London Hilll Blazes Her Trail As ‘Successor Of The Throne’

“She is rare because she is real.” - Mark Anthony

As the first female rapper signed to Nicki Minaj’s ‘Heavy On It’ record label, London Hilll is the reset, not only for female rap, but hip-hop as a genre.  The witty lyricist with her lethal bars is a native of Bronx, NY with the bravado and swag to match. London has been able to create an authentic and organic buzz with her killer freestyles and electrifying singles. 

Much like Foxy Brown and Nicki Minaj, she has the creative intuition and skill to blend rap and Caribbean sounds together. She’s an artist of unparalleled talent with the hunger and drive to succeed. Armed with a distinctive flow and the technical capabilities of hip hop’s most seasoned rap vets; London is setting the stage to blaze a trail all her own.

As female rap continues to dominate hip hop’s musical landscape and conversation, the focus has returned to the fundamentals of rap.  Having god-given talent, artistic versatility , and elite penmanship has been placed back to the forefront.  A lot has been said about the current state of rap, hip-hop, and female rap. Unfortunately, the bar has been lowered so far, the art of lyricism has been completely lost and people forget rap is an expressive art form. It’s how the artist conveys their thoughts or speak on social issues. This is why London Hill is so special.

On Friday, London released the single “London Drill” from her upcoming “Project Princess” album. To the delight of fans “London Drill” was accompanied with a music video. The video inspiration is drawn from Nicki Minaj’s “The Boys” music video, but London adds her individuality to make it hers. London doesn’t get lost in the female rapper aesthetic, she has the creativity to see inspiration and the self awareness to make it her own. I thought the video was very well shot and kudos to her team.

London has cultivated and nurtured her own sound. Individuality can be a lost concept within the music industry, but London has developed her rawness into a sound that is unique to her. She has the right balance of writing clever hard-hitting bars with such wit, it is enviable. A great example of London’s artistic ability is her single “Flexor.” London’s signature aggressive flow blends so well with her Patois sound. Some female rappers (males too) can come off too aggressive and the music becomes unpalatable. In most cases, the artist only has 1 monotone flow, cadence all over the place, and tone is a foreign concept. But London has a way of making her bars clear, raw and authentic, in part because her song writing skills are highly developed and she has an arsenal of flows. It’s not only verses of heavy bars, it’s her wittiness, and charm that captures the listener.

“London Drill” is another masterful showcase of London’s unique sound. Aggressive and raw without being monotonous and overbearing. There is a difference in growling like a bear on a producer beat and a woman being in command of the instrumental. London commands the beat with a certain type of bravado that I have only heard in two other women; Foxy Brown and Nicki Minaj. That is due largely in part (imo) to London knowing who she is as an artist and not chasing popular sounds because they are safe. Individuality.

 She raps in the chorus “Take him out to London, never fall they know my bridge a ten,” sounds like a reference to the Netflix series ‘Bridgerton,’ a series about a high-class family living in England during the Regency era. The chorus continues and follows up with the ‘Bridgerton’ reference “London so ill when she do drill, it sound like British men.” I like this. Not only is her name London but she is referencing the city of London, the London Bridge, Bridgerton and ties it all in with British men. London is known for penning her own hooks, but this exemplifies her songwriting ability and forecasts her ability to pen a double or triple entendre with ease.

Everything I Be Doing A Statement Like Dem N*ggas Who Live In A Precinct .. 🇬🇧 #LondonDrill pic.twitter.com/Nj2eDKAFuo

— London Hill 🎀 (@Londonhilll) July 22, 2023

 “I’m who these btchs be copyin’, Never be equal, So fck the equations”, talk yo sh!t London. In the second verse she raps “Everything I be doin’ a statement like them niggas who live in a precinct.” Just like how a criminal will give statements to law enforcement and they use it against the other parties involved in the crime; London is saying all her actions/looks carry the same weight and importance. “Been the one all you btchs is rejects” can mean a few things lol…well done London, well done.

London has crossover appeal and mainstream success in her coming future. With her level of talent, London’s only limitations will be those she puts on herself. Female rap has been searching for someone to crown “Princess” for a while and there are some amazing female rappers that embody that title. But today, we want to introduce you to London Hilll “Hip-hop’s Successor to the Throne.”

Written by Kara B @karabrazey20 [Twitter / X]