Date: 26th July 2026
Time: 8:00pm
Venue: Monkey Barrel Comedy
Address: 9–12 Blair Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1QR
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
There are shows you walk out of thinking they were funny, and then there are shows you walk out of genuinely wondering how on earth someone’s brain works that quickly. MC Hammersmith: Ice Ice Nepo Baby falls firmly into the second category.
With 736,000 Instagram followers and more than 500 million views online, MC Hammersmith has already built a huge following for his hip hop comedy and improvised raps. His “What’s your name?” crowd work in particular will be instantly recognisable to anyone who has come across his videos. But seeing him perform live is an entirely different experience.
Going into a sold-out preview at Monkey Barrel Comedy, I already had high expectations, but somehow they were completely exceeded. This is easily one of the best Edinburgh Fringe comedy shows I have seen and, honestly, one of the best shows I have seen full stop. It is fast, ridiculous, incredibly creative and completely different to anything I have watched before.
Ice Ice Nepo Baby continues MC Hammersmith’s ongoing and increasingly ridiculous journey to find his long-lost parents, while bringing the improvised rapping and audience interaction he has become known for online to the stage. Beyond that, I’m saying very little. A huge part of the fun is having absolutely no idea what ridiculous direction the show is going to take next.
Seeing his crowd work happen live makes his talent even more impressive. It isn’t just about finding something that rhymes and moving on. Names, conversations and tiny details from interactions with the audience are remembered and brought back later, with everything somehow linking together.
I actually spent parts of the show deliberately watching him closely because I wanted to catch the moment where he stopped to think about what he was going to say next. You barely see it. He is so unbelievably quick that unless you are actively looking for it, you would never know just how much must be going on in his head at once.
His memory is equally impressive. There is so much being recalled throughout the performance, including things that couldn’t possibly have been planned beforehand, and yet he manages to bring it all back together. The callbacks are so quick and natural that you almost forget how difficult what you’re watching actually is.
Even when he isn’t rapping, the pace barely drops. He speaks at what genuinely feels like everything is playing at 2x speed, which, as someone who will happily watch videos sped up anyway, was absolutely perfect for me. What stood out most was that there was never really a lull. Even in great stand-up shows, there can be moments where the pace naturally dips, but here there was always something happening. Whether he was rapping, talking to the audience or moving the story along, there was barely a moment for your attention to wander. The energy stayed high throughout and the hour absolutely flew by.
There were a few minor technical difficulties during the preview, although you genuinely wouldn’t have known if they hadn’t been acknowledged. Each one was immediately turned into part of the joke, to the point where I occasionally questioned whether anything had actually gone wrong in the first place.
There are also some completely unexpected additions throughout the show that I refuse to spoil. They are ridiculous, creative and add another layer to a show that already feels unlike anything else I have seen.
The fact that this was a preview and the room was already sold out speaks for itself.
My biggest complaint is genuinely that it ended. An hour didn’t feel long enough. I could have happily sat through a two-hour version and still wanted more.
With hundreds of shows competing for attention at the Edinburgh Fringe every year, finding something that feels genuinely different isn’t always easy. This does. Ice Ice Nepo Baby isn’t just incredibly funny, it is an unbelievable showcase of improvisation, memory, creativity and quick thinking.
It is one of my biggest recommendations at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, and five stars almost feels slightly unfair because this is one of those rare occasions where I wanted another one available.
If I could give it six stars, I would.
★★★★★
Ridiculously clever, completely different and genuinely one of the best shows I have seen. If MC Hammersmith isn’t already on your Edinburgh Fringe list, add him.
See MC Hammersmith: Ice Ice Nepo Baby at Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Venue: Assembly George Square Studios, Studio Three (Venue 17)
Dates: 6th–30th August 2026 (excluding Wednesdays)
Time: 3:05pm
Running Time: 1 hour
Tickets: £19
Several performances are already showing no remaining Fringe allocation. If you’re hoping to see this one, I’d recommend booking sooner rather than later.
🎟️ Book Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/mc-hammersmith-ice-ice-nepo-baby
🌐 Website: https://mchammersmith.com
📸 Instagram: @Mc_Hammersmith
