Description

The diminutive Lady Sovereign is a white rapper with a tomboyish presence and self-deprecating sense of humor who rose up as part of the U.K.'s grime scene in the early 2000s. She was just out of her teens when her first singles started getting the attention of British club DJs and BBC's Radio 1, and by 2005, after a series of crucial opening gigs for Basement Jaxx and the Streets, her fame had crossed the pond. Lady Sov was embraced by the U.S. music press, hipsters, and hip-hop intelligentsia, and she became the first foreign female artist to be signed to Def Jam Records, who released her first full-length album in 2006.

Biography

The self-proclaimed biggest midget in the game MC Lady Sovereign has an unmistakably British delivery and style but a string of singles showcasing her sly wit and brash charisma over bottom-heavy beats brought on a worldwide buzz Born Louise Harman Sovereign was raised in northwest Londons notorious Chalkhill Estate a public housing project known for being especially rough and ragged Although she admits her upbringing could get dangerous or depressing in these surroundings Sovereign focused on the unique unity in the Chalkhill community and the street cred she was earning there would soon be vital to the grime community taking her seriously Influenced by her mothers Salt-N-Pepa albums Sovereign began writing her own raps at the age of 14 and uploaded her Chalkhill stories to a So Solid Crew Internet fan forum It was there where she met her longtime DJ Frampster Two years later she dropped out of school and landed a gig acting in an educational film about the life of an up-and-coming MC She convinced the producers that she could construct a soundtrack for the film the demos for which landed in the hands of Medasyn The producer partnered his discovery with Frost P Zuz Rock and Shystie for a male MC vs female MC 12 he was working on titled The Battle Released in 2003 on Casual Records The Battle began a string of singles that would push Sovereign into the spotlight While A Little Bit of Shhh 9 to 5 and Ch Ching were flying out of the record bins free Internet-only freestyles like Tango and Cheeky were becoming just as popular with the grime faithful She began 2005 by appearing on the vital grime compilation Run the Road -- both as a solo artist and with the Streets -- then collected some singles and released the Vertically Challenged EP on Chocolate Industries She capped off the year by meeting with hip-hop megastar and label CEO Jay-Z With Usher and LA Reid seated next to him Jay-Z asked for one on-the-spot freestyle from Sovereign before offering her a contract with Def Jam With the fist-raising single Hoodie leading the way Lady Sovereign released her full-length debut Public Warning on Def Jam in 2006 David Jeffries All Music Guide