Lady Sovereign, the self-proclaimed "biggest midget in the game," lived up to her name last week when the video for her single "Love Me or Hate Me" hit number one on MTV's "Total Request Live." With a new album dropping on Oct. 31 and a U.S. tour that will make a stop at D.C.'s own 9:30 club on Saturday, this young emcee from the U.K. has been very busy.
Born in London as Louise Amanda Harman, Sovereign has been slowly inching into the U.S. mainstream. She first made a name for herself as an emcee in London's grime scene. Grime is a genre of music notable for its fast-paced rapping style and aggressive beat structure, often associated with the more instrumental dubstep genre. Other well-known grime artists include Roll Deep and Dizzee Rascal.
After achieving massive Internet hype and an underground following, Sovereign was approached by Jay-Z and signed to Def Jam Records, set to release an album last year. The album was pushed back several times, in a move that Sovereign said might have cost her some of her underground fans.
"It was supposed to come out last year," Sovereign said. "Some of my fans are going to hear this and be like, 'I've already heard this,'" she said.
Many of Sovereign's songs from her new album have already been leaked, thanks to her loyal Internet following. Sovereign said that every artist should have a MySpace page for the publicity it provides, but also commented that there are some problems with the Internet. With the speed of data sharing and the emergence of so many different forms of music, Sovereign said that originality is hard to come by.
"It's almost like being original is unoriginal now," she said.
Sovereign admits that though working with Def Jam has made her a bigger name, it has also been a huge change.
"It's a lot more work. Promo, promo, promo, promo, promo," she said.
The work seems to be paying off. Her video is maintaining rotation on MTV and record sales will no doubt be high. The only thing that could stop her now is if American audiences take this U.K. crossover and treat her as a novelty, something that Sovereign is not too concerned about.
"People are always going to try and categorize you. There will always be haters," she said.
Haters don't seem to faze Sovereign though. She's one of the most confident rappers in the game and she has an attitude as if she has nothing to prove. Her "I am what I am" personality is reflected in her music and her voice. She's doing it her way and she hasn't become the industry standard for most female rappers: oversexed, objectified pretty faces with terrible rhymes.
This is apparent on her recently leaked Internet remix of "Love Me or Hate Me," featuring Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot, and in her recently found love for the Bay Area's Hyphy music.
"The music is simple, but it works, especially in the clubs," Sovereign said.
When asked if she wanted to work with anyone else right now, she named Andre 3000 of Outkast, because she thinks "he's a genius." Her answer wasn't surprising, since she named him as one of her top five dead or alive emcees, along with Big L, Biggie and Jay-Z.
The success that Sovereign has achieved with U.S. audiences has certainly not gotten to her yet. She admits that she is no longer a debut artist, but is quick to say that she is "not really that popular." What she can't deny is that she is the first British rapper to make a successful crossover to the mainstream American music scene, something that peers like Dizzee Rascal and Mike Skinner of The Streets haven't been able to do.
"I mean I can't lie, I did it, and I'm not trying to brag, but that's just what it is," Sovereign said.
Sovereign may not want to admit her quick success because she fears it'll be gone in a heartbeat. Yet one thing is for sure: Her music is infectious. With influences from jungle beats and techno blended into bubbly and driving beats, it is sure to introduce a new sound of hip-hop to U.S. audiences. Above all else in her music though, Sovereign is about high energy.
