The United Kingdom is known for birthing a few world-renowned spitters, namely Dizzee Rascal and M.I.A. But who outside the borders of North America has the potential to follow in their hit-making footsteps? For our latest New New column, we take a trip overseas to Europe to find out who is bubbling up and rockin’ the mic right on the European continent.

XXL searched the streets of London, Sweden, Germany and France to find out more about some of the up-and-coming spitters lighting Europe on fire. Click through our guide to the hip-hop newbies from across the pond who you need to know now. This is the New New. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson, Laura ‘Hyperfrank’ Brosnan, James Walsh and Tobi Oke

Previously: The New New—Atlanta, Boston, Female, New York, Seattle

Blade Brown

Hometown: London, England

Twitter: @BladeMusic

Notable Song: “Don’t You Ever Go”

Sounds Like: Despite the unmistakable South London signifiers, the soundscape most comparable to Blade would be early Young Jeezy or Gucci Mane.

Why You Need To Know Him: Over the past decade, UK rap can be best typified by the trap/“road rap” explosion of the late 2000s (see: Giggs). But as a graduate of the era prior, Blade Brown essentially stands alone in an elevated status. This gives him an aura of assuredness in his rhymes that helps separates him from the rest; he’s the type to say more in two lines than most manage in a whole verse. Regarding his output, less seems to be more with Blade; despite not being a mixtape-every-month kind of rapper, an ear for strong beats combined with very underrated lyrical ability means you’d be hard pressed to find a rapper in the UK with a more respected discography. —Tobi Oke

Cro

Hometown: Aalen, Germany

Twitter: @ThisIsCro

Notable Song: "Easy"

Sounds Like: A light-hearted brand of hip-hop that Cro himself refers to as "Raop"; a cross between rap and pop.

Why You Need To Know Him: Hip-hop is alive and thriving in Germany, and Cro is genuinely huge with it there. His debut album, Raop, went straight to No. 1 and was given the title of Best Album Of The Year by MTV Germany, which was followed by accolades such as iTunes' Artist Of The Year and Urban Album Of The Year at The Swiss Music Awards. Cro’s "Easy" single has amassed a whopping 38 million views on YouTube to date, generating 500,000 in its first week alone. As they say, numbers don’t lie. —James Walsh

Deen Burbigo

Hometown: Marseilles, France

Twitter: @DeenBurbigo

Notable Song: "Suis-Je"

Sounds Like: A battle rapper who has converted punchlines to knockout tracks.

Why You Need To Know Him: Having begun rapping after moving to Paris, Deen Burbigo is at the forefront of the burgeoning Gallic hip-hop scene. Clearly great at picking beats, his conversational flow over melodic rhythms means that whatever language you speak you're able to vibe to a delivery that's influenced by rap pioneers such as Mobb Deep, Nas and the Wu-Tang Clan. His new eight-track release, Fin d'après-minuit, dropped Feb. 3 and is a follow-up to his well-received 2012 debut, Inception. —James Walsh

DVS

Hometown: London, England

Twitter: @TheRealDVS

Notable Song: "Hometown"

Sounds Like: The soundtrack of the British hoods (it’s not all tea and crumpets!).

Why You Need To Know Him: In Brixton, South London, dwells one of the UK "road rap" team’s strongest players. Armed with a polysyllabic rhyming pattern, DVS is mostly flashy and boastful with it ("Life Of A Real G"), but can also switch it up and give you visceral thoughts on everything from religion ("Back In Jahiliyat") to relationships ("Black Waterfalls") when he's ready. His fans are die-hard, too, which was further proven when London Boy American Dreaming—the rapper’s third tape and first for-sale project—landed at No. 1 on the iTunes Hip-Hop Chart upon its release in January. Even when there’s been gaps as long as four years between mixtape releases (One In A Million dropped in 2007, One In A Billion in 2011), at the drop of one three-minute freestyle, DVS can have the scene in the palm of his hands all over again. —Joseph 'JP' Patterson

Georgio

Hometown: Paris, France

Twitter: @Georgioxv3

Notable Song: “Homme de l’ombre”

Sounds Like: Joey Bada$$ with Parisian flair.

Why You Need To Know Him: Through his penchant for sampling French classical music and combining it with boom-bap-style beats, 21-year-old Georgio is forging a name for himself at lightning speed. Closely affiliated with Paris creative collective 75e Session (area code 75), Georgio holds the most potent characteristic associated with French hip-hop. As opposed to other major cities of Europe, its insistence in maintaining the raw elements of rap music is what keep’s French hip-hop so mired in its recognizable traits. This ultimately transcends all factors, including any language barrier. —Tobi Oke

Ghetts

Hometown: London

Twitter: @JCLARKE_GHETTS

Notable Song: “Artillery”

Sounds Like: Big L over grime beats.

Why You Need To Know Him: Make no mistake: Ghetts is one of the most talented lyricists to emerge from the UK, period. The rapid-fire spitter has spent most of his career, so far, toeing the line between rap and grime—in the struggle of growing up under the influence of one, but being thrust into the position of MVP in another. These days, Ghetts appears much more comfortable in his artistry, finding a balance between the two on his superb debut LP, Rebel With A Cause. Prepare to be astounded. —Tobi Oke

Haftbefehl

Hometown: Offenbach, Germany

Twitter: @Haftoffiziell

Notable Song: " Generation Azzlack"

Sounds Like: A much harder, gangsta-leaning version of German hip-hopper Cro.

Why You Need To Know Him: Millions of online views deep, Haftbefehl could very well be referred to as the German Macklemore. Thoroughly independent, he opened his own studio and label, Azzlackz, under which he's released three projects: Azzlack Stereotyp, Kanackis and Blockplatin, the latter entering the German national charts at No. 4 upon its release last year. Having returned to Germany after leaving Istanbul in his early 20s, Haftbefehl has stories to tell. Cars, guns, and the portrayal of a lifestyle that's in keeping with the translation of his name (it means arrest warrant in English), this rapper is a credit to the music scene in Germany where hip-hop, in all its forms, is proving successful on a mainstream level. —James Walsh

Hawk House

Hometown: London, England

Twitter: @HawkHouse

Notable Song: "Tidal Tendencies"

Sounds Like: I can’t quite pin-point where the influences of Dizzee Rascal end and the elements of A Tribe Called Quest begin. It feels so London, a soundtrack to the inner-city summer, but so far away from what our ears have been over-saturated with.

Why You Need To Know Them: This experimental hip-hop trio are delivering a beautiful balance of soft, but ever-so-punchy, poetic rhymes, over a calming neo-soul-influenced setting. Away from the talk of Moet and 45s, their music is an organic collaboration—creating strong foundations in a new avenue of UK music. —Laura 'Hyperfrank' Brosnan

J Spades

Hometown: London

Twitter: @REAL_JSPADES

Notable Song: “Hustle Hard”

Sounds Like: Teflon Don-era Rozay.

Why You Need To Know Him: When conversation turns to which UK rapper would fit into a US crew, the most inevitable answer is usually J Spades to MMG. With the third installment of his More Money More Pagans mixtape series on its way, when it’s time to identify the UK hood anthems of the year, there’s a high chance one of them will be down to this man. By identifying his strengths very early on, East London-bound J Spades knows what the people want and always manages to deliver. It all seems to just come easy to him. —Tobi Oke

Krept & Konan

Hometown: London, England

Twitter: @KreptPlayDirty and @KonanPlayDirty

Notable Songs: "Don’t Waste My Time" and "My Story"

Sounds Like: Two great rappers who pack a punch of lines and deliver an enjoyable aggression that could easily be compared to that of Rick Ross or Kanye, all while providing an enlightening yet vulnerable performance.

Why You Need To Know Them: Krept & Konan first caught the mainstream media’s attention with their “Otis” and “The Motto” freestyles, illustrating their love for punchlines and metaphors, of which they have plenty. Over the last few years, the duo from South London have performed around Europe, and earlier this year received a Guinness World Record for hitting No. 19 on the UK Album Charts with their independent mixtape release, Young Kingz with no label backing or major corporate push. It was only a year or so ago that K&K were remixing other rappers, but it seems the tables have turned, with the likes of French Montana and Tinie Tempah remixing their music. 2013 also saw them pick up a MOBO Award for Best Newcomer, which led to them signing a deal with Virgin/EMI. Looking at their hard work ethic and ability to deliver music that speaks to a variety of different people, it’s clear this twosome’s future is bright. —Laura 'Hyperfrank' Brosnan

Little Simz

Hometown: London, England

Twitter: @LittleSimz

Notable Song: "Mandarin Oranges Part 2"

Sounds Like: Smart rhymes from a young lady determined to defy convention and pre-conceptions.

Why You Need To Know Her: Jay Z's Life + Times dig her, BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe spins her, and legendary record exec Sylvia Rhone may one day sign her: Little Simz is that new female rapper everyone wants to know. Last year, this 19-year-old conscious mind with a flawless flow released her Blank Canvas mixtape to rave reviews; it put her on stage at SXSW and landed her in studios with the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Kelela and Pro Era's Chuck Strangers, too. On June 16, Simz is dropping a new EP titled E.D.G.E, which will no doubt see her keep winning. —Joseph 'JP' Patterson

Mic Righteous

Hometown: Margate, UK

Twitter: @MicRighteous

Notable Song: "Ghost Town"

Sounds Like: "Real" hip-hop.

Why You Need To Know Him: Mic Righteous has been the go-to headline support act for major US hip-hop artists performing in the UK, including J Cole, Game and Nipsey Hu$$le. Despite being from outside of the UK's capital, Mic's headline shows always sell out when announced. A hip-hop voice who stands for something more than music, his debut EP, Open Mic, very nearly saw him land a spot on the Official UK Top 40, wholly independently. Still unsigned, he is nearing completion of his debut album and has received notable support from MTV UK, VEVO and the BBC, becoming the first unsigned rapper to perform in the latter's prestigious Live Lounge last year. Righteous also recently performed in Atlanta, as he looks to take his music to a wider audience this year. —James Walsh

Piff Gang

Hometown: London, England

Twitter: @PiffGangUK

Notable Song: "Bow Down"

Sounds Like: A$AP Mob if they grew up in London's "ends."

Why You Need To Know Them: London Posse, who parted ways nearly two decades ago, is no longer the only UK hip-hop collective to make noise outside of their London postcode; in 2011, the blogosphere was introduced to a 10-man crew from Northwest London whose Brit-rooted "cloud rap" came through strong and filled that gap in the market. With five free buzzworthy mixtapes floating around the 'net, Piff Gang's fervent penchant for women, drugs ("piff" being a slang term for weed), and hazy, trippy beats has led to them performing alongside A$AP Rocky—who, at this point, is pretty much a P.G. stan—and entering the pages of high-profile music and style publications. Up next? Global domination. —Joseph 'JP' Patterson

Rejjie Snow

Hometown: Dublin, Ireland

Twitter: @RejjieSnow

Notable Song: "Lost In Empathy"

Sounds Like: If Tyler, The Creator grew up in Ireland firing mystical lyrics over industrial, SBTRKT-influenced productions.

Why You Need To Know Him: Remember Elton John? Well, Rejjie is signed to his management, Rocket Music Entertainment. The up-and-coming rhymer has also performed live with Kendrick Lamar and MF DOOM, and is good friends with London’s current talk-of-the-town, King Krule (they recently did a crazy back-to-back freestyle for kicks, in a pirate radio-style moment). Jump on Snow’s wave, rapid. —Laura 'Hyperfrank' Brosnan

Yung Lean

Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden

Twitter: @YungLeann

Notable Song: "Ginseng Strip 2002"

Sounds Like: Lil B’s white, Swedish nephew, or the closest you could get to the definition of "sad rap."

Why You Need To Know Him: It's unclear if he’s a rap prankster or not, but teenager Yung Lean is being consumed by an abundance of online gas right now. The youngster from Stockholm, Sweden, has accumulated millions of views on YouTube for his Lil B-like head-space and camera phone-shot visuals. And where most outspoken, English-rhyming white rappers enter the game with an Eminem comparison attached to their names, RiFF RAFF is probably more fitting where Yung Lean is concerned. Kid’s clearly got something going on, though. —Joseph 'JP' Patterson