Lady Sovereign
Public Warning

Def Jam

“It ain’t abut tea and biscuits,” Lady Sovereign warns us right off the bat, “I’m one of those English misfits.” The 20-year-old then proceeds to prove it with UK radio singles such as “9 to 5”, “Random” and her classic in-your-face anthem “Love Me or Hate Me” (which gets a bonus Missy Elliott remix).
The pint-sized Sporty Spice look-a-like may prefer to be known as “the biggest midget in the game,” but the Brit-hopper’s debut album Public Warning is unlikely to put an end to that ever-present “Feminem“ tag. But pale skin aside, what people are really talking about is Sov’s skillfully original flow and her bratty and sharp-tongued, but still self-deprecating rhymes.

-Josh Ostroff