Learning about Lady London: her HBCU education, favorite rap lyric, signing to Def Jam and more

Lady London might be a fresh face in mainstream hip-hop, but she’s no stranger to success. 

The Bronx native chatted with Billboard about her new debut album, S.O.U.L., signing with Def Jam, and a plethora of other life and career topics. Here’s a few takeaways from the Q&A session:

-She graduated from Howard University with a masters degree and had been pursuing a career in medicine. London credits the historically black university with much of her success. “I think Howard [University] made me the woman that I am,” she said. “I learned how to not feel guilty about speaking up or taking issue with anything in life.”

-It’s not that signing to Def Jam isn’t her greatest accomplishment, but making her mom proud is at the top of the list. She said, “I think that’s why she supports so much — because ‘you said what you were gonna do.'”

-London resonates with rap storytellers Slick Rick and Rick Ross. “His imagery almost feels like you were there,” she said of Ross. “He makes me feel luxurious.”

-Of her favorite bar penned this year, London said, “I really enjoyed my BET Hip-hop [Awards] cypher.”

-She brings the energy when collaborating with both women and men. “I like to kill everything, no matter what. I come with the intent to kill,” she said.

-If she had to choose one word to title the current chapter in her life, it’d be “boundaries.” She noted, “Learning that the door of destiny is a narrow one and not everyone can come with you.”

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