As her full-length debut was set to drop, the buzz around the brash U.K. MC named Lady Sovereign was unavoidable. Before most everyone actually heard her, they knew a few things: she was the first non-American to get signed to Def Jam; she had her chance with the ultra-hip producers the Neptunes and came up with nothing; and Jay-Z signed her on a single freestyle. Thankfully Public Warning is stunning, better than the hype machine could ever paint it, with jaw-dropping, busy production and sharp, spunky lyrics that whiz by and back up this pint-sized rebel's serious b-girl stance. What's most brilliant is that despite the hype, and most likely because folks like the Neptunes are not on here, the album captures the talented rapper with only one foot out of her parent's flat, barely touched by the dreadful "music business" and one step above freestyles posted on U.K. garage message boards. Rules are still made to be broken, slang is slung all over the place, and belching into the mic is still fun, especially when your producer -- in this case, the razor-sharp Medasyn -- can shuffle it into an impossible mix that ping-pongs like the Streets in double-time. Sovereign is unmistakably an unposh Brit, and "My England" declares, "London ain't all crumpets and trumpets/It's one big slum pit." While some U.K. street slang requires a search engine to make sense to the non-Brit, her preference for playing her PS2 instead of going to a job and general slacker attitude are identifiable to dropouts everywhere. In fact, either the great "Hoodie" or the simple but effective "Love Me or Hate Me" could be a worldwide crunchy-people anthem, and relating to "Tango" is easy if you've ever known some dreadful beautiful person who fake-tanned until they were horribly, entirely orange. The arc of the album shows some mercy for the U.K. ap novice, easing the listener in with smoother tracks before the Chingy-biting "Random" ("Some English MCs getting' twisted/Saying cookies instead of biscuits") and the hyper title track ("I'm that walking dictionary, I'm that talking thesaurus/I'm that old-school prehistoric Soversaurus") ramp up to the raw and whirlwind middle section. The only time the album feels anything close to forced or touched by posh hands is when a concession is made for the Yanks and when Missy Elliott is needlessly tacked onto the "Love Me or Hate Me" remix. Otherwise, Def Jam stays wisely out of Sov and Medasyn's way, and the thrilling tracks are just enough dog, just enough leash. It's something her hardcore fans are well aware of, since the bulk of the album has been available previously on indie 12"s and EPs. For them, Public Warning is a slight disappointment, a mere compilation with a handful of new tracks. For everyone else, it's an exciting introduction to an extraordinary artist captured at just the right time.
Little cockney hoodie girl, signed to Def Jam... I downloaded this album on iTunes a while ago, but hadn't really had a chance to listen to it yet. Now anyone who knows me, knows I am not massively into rap or hip-hop (except for the occasional tune of Wu Tang or Eminem), but oh-my-gosh... am totally LOVING this! Can't decide which song to love best (Gatheration, Tango, Hoodie, or perhaps her...
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*When asked to comment, Soveriegn replied, "Oi! Nobody gives Ali G dis much sheet!"*Fellow MOG "Fedge":http://mog.com/Fedge/blog_post/37020#comments recently posted about some unsavory, some may call "racist" imagery in the music video for the song "Love Me or Hate Me" by the Polly Pocket of British hip-hop, Lady Sovereign. *Let it be noted that it is nearly impossible to contend that images ...
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Can’t get the hooky, sing-song chorus from Lady Sovereign’s most recent single "Love Me or Hate Me" outta my head. Aggro. Somehow self-deprecating and unapologetically proud at the same time. With a funky backbeat like the immortal James Brown production of Lyn Collins’ “Think.” Dangerously catchy.By now, Lady Sovereign’s origins are common knowledge: British, white, working-class fema
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Yeah,It's officially the biggest PIMP in the game.I dunno.Make way for the S.O.V.Love me or hate me, it's still an obsession.Love me or hate me, that is the question.If you love me then thank you!If you hate me then fuck you!I'm fat, I need a diet.No, in fact I'm just too lightAnd I ain't got the biggest BRAINES, but I write all the best disses.I got hairy armpits, but I don't walk around like ...
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Can’t get the hooky, sing-song chorus from Lady Sovereign’s most recent single "Love Me or Hate Me" outta my head. Aggro. Somehow self-deprecating and unapologetically proud at the same time. With a funky backbeat like the immortal James Brown production of Lyn Collins’ “Think.” Dangerously catchy.By now, Lady Sovereign’s origins are common knowledge: British, white, working-class fema
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*When asked to comment, Soveriegn replied, "Oi! Nobody gives Ali G dis much sheet!"*Fellow MOG "Fedge":http://mog.com/Fedge/blog_post/37020#comments recently posted about some unsavory, some may call "racist" imagery in the music video for the song "Love Me or Hate Me" by the Polly Pocket of British hip-hop, Lady Sovereign. *Let it be noted that it is nearly impossible to contend that images ...
More >
Yeah,It's officially the biggest PIMP in the game.I dunno.Make way for the S.O.V.Love me or hate me, it's still an obsession.Love me or hate me, that is the question.If you love me then thank you!If you hate me then fuck you!I'm fat, I need a diet.No, in fact I'm just too lightAnd I ain't got the biggest BRAINES, but I write all the best disses.I got hairy armpits, but I don't walk around like ...
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despite a sudden cancellation of 2 performances in the UK due to recovery from extreme exhaustion that confined her to misery in bed, Lady Sovereign is still adding more shows to her spring 2007 tour. according to Angry Ape today : "The rapper was diagnosed with intense exhaustion following her extensive world tour schedule, promoting the release of her debut album Public Warning.Performances ...
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Hip-Hop Night is in full effect, and some interesting twists are happening tonight. We got the dead rappers joint, instrumental hip-hop (I am so down), or ladies night. So hard to choose which direction I want to go in, so I might just take all three paths. Hell. You don't think I can do it? Here's a little ball of fire from the UK. Picked up this single from an iPod students group on facebook ...
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There's been a fair bit of discussion about Amy Winehouse recently. I've found it a learning experience. What I've learned is that Amy is not a white London girl imitating black American music. And she isn't the only one who could be accused of this. She isn't just doing cabaret. She's doing something else. It's a distinct London voice. And here's someone else with a bit less talent and a bit m...
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So did everyone hear about Lady Sovereign's break down at the El Ray Theater two weeks ago? I was browsing through Flickr sets and found this. I am really proud of her for returning to stage, it must have taken a lot of strength. Here is what the Flickr-er wrote about the show:"Lady Sovereign attempted to do probably what her record label told her was a really important show. There was a Def Ja...
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Little cockney hoodie girl, signed to Def Jam... I downloaded this album on iTunes a while ago, but hadn't really had a chance to listen to it yet. Now anyone who knows me, knows I am not massively into rap or hip-hop (except for the occasional tune of Wu Tang or Eminem), but oh-my-gosh... am totally LOVING this! Can't decide which song to love best (Gatheration, Tango, Hoodie, or perhaps her...
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It's time for our weekly installment of blogdiggin'. I'm your host, Rinse, and I'll be walking you through what I consider to be the best MP3s offered on the Internets this week. Phillip (and others) has been asking how I come up with this list, where I find the blogs I read, and how I can find time to follow them all each week. I am saving that for another post, but I was wondering if other...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 9 to 5 |
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| 2 Gatheration |
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| 3 Random |
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| 4 Public Warning |
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| 5 Love Me or Hate Me |
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| 6 My England |
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| 7 Tango |
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| 8 A Little Bit of Shhh |
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| 9 Hoodie |
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| 10 Those Were the Days |
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| 11 Blah Blah |
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| 12 Fiddle with the Volume |
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| 13 Love Me or Hate Me [Remix] |
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© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Public Warning")
