‘SOME PEOPLE TAKE THE PISS BECAUSE THEY THINK I'M A NOVELTY - I'M NOT '
One-woman grime wave
Mark Edmundson goes to head to head with the real antidote to US dominance of hip hop, LADY SOVEREIGN, and finds she is indeed the real deal.
s championed by the likes of Dizzy Rascal and
his Roll Deep crew. grime is on the rise and
apparently ready to take down America in the f‘orm of a slight. North London cheeky girl who frankly wouldn‘t look out of place loitering outside Spar. picking up ASBOs and lobbing eggs at passing cars.
What strikes you first upon meeting Lady Sovereign is that whoever‘s been left in charge of her image really isn‘t having to work very hard. The sovereign ring. the tracksuits and the hair braids are all the real deal. This girl of our times has been given a f‘ree reign to express herself. ‘The way I dress and all that is just however I want.‘ says little Lady Sov. curled up awkwardly in her chair. absentmindedly picking at her Adidas with a lighter. I feel like I‘m taking detention. ‘The label know they can‘t tell me shit anyway.‘
What can be gleaned from this opening gambit and much of our pre-gig conversation is that Lady Sov is a young female artist who is uncommonly headstrong and totally unfazed by her own success or the industry. On a recent and widely reported trip to the US the pint- sized MC was courted by Jay-7.. Usher and their Def Jam cohorts. all keen to tap into the movement for which Lady Sov has found herself the latest ambassador. ‘US hip hop‘s become a bit jarring. repetitive.‘ she says of the genre that has ballooned from a similarly self-serving party aesthetic to the beat and big business of a continent. ‘I think it‘s getting to the stage now where they‘re gonna have to listen to what we‘ve got to offer ‘cos they‘ve sort of run dry of ideas. I‘m not slagging off US hip hop. Obviously. I love it but I think we‘ve got more to say.‘
Grime itself is perhaps the strand of UK R&B most akin to mainstream US stylings. Dark but undeniably poppy. it is very much an unruly child of the housing estate. fronting pacy raps and raw loops. An unselfconscious twisting of American influences that borrows f‘rom ska. punk. anything. ahem. grimey. it showcases Londoners expressing themselves in their own way without seeking approval from anywhere but their own back yard.
Now touring in promotion of her upcoming album Public Warning. boasting guest productions from Basement Jaxx. Lady Sov is under no illusions that to die-bards her sound might be viewed as somewhat crass — tough and uncompromising but full of fun and ultimately marketable. ‘Some people have a little laugh behind my back because it‘s not full-on grime.‘ the Sov sets out her defence. ‘Some people take the piss out of me because they think I‘m a novelty. and I‘m not. Some people just can‘t take it that some people are happy and express themselves differently — rather than some depressive shit. man.‘
So she may not be terribly eloquent or worldly. nor is she tarted up like a dolly or a whore. but Lady Sovereign is savvy and real. and representing youth culture in all its hoodied glory (check out savethehoodie.comi. She‘s young. dumb and a bit bubblegum; a beer drinking. pot smoking. delinquent voice for today‘s British teenage — and isn‘t that what pop music‘s all about?
Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Thu 3 Nov; King Tut’s, Glasgow, Sat 5 Nov.
Lady Sovereign See preview, left. Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Thu 3 Nov; King Tut's, Glasgow, Sat 5 Nov. (Rock & Pop)
ii: KT Tunstall Our cover star celebrates her most successful year yet with three ‘hometown' shows. See feature, page 18. Barrow/and, Glasgow, Fri 4 & Sat 5 Nov; Corn Exchange, Edinburgh, Sun 5 Nov. (Rock & POD)
2i: Spectrum Nice to see someone trying to do something a wee bit different with the most under-valued and under-rated venue in the capital. This new all-dayer session brings together a varied throng of local DJs, indie. electronica, rock and ska bands as well as good food, drink and vibes. Queen ’3 Hall, Edinburgh, Sun 6 Nov. (Rock a Pop)
fix? Constantine: It breaks our heart to remind you that Sleater-Kinney have cancelled their dates due to illness, but their support act Constantines are here doing their magnificent Fugazi fronted by Springsteen brilliance. Barfly, Glasgow, Fri 77 Nov. (Rock 8. Pop)
I??? The White Stripes They could fill the SECC a couple of times over, but could be one of the first bands to truly fill this cavernous venue sonically since Nick Cave did last year. Weird, but brilliant in their own way, the White Stripes remain gods among us all. Carling Academy, Glasgow, Sun 73— Tue 75 Nov. (Rock & Pop) New Jazz Guitar An intriguing combination of styles as Scottish Guitar Quartet members Malcolm MacFarlane and Kevin MacKenzie are joined by Graeme Scott. The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh, Wed 76 Nov. (Jazz)
Ii--l 7 Nov 2005 THE LIST 81