Terrified by fakemink

Kash Young 

Rap/Hip-Hop Journalist

The highly anticipated debut album from young, up-and-coming Essex rapper fakemink, Terrified, has finally been released for audiences around the world. After receiving co-signs from major artists such as Drake, Frank Ocean, and Playboi Carti, the underground standout delivers his most anticipated project to date. Fans have been hungry and eager to dive into the new album. Following his EP prequel, The Boy Who Cried Terrified, fakemink takes his first true step toward stardom with Terrified.

Terrified is a heavily themed album centered around mysterious, psychedelic and unsettling experiences. The project feels like a horror film or, perhaps more accurately, a slow-burning psychological thriller. Fakemink has long cited the late filmmaker David Lynch as an inspiration, frequently paying tribute to him. His single “Night Blooming Jasmine,” which appears on the album, takes its name from the exact words engraved on Lynch’s gravestone.

The album opens with an interlude that feels like the beginning of a slow-paced movie, immediately pulling listeners into its atmosphere. It accomplishes something that feels increasingly rare in underground rap today: a commitment to a theme. Many albums carry a title or concept but fail to fully embody it throughout the music. Terrified does the opposite.

From the start, the project creates an uneasy feeling, as if something is lurking just around the corner. Listening to it feels like covering your eyes during a scary movie while still wanting to peek through your fingers to see what happens next. The opening interlude builds that tension before ending with a scream of “Terrified!” The next track, “All Eyes on Me,” crashes in with a sudden beat drop, reflecting fakemink’s belief that his moment has arrived and that the spotlight is finally on him. He references the growing attention surrounding his career after years of releasing successful singles without a major project tying them together.

The album continues with four interludes spread throughout its runtime, each helping construct a larger narrative. The interludes divide the album into distinct chapters. It begins with feelings of fear and uncertainty, where strange and mysterious forces seem to surround the listener. As the project progresses, the mood becomes more upbeat and self-aware before eventually descending into feelings of being lost, confused and searching for something unknown.

The twists and turns throughout the album make it feel as though fakemink is directing a film using sound instead of visuals. Through his production choices, voice and songwriting, he communicates what it feels like to be terrified. He even released a short film alongside the project, further supporting the concept and vision behind the album.

One thing that continues to separate fakemink from many of his peers is his originality. Since entering the rap scene, he has maintained a sound that is difficult to compare to anyone else. Even now, listeners are still trying to define exactly what his music sounds like. Rather than fitting into an existing lane, he continues to create his own.

Terrified is an emotional roller coaster, filled with highs and lows, upbeat moments and slower, more reflective tracks. Some songs feel completely unpredictable, but together they contribute to the album’s larger story. The project runs just under an hour, featuring 19 tracks, including four interludes.

I believe fakemink delivers something that both the underground and rap music as a whole have been missing. Terrified feels like an anomaly. People are still trying to fully grasp what the album is and whether its impact will continue to grow over time. The Essex rapper has already influenced parts of the London rap scene since releasing London Savior, with elements of his sound appearing in the work of other artists.

I believe Terrified will only continue to grow in stature. It possesses a sound that no one has fully captured yet and explores themes that few artists in today’s underground are willing to commit to. Through mystery, uncertainty, emotional highs and lows, and constant twists around every corner, Terrified creates a unique listening experience. Across its 19 tracks, listeners are almost certain to find something that resonates with them.