Ten years ago when cell phones had a home button and a headphone jack, there were kids locked in their bedrooms, listening to their favorite artists on Soundcloud. They were pirating DAW's and using sketchy YouTube to MP3 converters to chop up samples of synths and guitars and Memphis rap hooks. They were beginning to write their own songs, long before anyone would ever hear them.
What happened to those kids, who are well into their 20's now?
In the case of Zukovstheworld, he's making the music that's going to inspire the next generation of the underground. November 29, 2025 marks the release of his first full-length album, which has the potential to break him out of the UK underground scene where he's amassed a cult following over the past couple of years.
End Of The World pays homage to that era of music that was born out of home studios and crunched up samples. This album is the evolution of a sound that has finally blossomed beyond of its youthful echo chamber, and Zuko is a prime example of how kids who were raised on the grungy bass tones and layered vocals of cloud rap have grown into pioneers of its future.
Opening with the dark instrumentals and layered vocals of "Grown," he sets the tone for the album as both momentous and calculated, balancing quality and quantity when it comes to instrumentation. As a leading track, this song provides context for many stylistic choices throughout the album, but to say that it's a summary for the whole thing would be an oversight. It merely serves as a mid-point for his range, and an easy magnet for longtime listeners of drain and cloud rap.
With each sequential track, the album builds on its vision, with elements of witch house and tread on songs like "Lung" and "Catties," perfect bait for fans of Black Kray's gothic approach to hip hop, or the high-pitched ambient synth signature of a Working on Dying production.
At a closer listen, distinct aspects of his personal musical style shine through the strong influence. One that stands out is "Fright Night," which provides an early-album burst of energy that allows the grungier pieces to play their part without getting too repetitive. On the song, the beat drives the chorus toward a more energetic territory; one that he increasingly incorporates as he moves further into the album. The hook is catchy from first listen, with a stumbling yet on-beat cadence that proves as a signature for Zuko; one that he pulls of track after track.
Though the words are at times less audible due to the production style, songs like "Fright Night" and "Shadows" present moments of clarity, with lyrics and tone that is often more audible than what listeners have come to expect from artists in the cloud rap/drain underground scene. Those times where the lyrics are discernible against the heavier, distorted production elements are what makes his songs so refreshingly memorable, and those are the moments that are often going to stick with a new listener and make them come back for more.
Another standout high-energy track is "Drogba," which combines deep bass tones with pitched-up samples to create a sound that would fit right in at a nightclub, whether in its raw form or remixed further into an DJ set.
Strategically placed between the higher caliber tracks are slower pieces, including "Jaxxon's Interlude," a spoken interlude at track four, and "Say It Ain't So," which bridges together the energetic songs near the end of the album with repetitive lyrics and dark synths.
"22" is also a slower, more ethereal track, with the convoluted vocals and twinkling synths of a 2016 Soundcloud hit. Had he chosen to go this direction for the entire album, it may have been something we've heard before. Instead, including it in the mix along with his other works showed more of an appreciation for the past rather than an imitation of it.
To close everything off is "Eating Bullets," which delivers all of the finishing touches that this album craved. It leans to the conceptual, but is concise enough to maintain a clear message. The build up into chopped up vocals and a stormy, reverb-heavy mix is anything but gentle, which leaves a lasting impression on Zukovstheworld as a visionary who has further plans to step outside of the box, playing with production to make things sound fresh and interesting. The video is strange and liminal, highlighting all of the features of Zuko's artistry that make this song one of the highlights of the album.
Throughout End Of The World, an artists vision unfolds. Zuko's sound is an off-beat approach to pop music with a deep appreciation for production. High pitched synths, distorted samples, and degraded bass tones are a snapshot of the past ten years of underground hip-hop. These elements are melded with a specific type of modernity that can only come from the youthful touch; a first-hand experience of an ever-evolving lifestyle in the British scene that serves as the perfect subject matter for a style of music with endless opportunities. You can't relive your youth, but you can document it. That's what Zukovstheworld is doing for us.
This album will especially appeal to people who used to listen to early Soundcloud, but have since gone elsewhere to get their musical fix. Artists like Zukovstheworld putting their own twist on an era of music that still feels like yesterday is a foreshadowing for a new nostalgia; a post-cloud rap that will be the parent of new styles of production, new undergrounds, and new generations of kids creating the music that they want to create—out of the sounds they grew up in adoration of.
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Photo credit: Zukovstheworld
