Lady Sovereign Public Warning
Making her major-label debut under the wing of Jay-Z has got to put a certain […]
Making her major-label debut under the wing of Jay-Z has got to put a certain amount of pressure on the young English lass otherwise known as Louise Harman. But Lady Sov proves that she can hang with the best of ’em. The big-name collabos didn‘t pan out (so no Ad-Rock or Missy productions), but Sov mainstay Medasyn still manages to bring the grimy-good beats to Public Warning. The intentionally polarizing single, “Love Me or Hate Me,” which sees Sov blasting edicts like “If you love me, then/Thank you/If you hate me, then/Fuck you!” rides on a plunky, descending synth line while the hard-hitting “Gatheration” is heavy with electro-bass and handclaps. But it‘s Sov’s witty lyrics and true sense of herself that hopefully will propel the Londoner into the hearts of young America. As she states strongly, she “can only be one thing/And that’s be Lady Sovereign.”