Taken from this week’s Future Pop mailer. Click here to subscribe.
Stefflon Don was one of the three artists (along with AJ Tracey and Tom Grennan) on the BBC Sound of 2017 longlist that I wasn’t already familiar with. After a quick look, that won’t be changing with AJ or Tom, but Stefflon Don definitely deserves some attention. 25-year-old Stefanie Allen may be a London-based female rapper, but don’t compare her to Nadia Rose and Lady Leshurr – her dancehall-inspired sound, proudly curvaceous look and provocative lyrics place her firmly in the tradition of international artists like Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim. She first became known for gender-flip covers of tracks by acts ranging from Rae Sremmurd to Section Boyz, and more recently she’s collaborated not only with British rappers Lethal Bizzle and Giggs, but also with US star Jeremih. She sings as well as raps, which could help her cross over with more commercial tracks later on, as Nicki did with Super Bass and Starships. She recently signed a publishing deal with Sony ATV (widely mis-reported as a record deal), and released an EP called Real Ting, featuring her single of the same name.