“THERE ARE multiple levels to me,” Lady London explains ahead of her much-anticipated project which drops today.

Going through the 13-track “Lady Like: The Boss Tape” she isn’t lying, the levels are there for all to hear and their high.

Words matter in conversation, online, and, of course, in hip-hop. Lady London strings together rhymes worthy of a social media caption, a street corner battle, or a festival stage.

The New Jersey-born and Los Angeles-based rapper went from packing poetry shows as a teen and embarking on a pre-med path in college to rewriting her ’10-year plan’ and deciding to explore her artistry professionally in 2018 as a true outlier with hip-hop with an old school respect for wordplay and new school flare.

After amassing millions of views and receiving the endorsement of significant stakeholders across the music industry her project demonstrates a staunch commitment to verbal excellence and there is a lot more to come.

“I’m not one-dimensional. I really take my craft seriously. I consider rap to be an artform—not a trend.

“I’ve studied cadences, timing, breath control, double and triple entendres, and syllables.

“It almost breaks down to an exact science. I pay attention to verbiage, semantics, and diction. I’m a connoisseur of rhythmical composition in its purest form. I’m just a boss,”she enthused.

“There are multiple levels to me.”

Born to a Jamaican mother and Trinidadian father, she split her childhood between East Orange, New Jersey and The Bronx, New York.

Hip-hop surrounded her as a kid—quite literally. Lady London’s uncle Chino XL even held her in his hands, while he recorded I Told You So.

Growing up, the artist says she was inspired by the likes of JAY-Z, Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, Lauryn Hill, Slick Rick, Whitney Houston and Drake.

When she graduated from an all-girls Catholic high school at the top of her class, she attended Howard University where she studied Sports Medicine and Chemistry. During this time, she also participated in poetry contests and sold out shows across Washington, D.C.

Things took a turn for the better in March 2018. Full of confidence she posted a poetry video on her Instagram which exploded to the tune of eight million-plus views.

Looking ahead, shortly after earning her Master of Science from Keck School of Medicine at USC, she gained acceptance to the prestigious medical program at the university—which she deferred in order to pursue music.

“Everything changed,” she states.

“I figured I could always go back to school. Convincing my West Indian family was very interesting.

“They didn’t understand why I was willing to give up everything I had been working towards. I knew I had to do music, though. You can’t run from destiny.”

She added: “Where I’m from definitely put that hustle in me.

“It’s like a double hustle on top of being raised West Indian.

“DC changed my life and made me the woman I am. I went to Howard as a young girl not really sure of what I wanted to do in the world. It moulded me with the tools to know how to survive. L.A. was a total culture shock.

“It was important, because I already had a sense of self, so I didn’t fall into the facades of the city. I’m unapologetically me. When I rap, I don’t run from the fact I’m well-versed and articulate.”

This comfort is omnipresent across ‘Lady Like: The Boss Tape’.

Her talent is genuinely being recognised as a cut above the present generation.

If the last few years represent the infancy stage of growth for Lady London, watching the maturity during her middle phase will be quite something.

There’s still a lot the world that is yet to be exposed to Lady London and everything points to them being captivated by her at some stage or another in the not too distant future.

Speaking on her music she said: “When you listen to me, I want you to feel comfortable in yourself and empowered more than anything.”

She added: “We’re all the same. We all have things we battle, daily, but everyone excels at something.

“Therefore, every person is a boss in his or her own way. And you control the narrative around your own life.

“I want to be proof of that. Music is the closest thing to religion without the systemic element. It’s a spiritual encounter. It shifts our movements; it governs our temperament. And, if nothing more, I hope to transcend a generation with what I create and leave a legacy behind.”

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