Lady London
The American rapper Lady London has been a notable figure in the music industry for half a decade, but there’s still plenty that the general public has yet to discover about the talented musician. Born on 25th June 1995, in New York City, USA, the emcee – birth name Zaire Miylaun – is of Jamaican and Trinidadian heritage, and spent her early years between New Jersey and The Bronx.
Hip-hop was an inescapable part of Lady London’s childhood, as her mother was a huge fan of the genre, and would often play Lil Kim, Jay-Z, and other popular artists of the time. Aged 11, the rapper discovered a love for poetry that served as the catalyst for her songwriting skills. ‘I was a little bit of a rebel kid and a violent kid,’ the New Yorker confessed in an interview. ‘I used poetry as an outlet.’
While studying for a Bachelor of Science degree in sports medicine and chemistry at Howard University, London became a regular at poetry open mic events across the Washington D.C. area, and would often sell out packed venues. However, she had no intention of becoming a musician: instead, she dreamed of working as an orthopedic surgeon, and even knew which medical school she wanted to attend, and where she wanted to do her fellowship.
However, things changed when London went viral in March 2018, after sharing an original poem on Instagram that she recorded while sitting in her car during a traffic jam. At the time, the future celebrity had just 9,500 followers, but thanks to the power of social media, the clip soon racked up over eight million views, and led to many netizens believing that London was a rapper.
Nothing could be further from the truth, as at the time London was pursuing a master’s degree in global medicine. Nevertheless, record labels soon approached the New Yorker, who followed her gut instinct and decided to turn to music. ‘You really cannot run from your destiny,’ she reminisced in a 2022 interview. ‘I trust God and I trust intuition. Now, I’m here.’
Career
After receiving her Master of Science from the University of Southern California, London took a six-month sabbatical to figure out her next moves. Unable to afford studio time – arguably the most important thing for an aspiring rapper – she also learned how cut out the middleman by engineering her own music.
During those six months, London started her “Lady Londays” series, uploading freestyles which she recorded over trending or classic instrumentals every Monday. Thanks to co-signs from musical heavyweights such as Diddy, Busta Rhymes, and Timbaland, her social media presence grew by leaps and bounds, as she gained up to 30,000 new followers a month.
All good things take time, and London was in no rush to immediately sign to a record label, despite receiving several offers. She released her highly-anticipated debut single, “Money Over”, and its videoclip in early 2021. Her second single, “Never”, came closer to cracking a million views, and was followed by “Sermon On The Mount”.
In January 2022, London joined forces with Dub Aura and Maliibu Miitch for the making of “Lisa’s Story”, which she describes as a ‘New York romance’. Dub provided a verse in the song, whereas Miitch had a leading role in the carefully-crafted four-minute music video. “Lisa’s Story” has since amassed over six million views and thousands of positive comments from London’s ever-growing fanbase, who eagerly awaited a debut mixtape or album from the rapper.
In July 2022, London released “What Is It Giving” and its music video. She then collaborated with musician Rapsody for the soundtrack of the movie “On The Come Up”, which was directed by Sanaa Lathan and released in September of the same year. The musician also added acting to her list of talents, as she had a minor role as Ms. Tique in the movie, which is based on the bestselling Angie Thomas novel.
Shortly afterwards, the New Yorker earned songwriting credits on the ABC series “Queens”, starring Naturi Naughton, Brandy, Eve, and other A-listers. In March 2023, London had exciting news for her fans, as it was revealed that she had finally signed with High Standardz and Def Jam Recordings. (Naturally, others were concerned that the quality of her music would deteriorate in an effort to reach mainstream audiences).
Def Jam’s roster includes the likes of Jhene Aiko, Jeremih, and DJ Khaled, and since inking a deal with the label, London’s marketing and recording budgets have increased exponentially, which means more music of an even higher quality than before.
Between October and November 2023, the rapper released the single “Yea Yea” with Dreezy, and dropped her debut EP, “Signs of Universal Love (S.O.U.L”), which includes features from Omeretta the Great, and Tink. She also interviewed Fat Joe and other musical legends at the BET Hip-Hop Awards, helping boost her profile even more.
For someone who is universally acknowledged as one of the most overlooked artists in the rap scene, it feels that London is finally reaping the fruits of her labors, that this is just the first of many successes for the musician. As she so eloquently told Essence magazine in summer 2022: ‘I think there comes a time when the underdog is no longer the underdog… I know when I catch fire, it’s going to be flames.’
Personal Life
Although London has been on numerous platforms, she has yet to discuss her dating life, and prefers to keep her interview topics as professional as possible. Relationships and sexuality are recurring themes in her music, but as the rapper doesn’t get too personal in her songs or social media, we can assume that she’s either single or wishes to protect her partner’s privacy.
London is 5ft 9in (177cm) tall and weighs about 125lbs (57kgs). The rapper’s net worth was believed to be in the low six figures while she was an independent artist, but that’s obviously changed, and is estimated to be over $800,000, as of late 2023.
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