Lady London

“I don’t want nothing that doesn’t have God’s hand on it. I feel like I not only believe in God but I depend on him. I include him – I don’t think there’s any long rap out I haven’t mentioned something about God. I’m continually guided by faith. Without it, I just don’t think anything will prosper.”

“I was really happy to get my bachelor’s. I was the first in my family to go to college. It was really a big deal. My father didn’t even finish high school. I handed my mom my degree both times when I got my degree. I think that’s why she supports so much — because you said what you were gonna do.”

“I think Howard [University] made me the woman that I am. I would say so much. I learned how to not feel guilty about speaking up or taking issue with anything in life — especially the conditions of Black people, outward expression and whatever way that feels natural to you. It painted a picture for me and invoked my storytelling capabilities in music. I credit Howard with a lot of my successes.”

“I feel once you open up, if your first two lines ain’t strong enough, they just gonna scroll past. I know I do. If I’m listening to somebody and the first three lines ain’t it, I’m like, ‘Oh, God.’ I spend the most time on my first three lines. If you ever see me in the studio, I be like, ‘How am I gonna start this?'.”

“I always wanna keep [hold of] the listener.”