Lady Leshurr held a workshop for female MCs at Red Bull Studios

These MCs are proving that they’re just as good – if not better – than the male artists out there

Lady Leshurr and fellow artists fly the flag for female grime at London’s Red Bull Studios

“This is sick, the boys are gonna be so jealous.”

In the heart of south-east London, Red Bull Studios is buzzing. Lady Leshurr, one of the biggest grime stars in Britain right now, has invited six artists – all women – to a Red Bull Music Academy [RBMA] workshop so they can record some of their own material.

“I played two beats – a hip hop beat and a grime beat – both produced by me and some others, and other than that they picked the beat and they put their own flavour to it,” the Mobo award-nominated artist explains. (The grime beat has a definite Halloween vibe.) “And I just said: ‘go hard.’ I want people to have fun with it.”

In part motivated by her own experience of the music industry, where a label tried to sign her only to say they’d be pitting her against Nicki Minaj (she didn’t accept the offer), she’s keen to get these women proving that they’re just as good – if not better – than the male artists out there.

While grime and hip hop are enjoying something of a renaissance in the UK, the scene is largely dominated by men.

Voices such as Lady Leshurr, Little Simz, Nadia Rose and Ms Banks are here to change that.

Lady Leshurr is on top form today – in her “Queen” top that’s become something of a uniform – hopping in and out of the booth to give words of encouragement or gentle suggestions for improvement, keeping a close eye on the sound deck to see how the track is coming together.

The MCs she’s brought into the studio are Ms Banks, Madders, Alika, Reiss Boogie, Monarchy (Lavish & Panfa), and NavNav, each with their own distinct flow and attitude, and all bursting with talent and potential. Later that evening they all turn up to A$AP Rocky’s screening for Money Man, and he sings Lady Leshurr’s praises.

The bars these women spit out in the studio speak of female empowerment, political and social oppression, and their own ambition. In between takes they compare ideas, opinions, and joke about how the boys will react to the result of their efforts today. It’s a powerful thing to witness.

What this session is about, more than anything, is Lady Leshurr using her influence to give fellow artists a boost, in an industry where there are so few opportunities for women.

“The industry’s always been quite sexist, it’s male-dominated and I don’t think that’ll ever change,” she shrugs.

“People also think that we’re doing a man’s job so we get 10 times the pressure, the stress, and we always have to make sure our makeup’s nice, our outfits… compared to a man who’d just throw on a tracksuit and a snapback and just freestyle in front of a camera.

“No one ever comments on that, on YouTube or anything, if it’s a man. But if we [women] don’t look 10/10 for them, they always comment on what we look like before hearing what we’ve got to say. And that’s never gonna change.”

So if she feels this way, why go to all the trouble?

“I put this on to make people more aware that girls are doing this and most of them are better than males,” she says. “I actually want to work with a few of the women here. I’m watching how passionate and serious they are, and that makes me think that they’re ready for the next level of success.”

Lady Leshurr’s tips for aspiring MCs

1) Go hard. Be confident with what you’re writing; be passionate and consistent.

2) Never dumb yourself down, always try to perfect yourself, perfect your craft.

3) Constantly write and record, get your stuff out there, write and make people know you exist.

4) Try and get a good manager once you’ve started to establish yourself, someone that you trust. That relationship is like a marriage, so get someone like a best friend, work with them and try and build that dream.

5) Be on point with your social networks, flood them with your music.

6) Be charismatic on stage, no one wants to see you standing still on stage. Interact with the crowd, always do something that people are gonna remember you by.