10/24/06 - U.K. hip-hop sensation Lady Sovereign looking to take over the U.S.

Audible · 10-24-2006, 02:42 PM

Lady Sovereign feels like an idiot. It`s August 2005 and the U.K. hip-hop sensation (born Louise Harman) is standing in the New York office of Def Jam Records president Sean 'Jay-Z' Carter. Jay-Z wants to sign her to the label. But first he needs her to give an impromptu performance for the other executives in the room. In Sov`s words: "He says, 'Can you spit me some lyrics a cappella?'" The request is causing her all sorts of anxiety.

For starters, she`s facing a tough crowd. Jay-Z would be an intimidating enough audience by himself, but he`s just one of many music industry heavyweights in attendance. Island Def Jam Music Group chairman/CEO Antonio 'L.A.' Reid and Usher, one of Reid`s most successful artists from his days at BMG, are there, too.

Then there`s the matter of Sov`s outfit. Hailing from London`s Chalkhill Estates housing development, she`s wearing a cartoonishly oversized shirt and her hair is pulled into a side ponytail - a look that most American audiences haven`t seen since the days of Sporty Spice from the Spice Girls. It`s her trademark garb, but she`s suddenly feeling self-conscious about her fashion in front of a group of men known almost as well for their style as for their musical talents.

And to top things off, she doesn`t want to perform a cappella. She wants a beat to freestyle over. Jay-Z gamely offers her a Kanye West beat. There`s just one problem: She doesn`t like it. They finally settle on a Ludacris beat.

The performance is so good that within a hour of leaving the meeting, Def Jam executives are on the phone offering her a contract. But looking back on that day now more than a year later, the 20-year-old Sov winces at the thought of how out of place she felt. "I didn`t know what was going on. I felt like a clown for hire," she says.

But being a fish-out-of-water is something she`s getting used to. To be sure, there`s no one else quite like her on the Def Jam roster - British, female and not particularly focused on American hip-hop.

Her U.S. fan base is rooted in the Internet-savvy indie rock community (she claims more than 56,000-plus friends and 1.6 million music listens through MySpace). During the last year, she`s performed in front of festival crowds at Lollapalooza, Coachella and Bumbershoot, and graced the covers of tastemaker magazines like The Fader, Urb and ID.

And Sov is just as apt to listen to grime, jungle, drum`n`bass or punk, as she is Dirty South hip-hop. 'I was more into hip-hop years ago,' she admits. "I`m not saying I`m not into it now. But I don`t listen to it as much as I used to."

No matter. Def Jam executives think they have a pop star on their hands with the pint-sized artist Jay-Z refers to as "Mighty Mouse." Her full-length debut, 'Public Warning,' drops Oct. 31, and she`s already showing signs of broad appeal. Verizon Wireless recently featured her and the lead single from the album, "Love Me or Hate Me," in a TV campaign promoting its new Chocolate music phone. The wacky video, in which the rapper annoys everybody in her neighborhood simply by being herself, is No. 1 on MTV`s 'TRL,' and top 40 radio is starting to embrace the track.

Her debut EP, 'Vertically Challenged,' has scanned more than 20,000 units since its release via Chicago indie Chocolate Industries in November 2005. Adam Lowenberg, senior vice president of marketing for Def Jam, says the next step is crossing her over to a bigger pop audience. To be sure, there have been plenty of heavily hyped U.K. rap acts in recent years that haven`t connected with U.S. audiences en masse - the Streets, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A. and Ms. Dynamite among them.

Def Jam is attempting to get over that hurdle with Sov by going after a female demographic. "Everything that we are doing from a marketing level is really targeted toward young females," Lowenberg says. To that end, Def Jam is running promotions through women`s catalog clothier Alloy, AOL`s Instant Messenger and social networking site Facebook. The label is also running mall-based street marketing campaigns - filling shopping centers with hoards of reps dressed in Adidas track suits and Lady Sovereign masks.

Source: .

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GeeDupKennyYayo · 10-24-2006, 02:46 PM

man i dont like this chick either, she dont sound like she got a hip hop voice and her accent aint that good, its funny and her voice sounds like a lil kids voice and i seen that vid where she imitates ppls songs and it sounds horrible, i just aint feelin her shit

th3_don · 10-24-2006, 03:05 PM

she is str8 garbage jay-z cud of signeddd sway of dizzee or wiley or sum1 not tht bitch

YoungGunna · 10-24-2006, 03:28 PM

her song is very lame......

1 9 9 1. · 10-24-2006, 03:31 PM

she is white, from the uk, and ugly... LMAO, Bitch will get outsolde by d-block HAHHAAAA

Desert Eagle · 10-24-2006, 04:04 PM

shes wack

err thas old aug 05

G-UNIT - UK · 10-24-2006, 04:08 PM

propz but i wouldnt call her a uk hip hop sensation tho

NiCK3L · 10-24-2006, 04:10 PM

FUCK NO WE DONT NEED THT BITCH IN AMERICA

evryone makin comparisons to her and em

hope she flops and never says another word on the mic again

Kryptonite · 10-24-2006, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiCK3L

FUCK NO WE DONT NEED THT BITCH IN AMERICA

evryone makin comparisons to her and em

hope she flops and never says another word on the mic again

LOL that was just retarted

but, Lady Sov>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Dipset Eurogang

!Alex! · 10-24-2006, 06:15 PM

Hey Ppl Just Letting U All Know
No 1 Likes Her In The Uk
We Dont Think Thats Hip Hop
She Aint No Hip Hop Sensation
She An Council Estate Whore
TRANSLATE TO AMERICAN
TRAILOR TRASH

Rick Styles · 10-24-2006, 06:34 PM

lol she can spit a verse though

regardless of her look

SouthSider · 10-24-2006, 06:36 PM

so many fuckin arrogant americans, not all, but some. but anyway, she wont make any noise.

LuBrick Asain · 10-24-2006, 06:38 PM

she called her self the biggest midget in the game.....

nuff said

Mind$cape · 10-24-2006, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G-UNIT - UK

propz but i wouldnt call her a uk hip hop sensation tho

Word, this bitch is just some chav who got lucky

NiCK3L · 10-24-2006, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kryptonite

LOL that was just retarted

but, Lady Sov>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Dipset Eurogang

dipsets got a eurogang ??

Magic Da Hooligan · 10-24-2006, 10:35 PM

Another reason why Gay-Z needs to get his kufi Smacked....

Zhiwai · 10-25-2006, 12:30 AM

Props on this

smokeablunt0r2 · 10-25-2006, 12:33 AM

w/e

10-24-2006, 02:42 PM	#1
Audible YouTube.com/Audible484 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Sunny Southern Cali Posts: 2,998 Repped: 1,381 Repped 832 Times in 188 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	10/24/06 - U.K. hip-hop sensation Lady Sovereign looking to take over the U.S. 10/24/06 - U.K. hip-hop sensation Lady Sovereign looking to take over the U.S. Lady Sovereign feels like an idiot. It`s August 2005 and the U.K. hip-hop sensation (born Louise Harman) is standing in the New York office of Def Jam Records president Sean 'Jay-Z' Carter. Jay-Z wants to sign her to the label. But first he needs her to give an impromptu performance for the other executives in the room. In Sov`s words: "He says, 'Can you spit me some lyrics a cappella?'" The request is causing her all sorts of anxiety. For starters, she`s facing a tough crowd. Jay-Z would be an intimidating enough audience by himself, but he`s just one of many music industry heavyweights in attendance. Island Def Jam Music Group chairman/CEO Antonio 'L.A.' Reid and Usher, one of Reid`s most successful artists from his days at BMG, are there, too. Then there`s the matter of Sov`s outfit. Hailing from London`s Chalkhill Estates housing development, she`s wearing a cartoonishly oversized shirt and her hair is pulled into a side ponytail - a look that most American audiences haven`t seen since the days of Sporty Spice from the Spice Girls. It`s her trademark garb, but she`s suddenly feeling self-conscious about her fashion in front of a group of men known almost as well for their style as for their musical talents. And to top things off, she doesn`t want to perform a cappella. She wants a beat to freestyle over. Jay-Z gamely offers her a Kanye West beat. There`s just one problem: She doesn`t like it. They finally settle on a Ludacris beat. The performance is so good that within a hour of leaving the meeting, Def Jam executives are on the phone offering her a contract. But looking back on that day now more than a year later, the 20-year-old Sov winces at the thought of how out of place she felt. "I didn`t know what was going on. I felt like a clown for hire," she says. But being a fish-out-of-water is something she`s getting used to. To be sure, there`s no one else quite like her on the Def Jam roster - British, female and not particularly focused on American hip-hop. Her U.S. fan base is rooted in the Internet-savvy indie rock community (she claims more than 56,000-plus friends and 1.6 million music listens through MySpace). During the last year, she`s performed in front of festival crowds at Lollapalooza, Coachella and Bumbershoot, and graced the covers of tastemaker magazines like The Fader, Urb and ID. And Sov is just as apt to listen to grime, jungle, drum`n`bass or punk, as she is Dirty South hip-hop. 'I was more into hip-hop years ago,' she admits. "I`m not saying I`m not into it now. But I don`t listen to it as much as I used to." No matter. Def Jam executives think they have a pop star on their hands with the pint-sized artist Jay-Z refers to as "Mighty Mouse." Her full-length debut, 'Public Warning,' drops Oct. 31, and she`s already showing signs of broad appeal. Verizon Wireless recently featured her and the lead single from the album, "Love Me or Hate Me," in a TV campaign promoting its new Chocolate music phone. The wacky video, in which the rapper annoys everybody in her neighborhood simply by being herself, is No. 1 on MTV`s 'TRL,' and top 40 radio is starting to embrace the track. Her debut EP, 'Vertically Challenged,' has scanned more than 20,000 units since its release via Chicago indie Chocolate Industries in November 2005. Adam Lowenberg, senior vice president of marketing for Def Jam, says the next step is crossing her over to a bigger pop audience. To be sure, there have been plenty of heavily hyped U.K. rap acts in recent years that haven`t connected with U.S. audiences en masse - the Streets, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A. and Ms. Dynamite among them. Def Jam is attempting to get over that hurdle with Sov by going after a female demographic. "Everything that we are doing from a marketing level is really targeted toward young females," Lowenberg says. To that end, Def Jam is running promotions through women`s catalog clothier Alloy, AOL`s Instant Messenger and social networking site Facebook. The label is also running mall-based street marketing campaigns - filling shopping centers with hoards of reps dressed in Adidas track suits and Lady Sovereign masks. Source: . Click the Thanks button __________________ Audible : Myspace.com/TheeAudible

10-24-2006, 02:46 PM	#2
GeeDupKennyYayo Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 796 Repped: 151 Repped 5 Times in 2 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	man i dont like this chick either, she dont sound like she got a hip hop voice and her accent aint that good, its funny and her voice sounds like a lil kids voice and i seen that vid where she imitates ppls songs and it sounds horrible, i just aint feelin her shit __________________ around here they call me "Craig" cuz i whip bitches ass like "Deebo"

10-24-2006, 03:28 PM	#4
YoungGunna Young Gunna Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: T Dot Posts: 11,079 Repped: 348 Repped 128 Times in 87 Posts Neg Reps: 33 Neg Repped at 7 Times in 7 Posts	her song is very lame...... __________________

10-24-2006, 06:38 PM	#13
LuBrick Asain I get down like syndrome. Join Date: May 2004 Location: Kush Land Posts: 22,133 Repped: 991 Repped 743 Times in 197 Posts Neg Reps: 52 Neg Repped at 4 Times in 4 Posts	she called her self the biggest midget in the game..... nuff said __________________

10-24-2006, 10:35 PM	#16
Magic Da Hooligan Rattails & Cardigans Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: ATL (Zone 5:::::Cobb County)///////Born In M.C. ("The City of Palaces" Mexico City DF) Posts: 2,186 Repped: 296 Repped 753 Times in 275 Posts Neg Reps: 203 Neg Repped at 125 Times in 90 Posts	Another reason why Gay-Z needs to get his kufi Smacked.... __________________

10-24-2006, 03:05 PM	#3
th3_don G-UnIt SoULja Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 212 Repped: 10 Repped 16 Times in 5 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	she is str8 garbage jay-z cud of signeddd sway of dizzee or wiley or sum1 not tht bitch

10-24-2006, 03:31 PM	#5
1 9 9 1. ☆★Flygerian★☆ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: the REAL bape shop. london Posts: 1,802 Repped: 140 Repped 917 Times in 301 Posts Neg Reps: 55 Neg Repped at 111 Times in 59 Posts	she is white, from the uk, and ugly... LMAO, Bitch will get outsolde by d-block HAHHAAAA

10-24-2006, 04:04 PM	#6
Desert Eagle Veteran Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: LONDON Posts: 4,871 Repped: 41 Repped 160 Times in 39 Posts Neg Reps: 1 Neg Repped at 1 Time in 1 Post	shes wack err thas old aug 05

10-24-2006, 04:08 PM	#7
G-UNIT - UK Shady/Aftermath/G-Unit Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: west midz Posts: 525 Repped: 54 Repped 39 Times in 8 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	propz but i wouldnt call her a uk hip hop sensation tho

10-24-2006, 04:10 PM	#8
NiCK3L UnTouchAble Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: ME Posts: 902 Repped: 166 Repped 188 Times in 41 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	FUCK NO WE DONT NEED THT BITCH IN AMERICA evryone makin comparisons to her and em hope she flops and never says another word on the mic again

10-24-2006, 06:15 PM	#10
!Alex! Ya Dun Know Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: England...UK..... Posts: 283 Repped: 20 Repped 94 Times in 31 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hey Ppl Just Letting U All Know No 1 Likes Her In The Uk We Dont Think Thats Hip Hop She Aint No Hip Hop Sensation She An Council Estate Whore TRANSLATE TO AMERICAN TRAILOR TRASH

10-24-2006, 06:34 PM	#11
Rick Styles Banned Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Blackpool, Seaside. Posts: 2,576 Repped: 1,675 Repped 1,230 Times in 201 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 1 Time in 1 Post	lol she can spit a verse though regardless of her look

10-24-2006, 06:36 PM	#12
SouthSider Mr. What It Do Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Tha Infamous (Southside LDN) Posts: 1,684 Repped: 455 Repped 770 Times in 159 Posts Neg Reps: 28 Neg Repped at 25 Times in 19 Posts	so many fuckin arrogant americans, not all, but some. but anyway, she wont make any noise.

10-25-2006, 12:30 AM	#17
Zhiwai G_unit_soldier_Chang Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Puerto Rico Posts: 9,469 Repped: 15 Repped 49 Times in 8 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Props on this

10-25-2006, 12:33 AM	#18
smokeablunt0r2 Fuck the haters Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: my hood Posts: 929 Repped: 11 Repped 50 Times in 7 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	w/e

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