LIZZO, AKA Melissa Jefferson was raised in Minneapolis and heads up several hip hop acts such as Raise The Chalice and RIOT GRRRL.
2014 could just be her year.
Her debut album LizzoBangerz is a complete rap vintage. A dynamite debut & super statement record 'Bangerz' was produced by Ryan Olson with beats from fellow Minnesotan, Aaron Mader aka Lazerbeak.
Lyrically Lizzo tells the sort of stories that Sweet Tee and Monie Love were penning in the 90's. The classic influence from that era and more contemporary artists such as Missy Elliot and early Kanye West comes through in droves as Jeffersons delivery chops and changes from verse to chorus, with the beats occasionally taking the wheel too. Whilst Lizzo often fires out a sharp shooting style, she also knows how to drop to an aside, like stepping out of a scene to talk the audience, such as 47 seconds into Work Pt 2, where we step out to a gossipy phone call. Bangerz is not an aggressive record, it gets alongside the listener, draws us into her world and teaches something at the same time, the beats are exceptional - isn't this what all great rap albums do?
3 Essential tracks: W.E.R.K Pt 2, Cookies & Batches, Pants Vs Dress
There's also an excellent interview here worth checking out:
http://blog.thecurrent.org/2014/01/lizzo-on-the-party-rap-stereotype-feminism-and-her-favorite-grrrls/
Lizzo is featured in my 'Approved Music of 2014' playlist, please listen and subscribe (if you wanna)
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