Lady Sovereign

媒體這樣評價Lady Sovereign：“英國最好的MC是一個身高只有五尺一寸白人小妞，碰巧還出生在一個極不相襯的地方”。 身材矮小的說唱女藝人Sovereign自稱是“MC中最牛的侏儒”，她出生在倫敦西北部的Chalkhill Estate。這是個聲名狼藉的政府房屋工程，然而音樂和所有的藝術形式一樣，出身從來就不是重要的事情。從小喜歡音樂的Sovereign不僅在她的說唱中保留了純英式的格調，還加入了許多她在Chalkhill Estate的成長故事。 16歲那年，Sovereign得到機會參演一部影片，并成功說服制片人讓她為影片寫歌，結果涌現出一連串熱門單曲。在成功發行一張EP后，2005年,Sovereign見到了說唱界的超級大牌Jay-Z，在一段現場的freestyle表演后，Jay-Z 當即提供了一份Def Jam唱片公司的合約。Sovereign終于憑借自己的努力和勇氣站到了聚光燈下。 by David Jeffries 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 L.A. 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.