Fresh off a massive debut at Reading Festival 2026 and a nod from BBC Radio 1, East of England’s punk-rap powerhouse $ebbuku drops his most explosive output yet. ‘Merk It’ is an unhinged, distorted assault on synthetic culture, and a fierce reminder of what happens when real blood, sweat, and live instrumentation collide.

At a time when algorithms churn out carbon-copy tracks and AI threatens to dull the edge of modern music, $ebbuku (Sebastian Bates) is kicking over the desk.

‘Merk It’ lands somewhere in the chaotic sweet spot between Rage Against the Machine’s confrontational power, Bob Vylan’s raw street grit, and the abrasive, unpredictable noise of Death Grips. Built around old-school analogue bass and punishing live drums, the track kicks off with a shuffling electronic groove and pitch-shifted vocal chops before detonating into a barrage of fuzzy guitars, sub-bass pressure, and $ebbuku’s signature bark.

It’s blown-out, aggressive, and intentionally volatile, capturing the exact instant frustration boils over into pure catharsis.

"With the rise of artificial intelligence being used in media, music, and creativity, there begs a question… When does art stop being art?" — $ebbuku

The story behind the single is just as unfiltered as the track itself. Escaping the digital noise, $ebbuku and his crew loaded up their gear and headed out to a secluded studio tucked between a dog groomer, a garage, and a riverbank.

The goal? Make as much noise as humanly possible.

"Myself and my fellow breakbeat brethren took this idea and threw the dice, expressing the struggle of being a human in a world built on code and binary... Creating art is difficult. The easy route seems to be the road most travelled. Yet nothing brought me more joy than driving hours into the county, spending a huge amount of money, trying and testing riffs, sacrificing my time and making as much of a racket as possible. It will always be worth it."

$ebbuku has spent the last year proving he’s one of the most vital new voices emerging from the UK underground. Following up a landmark headliner at Norwich Arts Centre, 2026 saw him light up stages at Brighten The Corners and Reading Festival, alongside support runs for the likes of Monster Florence and The Mouse Outfit.

Now backed by industry tastemakers from Radio 1 to Reprezent, $ebbuku is stepping into a new era, teaming up with one of his childhood producer heroes for this latest release cycle.

In a music landscape starved for authenticity, $ebbuku isn't interested in taking the easy route. 'Merk It' is loud, defiant, and unapologetically human.

‘Merk It’ is out now across all platforms.