Lady Sanity

Kicking us off was Lady Sanity and first of all I have to say it was sick to see a female rapper perform dispelling any of that ‘girls can’t rap’ crap that sometimes gets bandied around. Unashamedly Brummie she had a naturally likeable style, beaming smile and acres of talent. On Bars for Bin her flow is insane, high tempo and overflowing with wry wit: the hook of ‘we ain’t got time for smart rhymes’ contrasted with those lightning speed verses is a brilliant comic contrast. What impressed me most about her though was the genuine maturity of her lyrics. Kinda Funny is a masterpiece from beat and bed to lyrics, its cutting social commentary shines through but maintains an incredibly reflective style at the same time. It must have been insanely hard to learn and I’m pretty sure she said it got her to the final of a BBC competition, deservedly so. The final song she performed departed from the tongue in cheek tone displaying a raw outpouring of emotion and level of maturity that makes me really hope she can follow in the footsteps of Lady Leshurr and gain national recognition. There’s no doubting how impressive the Queen’s Speech tracks are, but to me Lady Sanity has an extra dimension of emotional depth that makes her an irresistible listen. Let’s just say the ladies of 0121 could be leading this country’s rap scene very soon. Also remember the date April 17th! Not only is it her birthday but also her EP ‘The Graduate’ launch at Stirlings Bar, you can find the facebook event deets here: https://www.facebook.com/events/199175913778251/ I like it because it reminds me I’ve got final exams soo- oh shit. - Tim Senna

This year, keep your ear on Lady Sanity, from the vibrant city of Birmingham – a place that seems to be particularly good at nurturing female MC’s. As well as festival favourite Lady Leshurr, the city’s also home to the intriguing Truemendous, and RoxXann and the sporadic but talented Rawality.

Back in 2011, much of UK hip hop’s lyrical content seemed to follow the same path of spinning tales of street violence and bitching about who was the hardest and who partied the hardest, with wearisomely incessant references to bitches and nigga’s from rappers of every gender and race. But not Lady Sanity. She was dropping freestyles about the riots and lamenting those who perpetuated the stereotype of feral hood youth and it sounded like a breath of clearer air. I think she was about 17 at the time and wise way beyond her years.

Lady Sanity may not have had the airplay or the plaudits given to her more famous peer Lady Leshurr, but over the last 3 years she’s been steadily honing her talent and building a reputation and a fan base. Early tracks on soundcloud don’t have much in the way of production quality but the ease of her delivery and melodic flow manages to make itself heard.

The first full length mixtape, Construction, is a better introduction (sounds like she finally got a decent mike to start with) to her sound. Grab the free downloads whilst you can. A number of stronger tracks give production credit to Abstract Soundz. He gives us head-nodding beats and crisp samples that allow plenty of room for her vocals. Listen to Dust with the haunting horn sample weaving through the track – it takes a certain kind of confidence to keep things sparse.

Towards the back end of 2015 things began to really move. If you’re local to Leeds you may have caught her at Selected in November – if you missed it, don’t make the same mistake if the chance arises – she won the crowd over. She’s also had air play on 6 Music and in late December she announced on Facebook that she’s got new management, and a new ep release (all produced by Abstract Soundz) in January.

If you’re getting wearied by hip hop that feels closer to grime and yearn to nod to a boom bap beat, if lyrical braggadocio is driving you mad and you just want to listen to some intelligent rhymes, Lady Sanity’s could just be the prescription. - Vicky T

Don't fret too much if you've not heard Lady Sanity's music. She's a bit of a cult-concern round these parts. But then so were The Streets at one point. Things change. Things change a lot quicker than they used to. Lady Sanity's come up will be short-lived but for all the best reasons. Cult concern is a label she is out-growing. And fast.

Lady Sanity's lyric-heavy raps hark back to classic 90's hip hop. But not because she consciously makes music that wishes it was born a lot earlier, but because story-telling was the biggest element of 90's hop hop. And telling stories,discussing ideas and promoting positivity is part of what Lady Sanity's music is all about. So you can't help but be reminded of A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde when you play this Birmingham based rapper through your headphones. Rap is constantly evolving; reliving its past and reinventing itself at the same time. It's hard to keep up. It's also pretty hard to keep up with Lady Sanity's light speed lyricism that is full to the brim with broadcasts straight from her cranium.

She's been happy to exist as a hidden treasure buried in amongst the West Midlands music scene. But through the busy activity on her soundcloud page and via various live shows across the UK, she has been winning the appreciation of hip hop heads whom her lyrics really speak to. She even counts Little Sims amongst her slowly building fan base. Lady Sanity met Little Sims when she tore up a set in Birmingham: after the show, Sims ask Sanity to spit for her on the spot and Sims was blown away. Slots at Glastonbury and BoomBap Festival have also been won by the sheer tenacity of Lady Sanity. Her music has taken her global without any prim and proper PR campaigns.

With her style of music leaning heavily towards a more traditional form of rap music and away from lean reference and money boasts, it's easy to see Lady Sanity winning the appreciation of music critics and rap purists and their appreciation alone. Dig a little deeper however into her short but sweet back catalogue and you'll unearth radio-ready choruses in no time. Be prepared to dig a little deeper with Lady Sanity's music. She's here to discuss ideas, project concepts into the conscious of the masses through music but that doesn't mean she has an over arching sense of holy than thou that some rappers carry.

Lady Sanity is just like you and yours. Except she can rap. She's exceptional at it an all. - Jack Parker