The Rap Game UK, formally known from the American TV channel, Lifetime, has recently moved over to the UK onto BBC 3. With the show seeing a number of British MCs appearing on the show, the performers spend a period of time together, where they will write, perform and ultimately compete against each other to fight for the chance to be signed onto Krept and Konan’s record label, Play Dirty.
The show will be hosted by Krept, Konan and BBC Radio 1Xtra’s DJ Target, and will see a number of different guest mentors throughout the intense six weeks; with the ultimate goal being to produce one star who can make their way to the top of the rap game.
But, here at GRM Daily, we had the chance to speak to one of the contestants who will be battling to win the prestigious prize – Manchester’s very own Lady Ice. Coming with a Caribbean-influenced sound, the artist had quite the journey already prior to being given the green light to appear on the show.
When congratulating Lady Ice on the news of herself being accepted onto the show, she explains how it all happened very quickly. But as she delved into the influences around her music, and her life growing up as a child who was the one who would “get all the girls together to MC at school”, it’s clear that the passion and enthusiasm for the art has been there since the very start.
So, Lady Ice, how was it growing up in Manchester, and how has the Mancunian culture influenced your sound?
“Growing up in Manchester, it’s been good. It’s been quite eventful and hard at times, and also when it came to the music, because we are a much smaller city than London, and initially we didn’t have the togetherness that we seem to have now.
“It was quite hard for others to hear artists from Manchester, and to also get an insight from others. So, gradually I began to branch out and leave Manchester. I feel like my support came from outside of Manchester before it came from inside – and then it just gradually built.
“In terms of the sound, I originated from grime originally so for me, I was on the grind for a long time when I was younger. And then I tried to experiment with my sound, so I started to make different sorts of music, which even delved into rock music at one point. So to me it was it was more of an understanding of different sounds, and how I can flow on them. Then after that, I moved into more Afro sort of music.”
You have explained how you have tried so many different genres from your different musical influences, but aside from the music, what else has influenced your sound?
“I have grown up in a home where my mum speaks Patois and my whole family is Jamaican so I’ve always had my mother’s tongue. That was always implemented because of my surroundings and my environment. With the grime music, my brother brought that into the house with the sounds of Wiley, Kano, Giggs, and at that time, it was sort of the grime grind where you would see people making their beats on the PlayStation.
“But, you know, creatively, within visual style, Miss Dynamite inspired me to be that empowering woman within music and obviously she opened the door for a lot for female UK rappers.
“My mum inspired me to actually create music in general, not the creative process, but she installed that passion into me, and she explained if you have a love for something, you may as well do it and put your all into it.”
You say you started with making beats on the PlayStation, but as you’ve grown and times have changed, what happens with your creative processes when working in a real, professional studio?
“Well, my creative processes in the studio, I am with a producer and I co-produce. So I will give a vibe, and I’ll say to the producer “right lets go with this sort of vibe today”, and then we will brainstorm with ideas of what instruments are to be put in the track, where they are put or how to go about it, then I will just put the melodies down and vibe to it.”
What challenges have you ever faced when you have been in the studio?
“If you would say it can be challenging, I’d say that I think that is just the creative process of any music. Sometimes it takes ages, sometimes it doesn’t. That’s just the technicalities of music. And I’d say that with me, when I’m in the studio, it can be frustrating when you can hear something in your head but you’re just not delivering it when you try to replicate what you’re hearing.”
Of course, the show you will be appearing on has the capability to bring a lot of exposure to you, but apart from that, what else do you hope for the show to bring?
“So for me, obviously the show will be a great promotional tool and it’s sick for exposure but being on the show opened different doors for me which I have not been able to open myself before. I have had a lot of tragedy in my life, and I have never really spoke about it or exposed it in my music. So it’s actually helped speak on certain things that I wouldn’t have spoken on before.
Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with?
“One person I would really like to collaborate with is Chronixx. He’s a guy who I’ve wanted to collaborate with for so long, I’m just really inspired by him.
“I would also love to collaborate with Dappy you know! I just think he is a musical genius, just the way he creates and the fact he brings those vocals, and I just think it’s totally separate from anyone else.”
What would you say was that lightbulb moment that made you realise you wanted to turn being a musician into your career?
“So in school – when I was about 13 or 14 – I literally formulated a group of just MCs and I used to take them all to the studio, and even my best friend, she didn’t even rap, but I would make her, and she would – because she saw how passionate I was about it.”
“I always try to be happy and I want to inspire people and tell my story, and I love how music makes people feel. I thought the music I was listening to makes me feel some type of way and I really wanted to do it, I wanted to make other people feel the same kind of way when they listen to my music – so yeah, that was the kind of lightbulb moment.”
Would you say there is a specific CD or song that has resonated with you through your life?
“You know what, it’s not what you may expect. It’s not rap or grime – it will probably be “Songs In A Minor” by Alicia Keys. I would say this is the one which I have taken with me through my life because when I hear the tracks off that album, it just takes me back to my childhood.
So, after the show, what’s next? What plans do you have for the future?
“I have a project coming out called SLUSH and that will be an EP with a lot of different artistry in it because I love the idea of dabbling in and out of different genres and making a real body of work. I just want to make sure you can hear an understanding of different vibes that I can bring. Because grime is seen as my primary genre – I remember putting a freestyle on Facebook and it got like nearly a million views, and although I was still working with different genres, that was the biggest thing that people had heard, so straight away, people thought that was my main sound.
“I am a lover of music and the next thing I was to release was always going to be a real body of work. I’m going to be releasing some sick visuals and some big features too!”.
BBC Three’s The Rap Game UK is coming to iPlayer on Friday 23rd August.