For most artists, industry acclaim, co-signs from music legends and Hollywood opportunities usually come after dropping a defining project. But Lady London, who has managed to achieve all that and then some before the release of her major label debut, has found herself to be the exception.
“I’m so honored to be spoken about the way that I am by people who I put on a [pedestal], as far as dope hip-hop music, and music in general,” said London. “To be embraced by those legends is very pivotal.”
This rare ascent is actually quite fitting for the self-taught lyricist, who’s been setting herself apart from the rap pack from the very start of her career.
It was back in 2018 when the poet-turned-rapper, 30, slid on everyone’s radar with a slick viral car freestyle that amassed over 8 million views online — before going viral was an everyday occurrence. It didn’t take long for word of the Def Jam signee’s sharp-witted bars to spread to some of the biggest names in hip-hop — Nas, Busta Rhymes, Timbaland, Big Daddy Kane, to name a few.
London, born Zaire Stewart, always had an interest in music, specifically wordplay, through penning poetry from a young age. However, rap pursuits didn’t cross her mind until later in life, after she completed her B.S. in sports medicine at Howard University and her master’s degree at the University of Southern California.
Since then, London has made quite a name for herself, releasing two projects — “Lady Like: The Boss Tape” and “S.O.U.L” — a slew of invigorating singles and even making her acting debut in Sanaa Lathan’s 2022 battle rap drama “On the Come Up.”
All these stepping stones prepared London for when the time came to craft her most significant release thus far, her forthcoming debut album, “To Whom It May Concern,” due out in 2026.
But rather than drop the LP itself, the New York and Jersey-bred rapper opted to team up with Tubi to capture the making of it in a three-part documentary titled “Always, Lady London,” which arrived in early October.
In conversation with HuffPost, Lady London discusses the career journey captured in her sweeping Tubi docuseries as she gears up for the release of her debut album.
Directed and executive produced by Erika Bryant, the intimate series offers an inside look at a defining chapter in London’s budding career as she battles grief, doubt and the pressures that come with living up to the world’s expectations as an up-and-coming female emcee.
It’s not often we get this kind of personal insight from an artist this early in their career, hence London’s own disbelief still.
“I never imagined it being so early,” London told me of being offered her docuseries. “I think the beauty in it, though, is that it can focus on the genesis [of my journey] and follow my way through the revelation of it.”
The usually reclusive rapper, who’s also an executive producer of the doc, admitted the filming process was “quite invasive at times.”
“I’m not good with cameras,” she joked earlier this year, sitting across from me in a cozy recording studio tucked away in Hollywood.
By then, roughly a month into filming, London seemed accustomed to having cameras in the room, capturing her creative process, as she listened back to recorded bits of her forthcoming album tracks and jotted down lyrics in her notebook before heading back into the booth. Still, it took some getting used to — and a bit of coaching from Bryant — to learn to let her guard down.
“It took some time to get her to open up because she is very stoic,” the director told me. “She’s very much on a need-to-know basis, which is why her album is [titled] ‘To Whom It May Concern.’ But my thing was, I wanted to come in and collaborate with her. We’re telling her story. It wasn’t me telling it from the outside in. It was me telling it from the inside out with her.”
Bryant continued: “So my question to her was, ‘What do you want people walking away saying about you?’ [She’s like], ‘I want them to know me more. I want people who think I’m just this freestyler in my car to know I’m layered and I’m human, and I’m a woman, and I have this background [of being] a spoken word artist, I went to school for medicine… All these layers that people just don’t know about me.’”
That desire to clarify her life story seemed to guide the ethos of “Always, Lady London,” with each episode delving into different facets of the rapper’s life — from visiting her old stomping grounds in Jersey and her alma mater to navigating a nationwide tour with Coco Jones to how she dealt some tough recent losses, including that of her uncle, New York rapper Chino XL, and her mentor, hip-hop pioneer DJ Clark Kent.
It’s both an emotional and triumphant journey of London overcoming hardships that Bryant “really wanted to pay homage to.” “And honor her in a way that she could not just look at her victories, but also give credence to the things that she had been through,” the director added.
According to Bryant, the goal of the doc was to tell London’s story “in a way that felt holistic, that was colorful, layered and really shows the beauty that she is.” Their hope now is that fans gain a deeper understanding of not only who London is, but who she hopes to be when it’s all said and done.
“I’m continuing to be a student of the game,” London concluded, “and I hope that people continue to follow my journey.”
For this installment of “Pivotal,” Lady London takes us through the start of her rap journey, the daunting task of opening up in her Tubi docuseries and her plans for the future as she gears up to drop her long-awaited debut album.
Lady London in a scene from “Always, Lady London.”
I feel like we don’t get many artist documentaries from people who are still early in their journeys. Did you always picture yourself doing something like this?
You know, I never really had a vision for it, per se. And if I did, I definitely thought it would be a recap of what I’d already accomplished throughout the tenure of my career. I never imagined it being so early. I think the beauty in it, though, is that it can focus on the genesis [of my journey] and follow my way through the revelation of it.
Tell me what the entire documentary experience was like for you, capturing all those moments of you going on tour and gearing up for the release of your debut album.
The doc filming process was very interesting. I’m a super reclusive-natured person, so it was quite invasive at times. But I’m happy to see the story played out. It was so much that didn’t get a chance to make the final cut, but to even see the storyline be developed like it was, [the team] really did very well. My producer was amazing, my director, and people on set really made it a comfortable experience. So it was pretty cool hallmarking those times because no one knows the process, right? No one gets to be in a studio with you to see how everything goes from inception to consumer in their phones.
Artist documentaries typically require some level of vulnerability when you’re giving people an inside look at your life. And with you in particular, you were dealing with grief and the pressures of delivering your debut album. Were you mentally prepared to explore all of that on camera, or did your director have to give you a lot of coaching when filming began?
Yeah, Erika and I got so close in the process because of how much she had to peel back layer by layer. For me, I had several outbursts on camera, several moments where I was like, “All y’all [get out]. Y’all cannot be in here right now.” But she really made it a comfortable space. She pushed the boundaries as far as stretching me, but I think she was very respectful about what I was willing to dive more into, versus not.
Were there moments in the doc where you were hesitant to open up? You talk a lot about losing your uncle, Chino XL, and your mentor, DJ Clark Kent. Did Erika have to pull that vulnerability out of you, too?
Yeah, I definitely didn’t want to do too much talking about that in detail, because I’m obviously still… You know, grief isn’t linear, so every day is a different journey. I’m still maneuvering through that daily, so I just never know how I’m going to show up that day. We definitely had to go through that a lot, and I didn’t really want to talk about a lot of the stuff that was in the doc. But I do think that now that it’s out, watching the fans’ responses and people saying they relate to me because their grandma has dementia or early Alzheimer’s, and they struggle with grief because they lost somebody to suicide, or they lost somebody to cancer. It’s so many different things that you can connect with your fans on, and I think that is the greater picture of it all.
Director Erika Bryant saw the most growth in Lady London’s vulnerability during the filming process of their docuseries. “As a hip hop artist, you have this persona of being big and bad and tough and impenetrable. And Lady had to really step outside of herself,” she said.
The documentary touches on your early beginnings in music, where you actually started out doing poetry first. Walk me through your evolution from poet to rapper, and what inspired you to make that transition.
I have always innately written poetry from a very young age. I always thought of it as a hobby, something to pass the time. It wasn’t until it began to be amplified on social media, in the time before amplification was as popular as it is today. That’s the part that a lot of people [miss]. I do interviews all the time where I explain to them that [my first video] went 8.7 million views viral. That’s nothing right now, in this climate; 8 million views can be garnered so quickly. But I’m talking about 2018, when it was a very different time, when views weren’t being calculated, when algorithms were not set up like this, and when somebody with 9,000 followers could not reach that many people. I really shifted history in my transition from poetry to rap, and the type of people that I was reaching and the impact that I was making with the followers I was able to amass over a short amount of time, organically. That’s something that I hadn’t seen from somebody in such a short time frame at that time.
You gained a lot of notoriety from your viral freestyle videos on social media. But what do you think is the biggest misconception people have about going viral, especially for artists?
I come from a very traditional space, so I’m not sure exactly how virality works now. I don’t subscribe to the new version of virality. So I guess the misconception with me is I’ve always done it from just being myself. There’s nothing gimmicky or planned or messy as an attempt to start a trend or be in some type of drama or headline. I think a lot of virality comes from negativity or some type of attachment to a storyline now. And I think, for me, it was more important to just walk in my talent and see exactly where that took me, without attachments to anybody, no rap beef, no weird subtweeting or nothing. Just organic rhymes and nothing else to it.
What eventually made you move past posting those freestyles and take your artistry more seriously?
I genuinely have always had an interest in music. Before I was creating it, I was a big consumer of all genres. So as I walked into it, I understood that I needed to take it seriously. I put in 10,000 hours of mastering the craft and cultivating a sound that was exclusively mine, and I’ve been having a lot of fun with it. A lot of fun elevating my sounds and tapping into new realms, and just seeing what the people want for me in this era of myself. That’s really what I’m trying to unlock now.
One thing the docuseries emphasized is that you’re a proud HBCU alum of Howard University, which is a big part of your story. How did your time there shape you into the woman and artist you are today?
Howard is definitely responsible for a lot of my accomplishments and successes. Mainly, it speaks to the type of character development that is incurred at Howard. You go through a lot as far as challenges to get through the system… but if you can make it at Howard, you can make it anywhere. It was just absolutely no ceiling on how far I could go. Looking at my peers and even looking at people that came before me who were graduating with the top number of Ph.D.s, [becoming] lawyers, entertainment moguls, [etc.], we’re just excellence. We walk in the spirit of excellence as Howard University alumnae and students currently, so I was happy to be a part of that legacy altogether. It’s definitely given me a no-boundaries kind of mindset, like there’s nothing I can’t do.
Another thing I found interesting in the doc was that your African American studies professor from Howard, Dr. Amy Yeboah Quarkume, said she was shocked to hear that you wanted to rap and be in the hip-hop space, especially knowing that it’s not always kind to Black women. Did you consider that before you decided on rap as a career?
No, because I don’t think anything is really kind to Black women. We are the least defended, the least protected, but probably the leaders in everything. Behind every great man is a greater woman, in my opinion. And that may come off as very feminist, but it’s just the truth. Black women, we’re always working twice as hard to get half as much in any field, so that really wasn’t a concern of mine… But she does raise a good point, obviously.
You earned a bachelor’s degree from Howard and a master’s from USC and got accepted into medical school before you started rapping full-time. Most people in your position probably would’ve picked having a stable career in medicine over being in the music industry, so why did you ultimately choose the latter?
It was just what it was supposed to be. I wasn’t necessarily happy in the health care field as it was when I graduated. I wasn’t really getting the work that I thought I would be able to — people wanted experience, and I didn’t have any, considering I had spent all my time in school. A lot of times, I was underqualified for Ph.D. positions and overqualified for bachelor’s positions. That put me in a really weird middle ground where I wasn’t really sure about what was next, and rap was coming very easily. I have faith in it, and I think it was put in my life to build a foundation. I don’t know if that’s something that is permanent for me, but I definitely know it’s a stepping stone towards something amazing, if nothing else.
Lady London says she’s back in her “villain era” for her forthcoming debut album. “I’m not really letting up,” she added. “I don’t care much about low vibrational things. I’m just talking about everything high level to me. High level is eye level for me right now.”
Tell me about the journey of creating your debut album. You’ve been making music for years, but this LP, “To Whom It May Concern,” finally drops next year. What is this era of your career all about?
So, my first EP, “S.O.U.L.,” was kind of my lover girl, soft girl era with a little toxicity mixed into it. It was very specific, talking about zodiac signs. Whereas “To Whom It May Concern” is my first album, so I think it has this more developed and full body way with it that it’s lyrical and it’s fun and it’s elevated, and, sonically, it’s an evolved version. I think I’m in my villain era again. I’m popping it again. I’m feeling confident. It’s what people love about my music to begin with.
In the doc, you mention this caged bird metaphor to describe your journey in the music industry. What moments or experiences led you to feel that way?
I’ve just always felt in that space. If you noticed, one of my first singles I put out was called “Never,” and the cover art was me in a cage because I have always felt like I’ve been the most talented and the least seen, as far as my talent level at least. Just feeling like my wings have either been clipped or unable to spread fully, so it’s kind of metaphorical in the way that I feel like I want to be set free in many, many ways.
You’ve earned co-signs from a lot of legends over the years, from MC Lyte to Nas and Busta Rhymes. Does that add more pressure on this debut album to deliver the high expectations people have of you?
I don’t know if I’m in a space where I’m responding to pressure anymore. I think that was very early on in my career. [But now], I just want to let the music speak, and whoever likes it likes it. Being supported by the legends, I know that they understand the core of hip-hop theory and musical theory, so they understand where I’m coming from, regardless of how others may interpret it. They listen differently. They listen for different things. So having their support continuously has been so amazing, because they’re honestly the only opinion that I really value, in theory. In this era of fast-produced, oversaturated quick music, it’s hard for anyone to fairly assess what’s great anymore, except for them. So, I feel no pressure, because I think we’re aligned.
Industry-wise, who’s been the most helpful to you throughout this process?
From the grand scheme of things, it would definitely be my mentor, DJ Clark Kent. He was the most pivotal, as far as making sure I was pushed to the furthest extent, making sure that I knew that I belonged in the rooms that I was being invited in, or that I was going to be legendary in this space. Definitely him, definitely MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane, June Ambrose, just so many people that are part of the culture — Busta, Timbaland — people that come in and affirm.
What do you want to bring to the rap space with this album that you feel has been missing?
Everything. Everything that’s missing. I want to fill the void of what is not in the industry, what we haven’t seen, at least in a while. And then, of course, bridge the gap somehow and figure out a way to incorporate some type of female unity amongst the diversity that we’re witnessing. More collaboration and more abundance in the space.
How do you feel about the current state of hip-hop in regard to women?
I think it’s great. It’s good to see visibility in a way that we haven’t seen in a while. I think males have dominated for far too long, and I think we are coming to reclaim our space.
What’s the ultimate goal you’re striving for with your music?
Bullet points: I’d like a diamond record, I’d like to sell out Madison Square Garden at least twice and I’d like to eventually own my own label. That’s pretty much the highlight tape of my expectations for my career.
For those who are still unfamiliar with Lady London, what do you want them to take away from your docuseries and album once it’s released?
I hope you can see the full scope of me in the docuseries, from a transparent and vulnerable space, to watching how I cultivate music, how I speak about myself, how I speak about others, and how I approach rhythmic composition in this purest form. I hope that you guys can understand that I really care about the art form as it is.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
