Dud looked like a 'Lady'

I was first introduced to Lady Sovereign last year through a single, "Random." My first thought upon hearing the track was, "God, this sounds like a really bad M.I.A. song." \nSovereign's debut album, A Public Warning, proved my memory's not as bad as I thought. Nearly every track sounded like M.I.A.'s fantastic fast-paced pieces, yet each song fell short of what M.I.A. regularly achieves. Lady Sovereign defies every convention; she is a white, female, British rapper. Although her music isn't always great, you can't say she's not a rebel. But believe me, she won't let you forget either. \nThe album begins with "9 to 5," a song praising the visceral happiness of not working. Oddly enough, the melody of the song actually sounds a lot like a Spice Girls song. The subject material about working-class England is akin to something that Sovereign's rapping British peer, The Streets, might bring up. \nThe album bounces through the next few tracks, with Sovereign musing on her "bad-ass" style over electronic bleeps that sound like samples from Mario Kart. Sovereign's current single, "Love Me or Hate Me," showcases her genius lyrics: "If you hate me then ... fuck you." \nOne of the better songs on the album is track six, "My England." The emcee professes her love to the Great Britain that she knows so well. The song is sort-of a "Welcome to Atlanta" across the pond. The standout track, "Those Were the Days," is a nice change from the pace of the rest of the record. Sovereign raps about her childhood over a feel good guitar-sampled beat. \nIt's easy to respect Lady Sovereign for simply existing. However, after the first few tracks, you've already had the point drilled into your head: she's a rebel, she does what she wants to do, blah blah. There's always an overly defensive tone in her lyrics and a definite insecurity about her stature in the rap world. You don't have to keep telling us how cool you are, Sovereign. Just do it.