Me’, one of Job’s Not Done’s most heartfelt highlights. “When I was in school, there were occasions when I would be getting followed home, because people wanted to take videos of me and that,” he says. “I didn’t know how to deal with it. I didn’t want to be famous. I just wanted to be a normal person.”

What kept him going was his burgeoning interest in music. Having grown up listening to grime, Kidwild first got the opportunity to rap in the school playground, freestyling with his classmates and discovering a precocious talent. During the pandemic he bought himself a mic and started recording songs of his own, beginning to hone the trademark introspection that has since come to define his deeply confessional sound. He shared some of his stuff on his socials and, drawn in by the honesty and philosophy in his lyrics, labels soon came calling. At the age of 17, he signed a deal with Atlantic Records.

It was an exciting time. “I was trying to pursue music properly,” he says. “I wasn’t acting. This was the main thing going on.” Two singles came out, including 2022’s viral hit ‘Popular Loner’, a beautifully catchy track and a candid, nuanced self-portrait that captured many of the contradictions of Kidwild’s complex persona.

But then the A&R who had signed him left the label. Just as he was blowing up, Kidwild was left in limbo. For over a year, he was unable to release any music. “I didn’t know what to do with myself,” he remembers. “I was just existing. I want to rap, but you lot aren’t letting me rap, for like a year straight.” Even his fans were growing impatient. “I got DMs like, ‘When are we getting new music?!’” he says. “And I couldn’t drop anything. I couldn’t even drop independently if I wanted to. The most I could do is drop on YouTube. But no one wants that.” It got so bad, he began to have doubts about rapping at all. “I questioned whether I wanted to do music, bare times, throughout that whole period.”

He and the label eventually parted ways. As he recently told the Guardian’s Ben Beaumont-Thomas, Kidwild left his contract feeling “like I came out of jail”. Soon after he was free, one of his first independent releases started blowing up online: the dreamy, gut-wrenching ‘Indecisive (Is It A Crime)’, featuring a masterfully deployed Sade sample. Kidwild was reassured that he’d made the right decision. “Now things are good, I know that everything happens for a reason,” he says.

Filled with a newfound drive, he followed ‘Indecisive’ with the unstoppable ‘Redemption,’ featuring Manchester MC and kindred spirit Nemzzz. The track has been streamed more than 100 million times, topping Spotify’s Global Hip Hop Chart for 2025. Both tracks - ‘Indecisive’ and ‘Redemption’ - are on Kidwild’s debut EP Distro Kid, the crowning achievement of a stellar year.

But he’s not done yet. Lead single from Job’s Not Done ‘Remontada’ sees Kidwild link up with drill pioneer Blanco. Follow-up ‘If I Lose’, described as “superb” by the Guardian, is an equally powerful statement of intent. And third single ‘Forgive Me’ might be Kidwild’s most emotive and personal release yet. Complete with a touching video filmed in Jamaica, the song is an uncompromising portrayal of Kidwild’s complicated relationship with his dad, who spent much of his son’s childhood in prison. “Dad had an idea, Mumsy pitched it, like look: he’s in prison, he needs you on a visit. I’m torn in three: head, heart and spirit,” he raps, capturing the web of emotions he felt while his father was locked up. As seen in the video, Kidwild and his dad recently reconnected and are gradually repairing their relationship.

Elsewhere on the tape, on a track called ‘Real Pain’, Kidwild samples a clip of Skepta musing on his methods for achieving greatness. The two artists met during an edition of the grime legend’s Victory Lap cypher series, spotlighting the UK’s best upcoming MCs. Kidwild’s subsequent freestyle was another among the many highlights of his 2025.

So what next? In the coming year Kidwild hopes to keep releasing poignant, impactful music, plan a debut headline tour and continue his ascent to the upper echelons of the rap scene. “By the time I’m 30, I don't want to just be forgotten about,” he says. “I want to leave a legacy behind.” For now, he’s an immensely accomplished artist with a maturity that belies his youth. But as the title of his mixtape suggests, his work is far from done.