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“How could you talk my name when you ain’t even brushed your teeth?” That line, from Lady Leshurr’s “Queen’s Speech 4” freestyle, made the rounds across social media in 2015 and excited those of us who wanted to hear more than sad boy rap. This genre is mostly dominated by American dudes (and one Canadian) and we don’t see enough female representation of varying styles and points of view.

Look up reactions to Missy Elliot’s Super Bowl appearance and you’ll get a pretty good snapshot of the state of things. Lady Leshurr was actually influenced by Missy Missdemeanor and they share a playfulness with their rhymes and delivery. All five of her “Queen’s Speech” freestyles serve as an archive for things we found funny on the internet and include some longstanding jokes (“I’ll be Beyonce to these girls and I’ll Michelle them”).

Melesha O’Garro grew up in Kingshurst, a few miles outside of Birmingham in England, and is the daughter of Caribbean parents who played a lot of reggae and encouraged her music. She wrote poetry at 6 years old and released her first mixtape at 14. While she’s nine mixtapes and four EPs in, it seems like we’ve only just tapped into how awesome Lady Leshurr is. 2015 was a banner year for UK grime yet she along with Skepta and Stormzy were shut out of the 2016 BRITS nominations.

By the fifth and final “Queen’s Speech,” Lady Leshurr knew that fans were clamoring for more of her hilarious takedowns. Her response? “Sorry for the wait. I dropped my phone in the toilet.” For a grittier Lady Leshurr, listen to “Hours,” her track with Son of Kick and Paigey Cakey. Along with her “Queen of the Scene” tour in the UK, Lady Leshurr makes her NYC debut this February.

Follow Lady Leshurr on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

On The Rise is our spotlight series on new and emerging artists. We last featured Your Friend. Stay tuned for next week’s On The Rise artist!