Stream NoLay’s (@OfficialNoLay) ‘#GrimeGutsAndGlory’ EP

Largely influenced by iconic New York Hip-Hop artists including Big L, Big Pun, Nas, Styles P, & Notorious B.I.G., British Hip-Hop artist NoLay invades American shores with ‘#GrimeGutsAndGlory‘, her first stateside release. The six-track EP was produced in-full by Kid D, whose whirring electronic production creates a world-conquering background for NoLay’s Cockney-rhyming slang.

“Creatively, me and Kid D get on like a house on fire,” said NoLay to Paper Mag. Though there are not many female rappers in the UK Hip-Hop scene, NoLay is unfazed: “We are in a male-dominated scene, so when it comes to the ratio of male spitters in comparison to the ratio of female spitters there aren’t a lot. But they dominate in numbers and that’s it. You can’t dominate me, [unless we’re talking just numbers]. I’m going to shine anytime I touch a mic and it’s down to every female that wants to spit to make sure they do the same.”

A while back, The DigiSpot ran the Anime-inspired video for NoLay’s “Gotta Love It”, which REVOLT called a “hardened Grime track with bars that bite as hard as any stateside MC could deliver.” In late May, we also ran the EP-highlight “Pressure”, which finds NoLay weaving impressive wordplay over a hybrid Grime/Trap beat, her accent creating unexpected assonance throughout.

Having began her career during the first Grime boom in 2004 as a member of the group Unorthodox and soon making a name for herself with solo hits such as “Unorthodox Daughter”, NoLay is a pioneer of the Grime genre. She currently stars in the UK television series “Top Boy“, cementing her status as a quadruple threat: she writes, raps, sings, & acts. With ‘#GrimeGutsAndGlory‘, NoLay defends her crown as London’s original bad girl while continuing to break down borders in the United States.

You can also cop the ‘#GrimeGutsAndGlory‘ EP via iTunes | Tidal