Lady Lykez is currently generating an incredible buzz with her fearless, fierce and forward Hip-Hop approach. Her E.P is dropping on 12/12/12 and since she is under the same management as Lethal Bizzle, we had to get an in-depth scope first.
Tell us your name and what you are all about?
I’m Lady Lykez and I am an artist, a rapper if you want to know the type of music I do.
What is your character and what do you bring?
What’s my type of character well I’m actually an Hip Hop artist and I love music so I’m basically going for my dream at the moment and that is to basically to make it in the music business and industry.
Who influenced you to be a rapper and to be in this industry?
Well I’ve always loved music from when I can remember and I’ve always loved performing so I could say back in the day who inspired me. I used to love a bit of Eve back in the day she was hard and I loved Eminem a lot of old school Eminem and a bit of Missy (Missy Elliot) as well actually and a bit of Busta. So those four artists I think were quite great I used to listen to them quite a lot.
Was there a track that you listened to and you were like yeah I need to be doing this?
What it is for me is that the reason why there is four is because they all do different things that I like so I don’t like them for the same reasons. So Eminem I love him for his flows and his lyrical content I just think he’s sick with his word play and I love word play, I love playing with metaphors and similes I love writing in a clever way so that’s why I love Eminem.
Eve I just think she has the tone of voice she just had that gullyness to her voice on a track she sounds so warm. You know certain people you can have good lyrics but if you’ve got a crap voice then it just sounds dead but her voice on everything she just killed it. Then obviously Missy just has swag all day everyday
Then you’ve got Busta and he is another flows guy I love his flows he rides a beat nicely so if you put them all together that’s me.
What have you got cooking up for the music scene?
At the moment I’ve got an EP that is coming out for the 12th of December so that’s basically going to be a promo of what I’m all about. You can hear on there my kind of style I think it’s just going to give people an idea of who Lady Lykez is. Then early next year I’m releasing my first single off my album called ‘I love My Butt’ that’s coming out very soon and I think I’m going to have a lot of fun with that.
Can we expect a video to come with that?
Definitely ‘I Love My Butt’ it is going to have a video, there is another track off my EP that I have actually been promoting its called ‘IT’ listen to the word play on that and also I’ve got a little fun animation video coming with that. Check that out in probably the next week or two.
Recently you performed at The Reading and Leeds Festival tell us how that came about and your experiences?
Well the Reading and Leeds festival I performed on the BBC’s introducing stage and it was such a wicked experience. I actually got forwarded by one of the guys who plays on a station called Amazing Radio and he’s always been supporting. You know those people that always support what you’re doing when you’re on the come up. He loved the track ‘Not Your Hair’ so much so he was pushing, pushing, pushing and It was kind of a weird one how it came about. I think he just put me forward but it was wicked I love performing out of everything I do.
I love performing, I love it so much and I make sure the crowds have a good time. In the future I can’t wait to do some big shows I’m crazy on stage as well I mean at Leeds I almost I actually crowd surfed.
Everyone was hyped at Reading but at Leeds it was just crazy, I was so gassed because they were so hyped so I surfed the crowd. I also performed at the camp site because they asked me to perform again in Leeds. So we waited till the evening and then we performed on the camp site and literally I was so gassed literally my big Brother was there and I was like pick me up, pick me up and he picked me up and literally, practically just threw me on top of the crowd. I’m not going to lie I was kind of shock because I was like right okay now like I’m going to stop now. Yeah but you will see it on Youtube check it out you are going to see me on top of the crowd people’s heads getting twisted up yeah it was a lot of fun.
What would be your dream performance stage and where would it be in the world?
My dream stage, hmm I don’t know if I could even tell you my specific stage because I just want to be on the biggest stages you know what I mean I don’t think there is a specific one.
Who would you like to collaborate with?
It’s a good one yeah because you know what it is certain artists I love but I don’t think I would necessary collaborate with you know what I mean. It’s like I’m not a selfish artist in the sense of you know when certain people they feel like they should just jump on everything just because they just want to. I’m the type of person like if I hear a track or a singer came to me with a track I wouldn’t just jump on it just because I want to spit on it. I’ve actually turnt down certain songs and been like I don’t think it needs a rapper on it. Though I’d like to do a song with Busta Rhymes I think Busta is hard man, yeah man!
He supports UK so maybe that is something that could happen in the near future
Yo Busta holla at me I’m hot (laughs)
It’s amazing that you are under the same management as Lethal B so what can we expect, maybe a collabo?
You know we don’t know (laughs) maybe in the future you know. Bizzle is in his lane and I’m in my lane and thing. I love what he does and I think he’s a wicked artist so he’s doing his thing right now as we can all see- Dench! But me I’m doing my thing so not trying to sound like cocky or anything but I’m in my own space, I’m in my own lane and I think me and my manager have got a really good vision to where they want Lady Lykez to be.
And where can we see that.
We want to be at the top you know, right at the top you know what I’m mean you can see the swag tun up you nah see’ it – right!
You have a track called ‘Not Your Hair’ which features Lady Leshurr, Lioness and Stush, how was that?
‘Not Your Hair’ it was such a fun track to do because I think a lot of my concepts come from jokes and fun that I’ve been having with my friends. Back in the day people use to say “it’s not your hair though” but I was like ”I fully bought it I’ve got the receipt so it’s mine I own it so you’re wearing that coat because you went to Westfield’s and you bought it that’s yours isn’t it so”. Initially it was a joke and then one day I was vibe-zing with my producer and it just came about and I was like you know what I’m doing a track about that. I know so many girls that can relate and it’s so fun.
So yeah that tune that is a really great tune I loved it working with Leshurr, Lioness and Stush it was a really great experience because it’s the way it came about. I didn’t go through no management or nothing like that because I actually knew them personally so it was a thing where I just thought to myself I should do a remix. I should make it more of a Hip-Hop tune because the first one is quite a quirky song its fun and young kids can listen to it. So if I do a remix. When I first brought that track about on Grime Daily we had a lot of people that was kind of taking the song to serious it was funny though and was cool to me. I loved that yeah because it means that it has obviously made an impact its touched a nerve but there was a lot of talk about it “yeah but you know why should girls wear weave, why do you have to” I’m like your taking yourselves deep like yeah [laughs].
So I loved it and you got Leshurr saying “I’m feeling my weave ad how many artist in the industry I’m not bruking out my hair I’m not straightening my hair everyday so I’m a tong the weave I’m not tonging my real hair” Then you you’ve got Leshurr saying her hairs actually long so it has nothing to do with oh my hairs short I don’t need to wear it no its because its flexible and works. Then you got Lioness with her famous line and I love it she’s says “I wear my hair back in a pony and I don’t care if it comes from the back of a pony” Lioness just killed it with that. You obviously got Stush and obviously she comes with the Ragga flex with the Jamaican thing. That’s why I had to put her at the end she couldn’t of gone anywhere else on the tune. She killed it, she’s basically talking about how she goes in to Paks hair store and every time they run out of the 1b a lot of girls are 1b colour 1b is (off black hair colour). Me and Stush was just busting up about this topic because she was just like “Lykez I can’t take it you know because I go to Peckham Paks every time you’re telling me the 1b is sold out what do you mean the 1b is sold out
We have been pushing it and it has been playing on quite a few radio stations I think Choice FM has been playing it and Freak FM has been banging out the EP songs and we have quite a few radio stations pumping out my songs, so right now it’s all about promotion. We have a lot coming next year we have ‘ILove My Butt’ I think that is going to be so fun because every time I perform that song everyone just finds it hilarious so I think get the EP download it off my website www.ladylykez.co.uk
Is it challenging being a female UK emcee if so what challenges have you faced?
You know what it’s funny that you say that because I don’t think I’ve had much challenge in a sense of being a female I think being an artist full stop is a struggle. There are so many talented people and I haven’t heard your good for a girl for a long time I’ve just heard yeah Lykez is hard and that’s what I like to hear… [laughs]
You are known to be very inspirational and at the moment you are doing tours within schools and inspiring young people tell me more?
I’m doing a school tour at the moment with a crime prevention company called ‘Only Connect’ and basically we have been with 22 boroughs over a period of time within London and basically we go round to schools and deliver plays, productions and workshops. They love the music so every time I come I think they just switch on and they have so much fun as well to do something that is really positive. We have finished our tours and we have another tour coming in January and February .So yeah man we just go round and we just kill.
So how do you specifically inspire these young people?
Basically we cover certain subjects such as drugs, domestic violence association and choices. Everyone that is on the team is an ex-offender and has changed their life around and are now actors, and doing really good stuff with their lives. So obviously we can tell these young people what we have been through right and then obviously deliver the plays in a language and in a way that they understand, yeah so that’s what we do. When they hear the songs as well like ‘It’s Not Your Hair’ and when we do ‘I Love My Butt’ in schools obviously that covers body image, and at first I thought is this suitable for a school but they love it! The teachers found it hilarious as well and they get it, we had so many young people come up to us afterwards saying “we loved it” and really actually taking it in so I feel like I’m doing something I love and I’m giving something back.
Check out Lady Lykez at her official website here and follow her on Twitter @Lykez