You know how Kanye has said that he knew when he wrote the line “light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson” on “Slow Jamz” that he was going to be a big star? When I heard “I’ve got a dark skin friend that looks like Rachel Dolezal, And I’ve got a light skin friend that looks like Rachel Dolezal,” on Queen’s Speech 4, I knew the same would be true of Lady Leshurr.
The 28-year-old British rapper has risen/is rising (depending on if you’ve heard of her, I guess) through her punchy series of 6 freestyles titled The Queen’s Speech, each of which is accompanied by a single shot music video. The speeches are full of put-downs, pop-culture references, hygiene tips, British slang and visual wordplay that deftly straddles the line of fresh and cheesy. If you’ve been out on the jol and you’ve heard hooks like “That’s nasty, change your panties” or the succinct “Brush your teeth” in a thick Birmingham accent, that was Lady Leshurr. There’s a playful meanness to Lady Leshurr’s raps that would qualify her for the dais of any roast or as a guest on the now defunct Nevermind The Buzzcocks.
The rapper has been putting out mixtapes and EPs as Lady Leshurr officially since 2009 but apparently dropped her first tape when she was just 14. After 14 years of working on her craft, Lady Leshurr is finally working on her first album with a truly impressive team of producers. We’re talking about the likes of Deputy (Bitch Better Have My Money), Bangladesh (A Milli, Video Phone) and Timbaland (everything in the 2000s), so if you hadn’t heard of the queen before today, it’s only a matter of time before you hear her everywhere. When exactly? I’m not sure. Her social media says she has a new single called “Juice” coming out “soon”, as well an EP called “Mode”, also coming out “soon”. So, it shouldn’t be too long after that she drops her debut full length. Until then though, you have 9 mixtapes and 4 EPs to get you up-to-date with the queen of the British rap scene. Trust me, this is one of those times you’re going to want to do your homework.