DIGITAL COVER | JUNE 2026

Words: Naz Hamdi
Photography: @hoodrichdulla
Assistant: @weallconnectasone
Art Design: Dacre Bracey
Styling: BXKS

It’s the height of summer, July 2025, and the heat hangs over West London as BXKS welcomes TRENCH into a studio tucked away from the city’s hustle and bustle. She’s putting the finishing touches on Fear Of Eclipse, a body of work that mirrors her growth as both an artist and a person. As we sit down to talk, it becomes clear that the project is built around a simple, but very powerful idea: nothing lasts forever. “The idea is that you can go through things in life, but they don’t last forever,” says BXKS. “The darkness doesn’t last long; there is always a light.” It’s a sentiment threaded throughout Fear Of Eclipse, framing the mixtape as an ode to the brighter days ahead.

The last time we were in contact with BXKS was in 2024, shortly after the release of One Time, for a WHY I RATE feature. At the time, she was experimenting with grime and hip-hop while leaning into more laid-back rap styles. She reflected on her upbringing in Luton and described her earlier music as “less fully formed”, with One Time marking a turning point in the development of her identity as an artist. When we meet BXKS again, for this cover story, it’s the beginning of 2026: on a cold, rainy day in Brixton, we catch up to discuss her new era, forthcoming mixtape, and the next chapter of a career that is steadily reaching new heights. Fear Of Eclipse didn’t always look the way it does today. “Before, I had a whole different name for a whole different tape with a particular sound,” she explains. “Then I said, ‘Fuck this! This isn’t how I’m feeling anymore,’ and changed the name.” It’s a change that reflects her growing confidence in following her gut and letting the music lead the way.

This chapter marks a new phase for BXKS. “I’m in a different space compared to last time,” she says. “I was heavily involved in all the music. Not to say I wasn’t for One Time, but I knew exactly how I wanted Fear Of Eclipse to sound.” Fear Of Eclipse captures a shift in BXKS’ musical direction, drawing together the styles she loves, her heritage and her experiences of nightlife across the globe. Her previous single, “GQOM BEYONCÉ”—which didn’t make the tape—offered an early glimpse of that evolution. “I knew it was gonna go off,” she says. “Things take time, but I wanted it out ASAP so I just freed it from the project.”

The track sparked excitement around the mixtape. It also showcased BXKS as one of the first contemporary UK rap MCs to openly draw from South African electronic sounds, while reinforcing what has become synonymous with her music: the ability to craft club-ready songs without sacrificing her penmanship. While Fear Of Eclipse leans more into clubby electronica than it did on One Time, grime still runs through its veins. “I made ‘SING4ME’ in December 2025 and naturally realised there was a certain sound here,” BXKS explains. “I started trying a lot more 3-Step too.”

Watching BXKS put the final pieces of Fear Of Eclipse into place last year was a real privilege. When we caught up with her, she was finalising tracks, gathering voice notes from friends and working through the sequencing—a process that showcased the chemistry between everyone involved. “As a whole, it was fun to work with the producers,” she says. “It was nice being there because, for a lot of them, it was their first time meeting. I’m bringing in people who don’t know each other and still can make really good music together. There was a nice bond made between us in the camp, which was spread out across three weeks.”

The mixtape serves as both a snapshot of where BXKS is now and a statement of where she’s always wanted to take her music. From the producers helping to fine-tune her evolving sound, to the artists complementing her across the set, Fear Of Eclipse embraces a playful, sexy, club-focused energy. “It’s a big difference from One Time because I was just ready to go,” BXKS explains. “For the last tape, I was quite laid-back and relaxed.”

Nightlife plays a big part in Fear Of Eclipse. The dancefloor, late nights and the people who frequent those spaces have become central inspirations for BXKS. “I’m always in the dance,” she says with a smile. “‘Back It Up’ was my first dance song. Prior to that, I wasn’t really outside like that, but after that song I was going to the functions! Since making this tape, I’ve been outside like a fox because of those sonics. I felt like I needed people to understand that the reason my music sounds like this is because I’m in the dance, and what I’m rapping about is what I’m seeing and experiencing. If you make dance music, it’s important to be in those spaces.”

When asked about her favourite tracks on the mixtape, BXKS doesn’t hesitate: “‘SING4ME’ is one of my favourites. I didn’t like it initially, but then Chef Dee convinced me to drop it. Probably ‘VIXIN’ [with Zeddy East] as well, and this unreleased track I had with Jim [Legxacy] called ‘Posture’.” Her collab with Legxacy came naturally: “We were around each other a lot and he was making his tape [Black British Music] too. I wasn’t really making music with many people, but he ended up doing production instead.” Another standout collaboration came with Chy Cartier: “I have a song with Chy, too, and it was our first time making music together. The track was really cool.”

All three artists have spent the past few years pushing UK music forward, earning recognition as part of its next generation. BXKS’ own journey has been built on relentless self-improvement. Not knowing how to bar when she first started, she studied the craft obsessively: freestyling, writing lyrics and teaching herself production in her spare time. In her WHY I RATE profile, she spoke about studying her favourite MCs and learning how to structure her raps, and that dedication is evident across Fear Of Eclipse, which samples several iconic grime tracks. One track that stands out, in particular, is “I’M THAT”. “The Fumin one was kind of mad because I didn’t know if I was going to find him,” she says. “When I did, he said, ‘Do your thing.’ Then I sampled his verse on ‘POW!’, which is cold because he was proper cool.”

Alongside making music, BXKS’ other love is travelling to different countries. One moment she’s on a shoot in London, the next she’s boarding a flight to Lagos, Nigeria. Given her busy schedule, we were keen to hear about her recent travels, particularly after her first headline show in Tokyo—a full-circle moment considering the origins of her name (@bxksintokyo)—and a trip to South Africa, a country currently at the forefront of global dance music through Amapiano, Afro-house, 3-Step and gqom. She describes South Africa as “really fun and interesting. Everywhere you go—the taxis, the mall—they’re playing 3-Step and Amapiano. I loved it.” The trip also gave her the chance to connect with the producer Oslin: “When I made ‘GQOM BEYONCÉ’, he was hailing me up, which was nice because he’s one of the people who helped create that sound.”

Since returning, BXKS has channelled that inspiration into her work. Her goal is simple: “Stay focused, complete the mission and make good music.” That freedom applies to her approach to genre, too: “I don’t feel tied to any one genre. If you go back through any project I’ve made, from 2022 to now, none of my tapes sound the same—they all sound so different. If you listen to my first tape, you’d hear that too. I don’t think I would have made something sonically like this back then.” For an artist whose foundations lie in grime, that openness to exploration feels natural. Rather than settling into one lane, BXKS continues to follow her curiosity wherever it takes her.

BXKS is equally excited by the producers coming through right now. “There’s a lot of producers who are sick, making mad sounds and helping artists buss—they’re the people really doing their thing,” she says. Asked who stands out, she quickly reels off a list: “Nathan, Sai [On The Beat], Cppo, Henes, Oslin, TR [GoBrazy], Lez—they’re all great. I don’t wanna forget anyone because there’s so many, but those are a few producers I can think of off the top of my head.”

She’s just as enthusiastic about the artists rising up from the underground. “The underground right now is in an interesting space,” she says. “I feel like there’s a new batch of people coming up making cool music, like TBO and N4T, who are locked in doing their thing. Everything is shifting from underground to mainstream, for sure.” As for where she sees herself within that landscape, BXKS is less certain. “I honestly don’t know what space I hold,” she admits. “But I guess, because of Fear Of Eclipse, I hold the space of summer! That’s what I’m gearing up for: making good summer songs.”

A few days before our recent chat, BXKS had performed at Dave’s headline show at the O2. “Shout-out the Lost Boys because I was just chilling at home when I got a call from Chef [Dee] asking me to come and perform,” she recalls. “I didn’t really process it until I was there, but yeah—it was sick!” The night felt bigger than a one-off appearance: “I was there with the mandem, and Jim [Legxacy] came out that same night too. The boys picked some great people to come out during the shows as well, like TR [GoBrazy]. Around that time, I was doing my camp with TR and Travy, so it felt like more than just a group of people doing the O2—we’re all friends and people who work well together. Me, Luke [Akoto] and Chef [Dee] shouldn’t have been walking around the O2, but we were, and it was so dope.”

All in all, BXKS is excited about the future. “I’m trying to make bangers—with just me,” she says. “I always work with people and do collabs, but I want to focus on making songs that are only me. Maybe a cheeky feature here and there this year, but not too much. On my next project, I’m trying to have a lot more of my own production on there.” As she continues to get deeper into production, her focus remains on the music and the business. “I might even come out with a product. I don’t want to say too much, though, because people might steal my ting,” she laughs. But when it comes to her ever-evolving sound, BXKS is firm: “I’ll always make different sounds. When it comes to One Time and Fear Of Eclipse, different crowds like different tapes. I’d just say: don’t expect what you heard before.”