Lady Sovereign goes with the flow, her own
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
November 16, 2006
Make way for the S-O-Veeee, chimes English MC Lady Sovereign on her hip-hop anthem “Random.” Feisty and self-deprecating, the 5-foot, 1-inch white girl from London pushes aside stereotypes and delivers genre bouncing hip-hop.
Despite the glut of rap artists strolling the streets of London and the UK, the home of hip-hop (America) remains a tough market to crack for English rappers. Following in the footsteps of English MCs The Streets and M.I.A., the 20-year-old Lady Sovereign manages to stand head above the rest with her clever word play and machine-gun delivery.
“We've got our own UK scene going on, but it don't exactly get put in the limelight,” said Sovereign during a tour stop on the East Coast. “It's insane, because there are so many people in the game.”
Officially the biggest midget in the game, rhymes Sovereign on “Love Me or Hate Me,” from her first full-length release, “Public Warning.” Combining elements of rap, dub and Pharrel-inspired soul, Lady Sovereign cracked the charts on MTV's “Total Request Live” with her unique flow and ability to have fun with her height and feminine curves (or lack of them).
Sovereign, born Louise Amanda Harman near Wembley Stadium in London, grew up in East London's music scene. The area is known for its own style of electronic dub and hip-hop called “grime,” marked by its lightning quick rhymes and a willingness to combine styles under the umbrella of electronica and hip-hop.
Here's another English slang term for you: “chav.” Sovereign explained: “A chav is kind of working class, not exactly well off. It's a bit of a disrespectful term to be honest.” Chavs often sport hoodies and Adidas tracksuits, don tacky jewelry and listen to hip-hop almost exclusively. Sovereign shrugs off her attachment to the chav culture by the media.
“I don't classify myself as a chav,” said Sovereign. “If anything, I'm a well-groomed chav. It's disrespect really. Whatever, people just hatin'.”
Lady Sovereign remained a relative unknown in the States before meeting up with Def Jam Records' Jay-Z, who signed her after she freestyled in his New York City office. She released “Public Warning” on Halloween this year, which is gaining a foothold on the American charts with “Love Me or Hate Me.”
So I can't dance and I really can't sing / I can only do one thing / And that's be Lady Sovereign, spits Sovereign on “Love Me or Hate Me.” Despite the English slang and the difference in backgrounds, this MC feels like she can connect with American audiences.
“We've grown up in a different environment,” Sovereign, who plays House of Blues Sunday. “We've grown up in a different land. But it's the same all over the world. If you're real and you're honest, you're going to know what you're talking about.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
