EARS TO THE UNDER GROUND: ESDEEKID, THE REBEL OF LIVERPOOL

DESTRUCTION X DOLL
Oct 15, 2025
9 min read

"ESDEEEEE!"

God, have you guys ever had those moments where you just look back remembering exactly where you were and what you were doing when you first discovered an artist? That's been me lately recounting just a few months ago when I was aimlessly scrolling on my socials, as one always does in this day and age, and I come across an advert that stopped me in my tracks. Well, okay, admittedly it was one I'd instantly scrolled past without a care in the world. But -- there was something about it that caught my attention almost instantaneously. So, I go back. The girl is cute, sure -- the clothes are nice but that's not what I cared about. It was the booming, melodic, repetitive bass that attracted me. But even more than that, it was the layered vocals of these 3 guys noticeably from across the pond in the UK rapping about a life of luxury, supermodel groupies, trapping, and more importantly -- Louis Vuitton sandals. At any other given day, at any other given time, with ANYBODY else, this more than likely wouldn't have made any type of impact. But I swear, the moment upon hearing those first few seconds and not too long after going into the song "LV Sandals" full-fledged, I knew I wasn't listening to just any artists or just any track -- I was going into something that may appear to be monumental.

It felt... prophetic. Call me dramatic, tell me I'm in psychosis, whatever. Memories of being in middle school, tapped into Yung Lean and the Sadboys era, a time I really shouldn't have been -- Little Miss unlimited access to internet over here -- I can recall being COMPLETELY immersed by the impact Yung Lean had already had on Internet culture, especially with Tumblr. The Arizona teas, the bucket hats, the Vaporwave 80s-esque aesthetics incorporated in his music videos. I couldn't get enough of his little Swedish accent and off-putting English translated lyrics that never made sense half the time. Little did I know that he'd become one of the biggest influential sources for both the underground and mainstream appeal in Rap music today. Now that I'm older, a decade deep into the scene, I can recognize when someone just has that IT factor behind them, a signifier of what's to come for us not just in music, but in culture. Just as Yung Lean's Sadboy era rewired what a lot of internet subculture reflected in the mid to late 2010s, Esdeekid carries that same disruptive spark, though this time through a darker, more luxurious lens of a UK perspective. Esdeekid-- and may you quote me on this for years to come -- is an essential force to be reckoned with in the underground Rap scene and is undoubtably, completely eligible to become one of the next few artists that will lead us into a new generation of sound within the next 5-10 years.

There is little to no information to be found on Esdeekid's background, and -- in all honesty -- that plays a huge part into the appeal of his mystique. Upon first glance, you'll see he veils his face with a shiesty, hockey mask, or scarf of some sort, concealing his identity both on and off the stage; in more recent pictures and concert footage, he's been seen donning plated armor complimented with chains draped across him like a Midcentury knight dropped into modern day Liverpool. Even if instinctive, the anonymity feels deliberate, a rejection of the way music today demands beauty before talent. In a sense, we're led to believe the reason for this is for listeners to focus ENTIRELY on his sound and lyrics alone as opposed to hyper-fixating on what facial features he's betrothed with. One could argue that the state of current Rap, perhaps the state of current music in general, overly centers aesthetics, "aura," and fashion over the actual music itself -- that we refuse to listen to an artist unless they fit our standards of what approvingly looks best, that their styling ultimately determines how big of mass appeal they should have, consequentially basing the metrics of success off of appearance alone I.E. 2Hollis.

A semblance of what can be gathered from what we know about Esdeekid, though his social media presence is few and far between, are those who he may take artistic incentives from. Through fragments of online posts and innuendos hidden in his production, Esdeekid's range of influences seemingly vary from the abrasive, nihilistic doom of Black Metal and Depressive Black Metal, the acceleratingly, up-tempo techniques that come of Heavy Metal, and the Anarchistic political values spouted in the lyrics of Punk, to the experimental, atmospheric sounds expressed in multiple other genres including Rap (I.E Soundcloud era, Blogger Rap era), Ambience, and Psychedelic Rock. It's impressive, really, for someone of his caliber to be so well versed in such a multitude of different music genres, many spanning from completely different sides of the musical spectrum. And this is totally not a diss, considering the surface level perception we do have of Esdeekid. It tells us as the audience that his world is built from the cracks of the emotionally charged, off beat, boundary-pushing makers that came before him. Think -- Lifelover and Death Grips marries Lil Peep and Bladee; The Germs and Pantera making a deal with A$AP Rocky and Yung Lean; The Beatles and Cradle of Filth conceiving with Crystal Castles and Black Kray. To the untrained ear, logically, this type of multifaceted dynamic shouldn't work -- but somehow, it does.

Somehow, this tranquility of sound comes alive in "Rebel," Esdeekid's latest 11-track project which dropped June 20th of this year. "Rebel" as a standalone is subsequently a body of work that doesn't only SCREAM "rebellion," it makes you live in it. In its entirety, it's a given that Esdee wants you to know that he's the one to look out for -- the up and coming of the underground we've been searching for a good while without even realizing it. The production alone has the capabilities to pull a listener into a state of hypnosis -- the layered, breathy vocals, the sonorous booms of 808s, the sinister yet sultry beats lingering in the background of each track. The influences of his artistic forefathers are relatively present throughout its aggressive, yet melancholic structure. On top of his uniqueness in sound, Esdeekid's cult following have helped in playing a respectable part in building his relevance and notoriety through endless praises:

"this shit is AOTY contender. Fimi and fakemink been my number 1 artists from this new British wave but after this project EsDeeKid overtook their spot..."

"one of the best albums to come out this year for sure"

"This shit bangs so fuckin hard man what the fuck i been sleepin on it"

"I’m so late mane.. this is hotter than hot. Holy shit"

"For uk rap I’ve only been listening to [Launcey] and a couple songs from the other conglomerate guys and I thought his accent would be to off putting but this actually goes hard"

(On the topic of Esdee passing Fakemink, another fairly popular up and coming UK rapper who're known to collab often, in monthly listeners)

"I think EsDee and fakemink will have the most longevity out of all the uk underground, both of them have something different, fimi, yt and them are good but they aren’t too different so unless they change their sound I can see fakemink and EsDee being the only ones to stay at the top".

"the speed at which EsDeeKid is flying into popularity is insane. at least in my city, I was the only dude listening to him late last year. Now so many people are tapping into him. obviously LV Sandals really propelled him, but his other stuff is really tough. He is top 5 in the ug for me."

You may see some miniscule differences in opinions online, but that doesn't negate from the general consensus on Esdeekid boiling down to the fact that his talent is insanely transcendent from the norm -- he's in an otherworldly atypical lane of his own doing. Not only that, the resilience he has to keep this momentum going has proven to be awe-inspiring for lots of others.

Some commentators have even referenced Yeat in comparison to Esdeekid, emphasizing how similar their runs have accelerated since the launch of their careers -- some calling him "the UK version of Yeat:"

(On the topic of "what do you guys think of EsDeeKid and his career trajectory?")

[Original Poster:] "i think he’s like the uk version of yeat, and he’s music is actually pretty good"

"Been on him for a minute, he got crazy potential"

"I remember when he first started promoting apathy and palaces he gonna go up fr especially for the uk"

"New album is so goated would make a crazy song together"

The visuals attached to his album also add to the mythos of Esdeekid when it comes to his character, his creativity, and his music. Always shot in darkness yet Esdeekid, along with others like Rico Ace, Fimiguerro, and Fakemink, are illuminated by harsh flashing and city lights which perfectly mimics the effect of what it feels like to be in the night life. The puncture of flashy lighting alone creates a paparazzi-esque flair which coincides with the lifestyle of luxury they often boast about -- almost as if the chaos of fame was captured candidly between the camera, the artists, and the crowd they surround themselves with. It's a blurry, shaky, feel of obsession, following Esdeekid and others in their secretive nightly escapades -- but maybe that's exactly what they want us to see. For a second, you can't tell if you're witnessing fantasy or being pulled into it. Even in his visuals, Esdeekid is hidden behind his anonymity like a supernatural force in the shadows. Like trying to catch a cryptid in its natural state -- you just catch glimpses and glimmers of him in the haziness of each shot. And to be honest, it's not about him being seen. It's the illusion that makes it all the more valuable.

The aesthetics of the music videos not only mirror the exact pulsation of the sound, they also have the capabilities to make you feel entrapped into your own personal moodboard.

Kate Moss fame, man, my bitches need their own tour"

exclaims Rico Ace in his featured verse and yet you can't help but feel like you should be living it up in the life of a 90s-2000s Kate Moss in that exact moment, having just walked the runway working the latest Ready-to-Wear collection in Milan or Paris Fashion Week as you prepare to attend a glamorous afterparty while "Phantom" blasts in the background.

The music videos don't just accompany the music; they expand on it. The sound, the visuals, all wrapped up in a world of strobe lights, anonymous glances, smoke filled rooms, flowing drinks, and designer -- they all amplify the disorienting beauty of Esdeekid's production. It's the soundtrack accompanied by cinematic expression that gives you that feel of a late-night-into-early-morning adrenaline rush when you know you should be back home after a night out with strangers that turn into friends (or friends that turn into a blur of strangers), but you're too wired to stop.

Even if an outside listener where to hear the tracks of Esdeekid and think, "oh these lyrics are nothing new, I've heard em' all before, what's so special about this motherfucker?" It's the artistry of sound, image, and resilience already stamped and created by an artist such as Esdeekid that is exponentially refining an era of the underground which, keep in mind, has not made too major of moves or significant enough impact on the scene since the Soundcloud era ranging from the mid-late 2010s. Many of us have been under the assumption that we'd never get that same momentum in the underground again considering it's been a decade since the last relevant wave. Artists like Esdeekid have the exceeding potential to redefine from what the underground used to look and sound like and shift us into an entirely fresh (and dare I say up to date) direction in which so many of us fans in the music scene have been waiting for. Because listen, you and I both know the current shape we're in, especially in the underground, is outdated, it's boring, its repetitive, and everyone wants to look the same, talk the same, act in repetition in accordance with personality hoping to score "cool points" by seeming nonchalant about both their craft and their fans. And the majority completely eats it up. We've reached the point in music where image has become currency instead of the actual art, investing in aesthetics like Wall Street stockbrokers. And here I go, once again bringing up 2Hollis -- I mean, look, I love and adore him. He's doing an amazing job shaping his personal image but let's be real here -- half the internet and/or a big population of his fans only care about the sharpness of his jawline and the muscles he's packing while he runs onstage sweaty and shirtless. Its virality versus vision. We're being trained to ignore how to properly criticize or praise certain music so that an artist can develop their craft and instead focus solely on the consumption of appearance, like we're being waved a doggy biscuit to distract us from the primary source of why we love or dislike an artist in the first place. Esdeekid completely rejects the system and completely turns it on its head. By masking up, he makes us put the focus back onto the craftmanship he works so hard for. It's no wonder he has so many people in his corner rooting for him -- he helps put us back into the naturalness of how we consume music as fans and listeners.

And I open you to disagree, but I'll leave you with this -- This ISN'T the 2010s anymore.

We're ready for the next state of modern art and music. We've BEEN ready. So maybe an artist like Esdeekid is necessary for us to finally receive that push into the next movement that's been so desperately needed for a good, long while.

WHAT ARTISTS DO YOU THINK ARE UP AND COMING? GOT ANY YOU WANT US TO CHECK OUT? WRITE A REVIEW OR SUGGEST THEIR LIVE SHOWS TO US? LET US KNOW VIA COMMENTS, MESSAGES, AND DMS!

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