I love all this awesome hip-hop thats coming out so much lately. Ladies like Kelli Ali and M.I.A. are doing such amazingly sexy and funky work. Lady Sovereign is at the forefront of that new wave with her new album Vertically Challenged.
Buy Vertically Challenged
Daniel Robert Epstein: Whats going on today? Anything good?
Lady Sovereign: Not really. This is the first thing I had to get out of bed for.
DRE: Are you in the UK?
Lady Sovereign: Yeah, I just got back four days ago. Im a little bit tired.
DRE: What was the inspiration for Vertically Challenged?
Lady Sovereign: That title was the only thing I could think.
DRE: It doesnt seem like youre angry about being a small person.
Lady Sovereign: Nah, I love it. Ive no problem with it at all. Before anyone can have a problem with me, Ive already said it anyway.
DRE: When you do your work, does the producer lay down the beat, and then you rap over it or do you write stuff down?
Lady Sovereign: I like going into the studio and starting everything from scratch. I tell the producer what Im looking for and then build up the beat while Im there. I dont like to prewrite too much.
DRE: Do you work on the music aspect as well?
Lady Sovereign: I suppose. With certain producers, I can. With some, theyre like [grunts] My music. Im going to make it myself. I tell them what Im looking for and I add my input into it.
DRE: How was doing the music video for Random?
Lady Sovereign: I fell asleep on the first day to put it that way. It was so much to do. Little things like stopping and starting at the right second. Doing this and that. It was fun, though. One of the first videos that I did that wasnt so ghetto. It had a bit of a budget. I enjoyed doing that.
DRE: Do you have a new video coming out soon?
Lady Sovereign: Theres one with me and The Ordinary Boys. Then Ive got the Blah Blah video coming out as well.
DRE: Is it much different from Random?
Lady Sovereign: Its more like a quiet performance video about me and the band performing stuff. Its quite basic, but I like it. Its on my Myspace.
DRE: Do you want to get more involved with videos?
Lady Sovereign: Oh yeah. I never let someone just write the whole script for me. I dont like that at all because thats not the way the magic happens. I always have a say in it. My ideas plus their ideas.
DRE: Youve been getting so much good press lately. How has that affected you?
Lady Sovereign: In a good way. All the American press is really nice.
DRE: I read that you always thought youd be famous?
Lady Sovereign: Yeah. I had the feeling that I was going to be famous in one way or another.
DRE: Did you always think it was going to be from music?
Lady Sovereign: Not always. I dont know, I just thought it would be something. I just had the feeling in my belly that Id be recognized for something anyway. Here we go, its music. Whoa.
DRE: Could it have been you getting into a fight with someone in a bar?
Lady Sovereign: Like that aint happened before, but I dont know.
DRE: Howd you hook up with Jay-Z?
Lady Sovereign: My manager told me he got a phone call. I was like, Shut up. Youre lying. Like it was a joke. I found out he was dead serious.
DRE: Did you flip out?
Lady Sovereign: Yeah. When I put the phone down I started jumping around like a monkey like, Oh my God. What the fuck? I couldnt believe it. It came so out of the blue. It came out of nowhere. I was a bit stoked and a bit shocked.
DRE: Your music is so different from the stuff he does. Was he an influence on you at all?
Lady Sovereign: Yeah, I am pretty much different so Im surprised that he signed me rather than a regular hip-hop artist. That must mean something. Ive spoken to him many times and weve hung out. Hes the coolest guy, really down to earth. Hes really honest.
DRE: How much different is it working with Def Jam?
Lady Sovereign: Well obviously most of the stuff Ive recorded has been out here in the UK. Ive already done a few tracks in America, but the music here is American with a splash of me on it. I love hip-hop and everything, but to do a straight up hip-hop track just doesnt feel right for me as an artist. I like to just make music. So Ill just see what happens. Im willing to try things out. Its not like Im not enjoying it or I dont want to do it but it is a bit more American.
DRE: How did Felix Buxton [of Basement Jaxx] end up producing Blah Blah?
Lady Sovereign: I did some shows with him years ago. Then a month down the line, it was like, Okay, I like what they did, they like what I do. Lets collaborate. I hung out with them in the studio and I did a couple of tracks. I definitely will do more stuff with them on the next album. I like what they do. Theyre definitely doing their own thing.
DRE: Who is this Jentina that you ripped on in a song.
Lady Sovereign: She doesnt even need me to say anything more about her. Shes got so much fucking press. Shes got more press from me slagging her off than she has in her life. Shes just some wack wannabe female rapper. I was patently disgusted when I heard her stuff. It was so shit. It was offensive. I did a song about her that mimicked a song she put out.
DRE: Have you met up with her face to face?
Lady Sovereign: Sort of once. Shes bigger than me, but if she wanted to say something, she had her chance. Shes still has her chance. She could have done her reply. I dont know whats happening with that girl anymore.
DRE: I read that when you were younger you used to start fires in school.
Lady Sovereign: Not in school, but around the estate and stuff, but no one cared then. Everyone did it. I know it was bad, but back in those days it was like, Okay, lets start a little fire in the dust bin. Then it would get huge and the fire brigade would turn up. We would be like, Oh, my God. We didnt do anything. Thats just me being a kid. I wouldnt do it now. No way.
DRE: Youd be arrested.
Lady Sovereign: Id be arrested and Im not into causing harm and shit.
DRE: How old were you when you started rapping?
Lady Sovereign: I was about 14 which is six years ago. It feels like its been a long time for me because the way that stuff is happening now. It is taken so long and now its paying off.
DRE: What were the rappers you listened to?
Lady Sovereign: I listened to a lot of old stuff. I liked some of the new stuff, but I was listening to things like Jurassic 5, Cash Money, Wu-Tang and all that 80s hip-hop like Digital Underground.
DRE: When you were younger were you the odd one out because you were so young or because you were a woman?
Lady Sovereign: Because Im a white woman. Typical, typical, typical.
DRE: Were your first raps right off the top of your head as well?
Lady Sovereign: I sounded a bit different. I thought Ive always been ahead of time anyway. My style has been a bit different from anyone else. I used to write a lot in books but now I just store it in my head. Now that Ive got a studio and all that, I dont want to be sitting there reading over lyrics and getting stressed out about it. Id rather go to the studio and put down.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Buy Vertically Challenged
Daniel Robert Epstein: Whats going on today? Anything good?
Lady Sovereign: Not really. This is the first thing I had to get out of bed for.
DRE: Are you in the UK?
Lady Sovereign: Yeah, I just got back four days ago. Im a little bit tired.
DRE: What was the inspiration for Vertically Challenged?
Lady Sovereign: That title was the only thing I could think.
DRE: It doesnt seem like youre angry about being a small person.
Lady Sovereign: Nah, I love it. Ive no problem with it at all. Before anyone can have a problem with me, Ive already said it anyway.
DRE: When you do your work, does the producer lay down the beat, and then you rap over it or do you write stuff down?
Lady Sovereign: I like going into the studio and starting everything from scratch. I tell the producer what Im looking for and then build up the beat while Im there. I dont like to prewrite too much.
DRE: Do you work on the music aspect as well?
Lady Sovereign: I suppose. With certain producers, I can. With some, theyre like [grunts] My music. Im going to make it myself. I tell them what Im looking for and I add my input into it.
DRE: How was doing the music video for Random?
Lady Sovereign: I fell asleep on the first day to put it that way. It was so much to do. Little things like stopping and starting at the right second. Doing this and that. It was fun, though. One of the first videos that I did that wasnt so ghetto. It had a bit of a budget. I enjoyed doing that.
DRE: Do you have a new video coming out soon?
Lady Sovereign: Theres one with me and The Ordinary Boys. Then Ive got the Blah Blah video coming out as well.
DRE: Is it much different from Random?
Lady Sovereign: Its more like a quiet performance video about me and the band performing stuff. Its quite basic, but I like it. Its on my Myspace.
DRE: Do you want to get more involved with videos?
Lady Sovereign: Oh yeah. I never let someone just write the whole script for me. I dont like that at all because thats not the way the magic happens. I always have a say in it. My ideas plus their ideas.
DRE: Youve been getting so much good press lately. How has that affected you?
Lady Sovereign: In a good way. All the American press is really nice.
DRE: I read that you always thought youd be famous?
Lady Sovereign: Yeah. I had the feeling that I was going to be famous in one way or another.
DRE: Did you always think it was going to be from music?
Lady Sovereign: Not always. I dont know, I just thought it would be something. I just had the feeling in my belly that Id be recognized for something anyway. Here we go, its music. Whoa.
DRE: Could it have been you getting into a fight with someone in a bar?
Lady Sovereign: Like that aint happened before, but I dont know.
DRE: Howd you hook up with Jay-Z?
Lady Sovereign: My manager told me he got a phone call. I was like, Shut up. Youre lying. Like it was a joke. I found out he was dead serious.
DRE: Did you flip out?
Lady Sovereign: Yeah. When I put the phone down I started jumping around like a monkey like, Oh my God. What the fuck? I couldnt believe it. It came so out of the blue. It came out of nowhere. I was a bit stoked and a bit shocked.
DRE: Your music is so different from the stuff he does. Was he an influence on you at all?
Lady Sovereign: Yeah, I am pretty much different so Im surprised that he signed me rather than a regular hip-hop artist. That must mean something. Ive spoken to him many times and weve hung out. Hes the coolest guy, really down to earth. Hes really honest.
DRE: How much different is it working with Def Jam?
Lady Sovereign: Well obviously most of the stuff Ive recorded has been out here in the UK. Ive already done a few tracks in America, but the music here is American with a splash of me on it. I love hip-hop and everything, but to do a straight up hip-hop track just doesnt feel right for me as an artist. I like to just make music. So Ill just see what happens. Im willing to try things out. Its not like Im not enjoying it or I dont want to do it but it is a bit more American.
DRE: How did Felix Buxton [of Basement Jaxx] end up producing Blah Blah?
Lady Sovereign: I did some shows with him years ago. Then a month down the line, it was like, Okay, I like what they did, they like what I do. Lets collaborate. I hung out with them in the studio and I did a couple of tracks. I definitely will do more stuff with them on the next album. I like what they do. Theyre definitely doing their own thing.
DRE: Who is this Jentina that you ripped on in a song.
Lady Sovereign: She doesnt even need me to say anything more about her. Shes got so much fucking press. Shes got more press from me slagging her off than she has in her life. Shes just some wack wannabe female rapper. I was patently disgusted when I heard her stuff. It was so shit. It was offensive. I did a song about her that mimicked a song she put out.
DRE: Have you met up with her face to face?
Lady Sovereign: Sort of once. Shes bigger than me, but if she wanted to say something, she had her chance. Shes still has her chance. She could have done her reply. I dont know whats happening with that girl anymore.
DRE: I read that when you were younger you used to start fires in school.
Lady Sovereign: Not in school, but around the estate and stuff, but no one cared then. Everyone did it. I know it was bad, but back in those days it was like, Okay, lets start a little fire in the dust bin. Then it would get huge and the fire brigade would turn up. We would be like, Oh, my God. We didnt do anything. Thats just me being a kid. I wouldnt do it now. No way.
DRE: Youd be arrested.
Lady Sovereign: Id be arrested and Im not into causing harm and shit.
DRE: How old were you when you started rapping?
Lady Sovereign: I was about 14 which is six years ago. It feels like its been a long time for me because the way that stuff is happening now. It is taken so long and now its paying off.
DRE: What were the rappers you listened to?
Lady Sovereign: I listened to a lot of old stuff. I liked some of the new stuff, but I was listening to things like Jurassic 5, Cash Money, Wu-Tang and all that 80s hip-hop like Digital Underground.
DRE: When you were younger were you the odd one out because you were so young or because you were a woman?
Lady Sovereign: Because Im a white woman. Typical, typical, typical.
DRE: Were your first raps right off the top of your head as well?
Lady Sovereign: I sounded a bit different. I thought Ive always been ahead of time anyway. My style has been a bit different from anyone else. I used to write a lot in books but now I just store it in my head. Now that Ive got a studio and all that, I dont want to be sitting there reading over lyrics and getting stressed out about it. Id rather go to the studio and put down.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
VIEW 25 of 28 COMMENTS
rocky03032003 said:
Louise Harman(i not going the oxymoron of a title that she has given herself) is a depressing statement on the state of modern lower class british culture'
An 'artist' completely void of talent, intelligence,substance, wit, charm or honesty.
+1