Wikipedia

Phantom (EsDeeKid and Rico Ace song)

"Phantom" is a song by English rappers EsDeeKid and Rico Ace, released on 7 March 2025 as the second single from the former's debut studio album, Rebel (2025). Considered to be a sleeper hit, it went viral on the video-sharing app TikTok, following which it became one of EsDeeKid's breakout hits along with his songs "LV Sandals" and "4 Raws".

"Phantom"
Single by EsDeeKid and Rico Ace
from the album Rebel
Released7 March 2025
Genre
Length1:49
Label
  • XV
  • Lizzy
SongwriterEsDeeKid
ProducerWraith9
EsDeeKid singles chronology
"LV Sandals"
(2025)		 "Phantom"
(2025)		 "4 Raws"
(2025)
Rico Ace singles chronology
"LV Sandals"
(2025)		 "Phantom"
(2025)		 "Cali Man"
(2025)
Music video
"Phantom" on YouTube

Composition

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The beat of the song is marked by "stop-and-slow drums", in addition to "haunting Digitone synth lines and blown-out 808s layered over hard trap and off-kilter Jerk grooves". In his signature thick scouse accent,[1] EsDeeKid raps about the pressures of living in an inner-city environment.[2]

Critical reception

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The Guardian described that the song's lyrics "come with catarrh-loosening k's, as if he's gobbing the words on to the pavement".[3] Antonio Johri of Complex commented that the song has "some of the most intense, ear-catching beats in hip-hop" and "EsDee fires off bars like he's got endless breath, talking his shit while repping his hometown."[1]

Commercial performance

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According to Luminate, the song earned 2.98 million official on-demand U.S. streams in the week of 14–20 November.[4]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Phantom"
Chart (2025–2026) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[5] 21
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[6] 3
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7]47
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[8] 35
Czech Republic Singles Digital (ČNS IFPI)[9]14
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10]45
Germany (GfK)[11]81
Global 200 (Billboard)[12] 85
Greece International (IFPI)[13] 15
Ireland (IRMA)[14]15
Latvia Streaming (LaIPA)[15] 4
Lithuania (AGATA)[16] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17]89
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] 30
Norway (IFPI Norge)[19] 59
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[20] 44
Portugal (AFP)[21] 200
Slovakia Singles Digital (ČNS IFPI)[22]19
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 87
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[24]36
UK Singles (OCC)[25]12
UK Indie (OCC)[26]2
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[27]2
US Billboard Hot 100[28] 67
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[29] 14

Certifications

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Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30] Gold 35,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[31] Gold 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. 1 2 Johri, Antonio (25 November 2025). "Everything You Need to Know About EsDeeKid, the Breakout Rapper of 2025". Complex. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  2. ↑ McQuaid, Ian (5 December 2025). "'Constant stimulation, dopamine overload': how EsDeeKid and UK underground rap exploded on a global scale". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  3. ↑ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Snapes, Laura (9 May 2025). "Add to playlist: Merseyside rapper EsDeeKid and the week's best new tracks". Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  4. ↑ Denis, Kyle; Unterberger, Andrew (26 November 2025). "U.K. Rapper EsDeeKid Propelled by Timothée Chalamet Rumors to Billboard 200 Debut". Billboard. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  5. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  6. ↑ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  7. ↑ "EsDeeKid & Rico Ace – Phantom" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of January 10, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  9. ↑ "ČNS IFPI – CZ Singles Digital – Top 100 – 1. týden 2026" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  10. ↑ "EsDeeKid: Phantom" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  11. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Billboard Global 200: Week of January 17, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  13. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Εβδομάδα: 02/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved 21 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  14. ↑ "Official Irish Singles Chart on 2/1/2026 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  15. ↑ "Straumēšanas Top 2025 – 48. nedēļa, 2025. gads" [Streaming TOP 2025 – Week 48, 2025] (in Latvian). Latvian Music Producers Association. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  16. ↑ "2025 48-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 6 December 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  17. ↑ "EsDeeKid & Rico Ace – Phantom" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  18. ↑ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 3 January 2026. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  19. ↑ "Singel 2026 uke 02" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norge. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  20. ↑ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 21.11.2025–27.11.2025.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  21. ↑ "Top 200 Singles Semana 51 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 8. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  22. ↑ "ČNS IFPI – SK Singles Digital – Top 100 – 1. týden 2026" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  23. ↑ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 2, 2026". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  24. ↑ "EsDeeKid & Rico Ace – Phantom". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  25. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 25/9/2025 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  26. ↑ "Official Independent Singles Chart on 21/11/2025 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  27. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart on 19/12/2025 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  28. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of January 10, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  29. ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week of January 3, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  30. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2026 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  31. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – EsDeeKid and Rico Ace – Phantom". Radioscope. Retrieved 11 February 2026. Type Phantom in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  32. ↑ "British single certifications – EsDeeKid & Rico Ace – Phantom". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 8 May 2026. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Phantom EsDeeKid & Rico Ace in the "Search:" field.
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