Aitch continues his reign with twisting new single, Raw

Over the last two years, Manchester rapper Aitch has been working towards securing his place in the future of UK hip-hop, and in 2020, it seems he's finally getting there. He's always been regarded as a rapper on the rise, the musician - whose Manchester home separates him from much of the UK hip-hop pack, largely built out of hubs within London - constantly referred to as the 'next big thing' and 'one to watch', only to squash these with the release of Rain - a track that took him from one to watch and turned him into a fully-fledged, chart-topping star.

In many ways, Rain felt like Aitch's moment. It was a big name, cross-continental collaboration (it enlisted fellow UK rap star and festival favourite AJ Tracey, as well as US producer Tay Keith) that ushered him into the heights of UK rap, building off the success of the localised genre's exponential international growth and utilising it as a slingshot for his own success; Aitch isn't just someone confined to the limits of the UK, as it's very much a world game now (his Spotify, for example, lists Sydney and Brisbane as two of the rapper's biggest markets).

Now that Aitch has found his crown, it seems that he's not too keen on letting it go. Throughout this year, he's consistently grown and evolved in the space of just a few months, with singles like Rain leading the way for a stand-out 101Barz freestyle shortly after, and collaborations with EVERYTHING IS RECORDED and Young T & Bugsey, where he found himself nestled amongst the country's cult-favourites and rap pioneers. Now, with his latest track for the year (and a sign of things to come), Aitch is at his most raw - and that shows.

Raw, Aitch's latest single, continues his reign. It's not quite the hyper-accessible, cross-Atlantic collaboration that Rain welcomed but that's completely fine and in fact, quite important - it gives him a chance to shine on his own, his vocals gliding unassisted as it navigates the ebbs and flows of the production, worked on by WhyJay and Sangy. In fact, Raw feels a little more authentic, proving Aitch's skillset and prowess on a solo level - something that he's done in the past, but with more eyes on him than ever, feels particularly important right now.

Aitch has arrived, and now he's not going anywhere. Take a dive into Raw below, stay tuned for more to come from the UK heavyweight shortly, and pray that as soon as the borders open once again, his long-awaited Australian welcoming can go down (it's going to be huge).

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