That was until I met LGTee, a local female rapper with a raging passion for music, bucket-loads of self belief and a unique sound.  | | LGTee and Tess |
“I’m such a show off, I think I look great. On my headstone it’ll say: ‘Here lies the illest, most shady LG baby.’ ” Growing up in a strict Christian family, Tee broke away from her gospel singing days at the tender age of 16 to indulge in her one true love: hip-hop. “The only music we were allowed to listen to was gospel, anything else was frowned upon. I liked the singing and the music, but I didn’t like the legislation and policies that came with it. As a black child in a Christian family, your beliefs are dictated to you.” Reality rapperFresh out of her school days Tee left her family behind and moved into a city flat on the top floor of a tower block.  | | LGTee at the BBC |
“When you leave home you step into an arena that you don’t know exists. It was tough, I was frightened. I’d never been on my own before. All I wanted to do was music and it was always ‘not under my roof’. So I got my own roof.” Describing herself as a ‘reality rapper’, Tee writes raps about everyday issues and experiences. No threats, no cussing, not even any swearing. This girl’s for real. “Why do you need to cuss on a rhythm? It’s a waste of a beat. I’m not into fakers and shape-shifters, I’m just me. It’s about what you feel, what you believe. If you own it, deliver it.” She’d just finished recording 2 albums, both yet to be released. Her debut, ‘Alpha 2 Omega’, portrayed the beginning of the story and the end of the struggle.  | | LGTee freestyles for Tess |
MR G, her producer and now a good friend, was so impressed with her style that he worked with her on her second album, ‘The Journey Of The LGTee.’ “It was like therapy. I needed to say stuff and show people that they’re not on their own. It isn’t glam, isn’t fake, it’s not a world of glitz.” IndependentShe’s proud to be independent and has funded everything herself, determined to stay in control of her life and ambition and her name reflects this tenacity. L for loner, (“I don’t have a posse or a gang”), G for girl and Tee for…well, that’s pretty obvious isn’t it? “I don’t ask anyone for nothing. No one’s ever given me nothing. I’ve been through some really hard times and made some mad sacrifices for my music. This is the first time in my life I’ve ever been ready and I’m confident that it’s going to happen.” She could have been signed ages ago but her passion and beliefs to stay true to herself held her back.  | | Holla! |
“I didn’t want to dilute myself. The label kept saying ‘you’ll be like the next this, the next that.’ I don’t want to be the next anything, I want to be me.” The first single to be released from ‘Alpha 2 Omega’ is called ‘Junkies’ and is due to be released in a few months. It surprised me, I’ll admit. It surprised me to find that actually, I like it. The soft mellow beat combined with LGTee’s true chilled rapping style and the gospelly singing bits make for an altogether good tune. A tune with meaning too, no guns and gangsters, but real life. You can listen to LGTee's tracks by clicking the links belowTrue to her beliefs, Tee told me that the song is very important to her and is about the damage that drugs are doing to young people and to society. She hopes that people can relate to her words. “I can’t put sugar on top. I keep it real. I just hope that somebody somewhere finds comfort.” Having just recorded a video for the single, things can only get better for the rising star. “It’s a wicked video. It’s not pretty but it’s not meant to be pretty.” Queen of palaverTee sees herself as an entertainer, taking pride in the way she interacts with the audience. Although she’s only just started gigging, the response has been great and it is clear that this girl’s going places. “You see artists on stage that are only entertaining themselves. To me it’s important that the audience is happy. I’m the Queen of Palaver, the Queen of the Noise. I bring the raucous.” Tee is performing live as part of Artsfest 2006, the UK’s biggest free arts festival on September 9th at The Drum in Aston and 10th at the Live Box where she’ll be performing with a live band. “That’s going to be amazing; I’ve never done that before.” If you’ve got any sense, you’ll be down there to support the ‘Queen of Palaver’ and see what she’s all about. I know I will. | 
