Lady London Explained
Lady London |
Birth Name: | Zaire Miylaun Stewart |
Birth Date: | 25 June 1995 |
Birth Place: | The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
Years Active: | 2018–present |
Zaire Miylaun Stewart (born June 25, 1995), known professionally as Lady London, is an American rapper and songwriter from The Bronx, New York, currently based in Los Angeles. Her debut studio album S.O.U.L. (Signs of Universal Love)—preceded by two mixtapes—was released on November 3, 2023.
Early life
London was born in The Bronx, New York, to a Jamaican mother and Trinidadian father.[1] [2] Raised in her grandmother's house in East Orange, New Jersey, she started composing poems at the age of 11, which she used as "an outlet to speak about [her] anger and what was bringing [her] in [those] spaces".[3] [2] She graduated in 2012 from Mother Seton Regional High School in Clark, New Jersey.[4] London attended Howard University, where she studied and received a bachelor's degree in science before later attending the University of Southern California and receiving a master's degree in that same major.[2] During that time, her original goal was to become an orthopedic surgeon.[2]
Career
In March 2018, London posted a video of her freestyling while sitting in a car via her Twitter account, which soon went viral and received praise from media outlets.[5] Afterwards, she began recording and posting more freestyles titled "Lady Londays", which helped her gain more traction.[6] On July 30, 2019, she independently released a song titled "Woosah" to digital platforms and started a dance challenge to promote the track.[7] [8] In 2021, she released two official singles: "Money Over" and "Never", which were both accompanied with music videos, to generally favorable reviews from critics.[9] On January 14, 2022, London released her first solo full-length project, a mixtape titled Lady Like: The Boss Tape; the mixtape consists of thirteen tracks, majority of them being freestyles.[10] A few months later, she released a single "What Is It Giving", produced by Kosine, alongside its music video.[11] While speaking on the song, she said: "Creating this record, I wanted a chant... one that felt comfortable enough to repeat, while also being full of caption-worthy rhetoric. The perfect balance."[11]
In September 2022, London made her acting debut in the Sanaa Lathan-directed musical drama film On the Come Up as the character Ms. Tique.[12] To promote the film, she was featured alongside Jamila C. Gray and Rapsody on a song of the same name, which was later featured on the film's soundtrack.[13] On March 23, 2023, she signed a joint record deal with High Standardz and Def Jam Recordings.[14] On April 14, 2023, she was featured on the remix to Ciara's song "Da Girls" entitled the "Girls Mix" alongside Lola Brooke.[15] On October 10, 2023, she performed on the BET Hip Hop Awards cypher alongside Brooke, Gloss Up and Bun B.[16] London's debut studio album S.O.U.L. (acronym of Signs of Universal Love) was released on November 3, 2023.[17] The album was preceded by the releasing of two singles "Yea Yea" (with Dreezy) and "Do Something" (featuring Jeremih).[17] It features guest appearances from Dreezy, Jeremih, B-Boy Stance, Tink, Omeretta the Great, Capella Grey, Brooke Valentine and Mila J.[18]
Musical style
A defining aspect of her style is her bravado and her “Boss-Lady” persona.[19]
Discography
- Studio albums
- Mixtapes
- I Kant Make This Shit Up (2022)
- Lady Like: The Boss Tape (2022)
Notes and References
- News: Hynes . Hayley . Lady London Describes Co-Signs From Nas & Busta Rhymes In On the Come Up . . November 11, 2023 . December 29, 2022.
- Davis . Shanice . Meet Lady London: The Cutthroat Femcee With Surgeon-Sharp Precision . Essence (Girls United) . November 11, 2023 . July 22, 2022.
- Talib Kweli & Lady London Talk Jean Grae, Sway Freestyle, Chino XL, BLM, HBCUs. July 19, 2021. YouTube. Uproxx. https://web.archive.org/web/20210816071724/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyVoO55Klng. August 16, 2021. live. November 11, 2023.
- https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-news-mother-seton-regional-h/135144274/ "Seton Class of '12 has 100% college acceptance"
- LadyLondonnn. 978002401843036160 . March 25, 2018 . November 11, 2023 . May 5, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210505100303/https://twitter.com/LadyLondonnn/status/978002401843036160 . dead.
- News: J Hall . On the Come Up: Lady London, the Next Queen MC . November 16, 2023 . . November 13, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231113160414/https://aurn.com/on-the-come-up-lady-london-the-next-queen-mc/ . November 13, 2023 . live.
- Web site: Woosah - Single by Lady London . . November 16, 2023 . July 30, 2019.
- Lady London - Woosah (Challenge). August 2, 2019. YouTube. Lady London.
- News: Lady London Delivers Lady Like: The Boss Tape . . January 16, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220118150630/https://outnowmagazine.com/lady-london-lady-like-the-boss-tape/ . January 18, 2022 . live.
- News: Grant . Shawn . Lady London Releases Lady Like: The Boss Tape . . January 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220125193314/https://thesource.com/2022/01/14/lady-london-releases-lady-like-the-boss-tape/ . January 25, 2022 . live.
- News: Cho . Regina . Lady London shares glamorous What Is It Giving video . . July 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220930100852/https://www.revolt.tv/article/2022-07-29/183308/lady-london-what-is-it-giving-video/ . September 30, 2022 . live.
- Web site: On the Come Up . 2022 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230221082500/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9783730 . February 21, 2023 . live.
- Web site: Howard . Jacinta . Rapsody Releases New Single On the Come Up . Rock the Bells . https://web.archive.org/web/20221123230006/https://rockthebells.com/articles/rapsody-on-the-come-up/ . November 23, 2022 . September 16, 2022 . live.
- Lamarre . Carl . Lady London Signs With High Standardz & Def Jam Recordings . . March 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230530011035/https://www.billboard.com/pro/lady-london-def-jam-signing/ . May 30, 2023 . live.
- Web site: Lola Brooke and Lady London put their twist on Ciara's "Da Girls" track. Revolt TV. Cho. Regina. March 29, 2023. May 14, 2023.
- Mamo . Heran . All the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards Performances Ranked . Billboard . October 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231019174003/https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-2023-bet-hip-hop-performances-ranked/ . October 19, 2023 . live.
- News: Lady London (High Standardz/Def Jam) . November 16, 2023 . . November 9, 2023.
- Web site: S.O.U.L. - Album by Lady London . Apple Music . November 16, 2023 . November 3, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231105124036/https://music.apple.com/us/album/s-o-u-l/1713872719 . November 5, 2023 . live.
- Web site: Callwood . Brett . 2022-02-02 . Lady London Is A Boss . 2023-11-12 . The Village Voice.