Speech Debelle
It is quite an achievement to win the UK’s highly respected Mercury Prize. Awarded by a highbrow jury, quality is the main criteria here. Winning the prize is something that should fill an artist with pride. When British female rapper Speech Debelle was awarded the prize in 2009, her competition was big: Amongst the nominees were Florence & The Machine, Kasabian, Friendly Fires and Glasvegas but she convinced the jury with her album “Speech Therapy”, an eclectic mix of Hip Hop, Soul and Jazz. Meanwhile, she released her second album “Freedom Of Speech” this year, underlining her South London roots and interest for politics. The best example is the track “Blazed Up A Fire”, which she released straight after last year’s riots in London. Written months before the riots, however, Speech Debelle proves her sense on what’s going on. If you have closed the Lauryn Hill chapter, Speech Debelle will offer you comfort. With her voice and intuition, she creates first class Hip Hop. Here and now.
