COVER FEATURE
LEDDIE MC
OUTSPOKEN MIDDLESBROUGH RAPPER LEDDIE MC TALKS TO STEVE SPITHRAY ABOUT FORGING A PATH AS A FEMALE MC, EXPERIENCING SEXISM IN THE SCENE AND FINDING INSPIRATION IN DARK TIMES IMAGE BY ADAM KENNEDY “There are people who work within the North East music scene who have asked me to do a song and I’ve agreed, and then they’ve sent me a dick pic and I’ve had to say I’m actually happily married. No song has ever come out of that!” When we meet for a socially distanced catch-up in Middlesbrough, Leddie MC is not in the mood for mincing her words but, known for her steely disposition forged in the still heavily male-dominated regional rap scene, this shouldn’t surprise us. “I used to get threats and stuff. Men don’t like it if women are in the spotlight more than them. It’s only in the last few months that I’ve felt more included but then I recently did a podcast and someone contacted the producers and said the only reason I get publicity is because I’m female. I’ve been doing this for fifteen years, I’ve perfected my craft, and somebody just thinks they can wipe it out with one remark. Good
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music is good music whoever makes it. If you like it you like it, if you don’t you don’t.” As concerning as these sorts of allegations continue to be, particularly when it involves people in our regional scene, Leddie is keen to push on musically with her new Born Of Stone EP, which does also touch on some of these issues within its lyrics. For such a prolific artist (having already released four stand-alone singles in the last calendar year) releasing an EP now feels oddly like a pause and a chance to take stock; the five tracks represent not just a stylistic departure but a clear evolutionary step from 2018’s Raise A Glass album, now unceremoniously dumped from streaming services, as Leddie explains. “[Long-time collaborator] Alex Bailey decided he didn’t want to push the album and the more I listened to it I decided it didn’t really reflect what I want to put out, so I decided to delete it.
