“People from South London have a lot of unity, we wear south with pride,” Ms Banks tells Apple Music. Hence the title of the rapper’s debut album, SOUTH LDN LOVER GIRL, a powerful record featuring rich, deftly observed storytelling on moving tracks that still go hard. Across the album, Banks delves into her own (and her peers’) softness and vulnerabilities as she speaks to her younger self (“ME & YOU”), drowns in love (“S.O.S”), and explores deep insecurities (“POV”), while also laying bare misogynoir (“WHY?”) and domestic violence (the title track). It’s all set over a striking array of beats that highlight South London’s credentials as a global melting pot. Channeling inspirations from Bashy to Foxy Brown, this is a timely, sometimes harrowing release that sets Banks’ own life within the context of contemporary Britain (note the artist standing poised and defiant in front of the Union Jack on the cover). Banks uses news clips alongside her own satirical anti-migrant chants to sharply highlight the anxieties of being Black and British (originally, she says, the album was going to be called “Black Girl in a White World”). “Even though I’m talking about feeling out of place, I am very patriotic about my country,” Ms Banks reflects. “There’s power in representations of us being here; there’s power in being Black and British.” Read on for Ms Banks’ in-depth thoughts on the album, one track at a time. “INTRO” “This is setting the scene of what it feels like for me being in South London, being in the UK. I used a clip from Sky News, someone talking about [Tory donor Frank Hester’s alleged] racist remarks about Diane Abbott, which I remember quite vividly—it stood out to me that they were being so racist so openly. I’m coming from this place that’s made my exterior super hard and has made me show up in a certain way. But at my core, I just want to love.” “NO LOVE” (feat. Tiggs Da Author) “The way it starts with the sirens is something you would hear in the inner city. It’s that hard, boisterous approach, coming in heavy like I usually would with the gritty South London vibe. It’s me saying that I’ve put in all this work to get to where I’m at. People weren’t showing me love before, and now that I’m bearing the fruits of my labor, I don’t even want you lot’s love. I was dying for it before, but now I don’t even need it.” “WHY?” “Sometimes as a Black woman, so much is expected of you, and it comes to a point where Black excellence becomes a taint. This ends with a clip about autoimmune diseases because, on the song, I’m saying, ‘Why do I have to always be strong? Why can’t I just admit that I’m burnt out?’ I think we need to get past this whole ‘strong Black woman’ phase. Be strong when you can, but it’s OK to admit that you need help. It’s OK to admit that you need a break.” “WORK HARDER” (with Layyah) “I was super inspired by Layyah, who’s sampled on the hook. She’s also a South London artist and the first female to win [BBC talent show] The Rap Game. Another inspiration for this was my little sister, who was working in a retail store and having issues with microaggression from the manager. I was just dumbfounded, because I never thought about my little sister going into the work space and facing something like that. She and her colleagues were being treated differently because they were Black, to the point where there was an investigation at her workplace. You wouldn’t think these things are still happening, but they are.” “POV” “I took a lot of inspiration from New York rap, like 50 Cent’s ‘21 Questions.’ From the jump, I’ve always made music for the girls, songs that make you feel like a baddie. I’m flamboyant and bossy, but there’s another side to me that I may not show. So it’s about that juxtaposition: I know I look good, I’ve got things going for me, but if I showed you a side of myself that’s not so pretty, would you stick around? When I’m not putting on a show and being Ms Banks, would you be there for that person?” “4C” “4C is a curl pattern that is common in Black hair. I wanted to make something that champions our natural state. I had a moment last summer where I just got tired of wearing wigs and hair that wasn’t my own. So I started styling it in different ways, wearing my hair more out and using extensions that are close to my curl pattern and texture. I feel like I’m finally there now where I love my hair texture, I love its shape and its form, and it’s a beautiful thing. For many years, people made us feel like it wasn’t, so I just wanted to make something that made Black girls feel proud in their natural state.” “CATCH YOU LACKIN’” “It’s me getting back into that greazy South London feel. I find it funny that I’ve got this other side of me, that anger, demanding respect. It’s a part of who I am because of my environment. I enjoy making that kind of record, setting the tone of: ‘don’t play with me.’ It’s produced by HARGO, who’s amazing, he did a lot of early Central Cee stuff. We took a lot of inspiration from American South trap. I love a hood, masculine anthem—again, it’s that juxtaposition of the softer, conscious side with the more streetwise side. They both co-exist because of where I grew up.” “SOUTH LDN LOVER GIRL” “This is the glue to the project. These are real stories, this is something that happens all the time in the ends. There are very real stories of women who have lost their lives to time in jail or missed out on their children’s lives because they’ve been arrested behind a man. South London girls get a bad rep of being hood or ghetto, but they’re dealing with the brunt of guys in this lifestyle. The second verse speaking on domestic violence is very real: Coercive control and domestic violence is on the rise in the UK. I lost my best friend from primary school due to domestic violence, so it was something very close to home. These are common stories that I wanted to shed a light on.” “WAR OUTSIDE” (with Strandz) “I started writing this in 2022 and was very inspired by what was happening in Ukraine—we can’t imagine what that’s like over here, but it’s crazy to think about how people are going through something so extreme in the world. But also, around my area it got really hostile recently with people protesting, yelling rude chants [outside migrant hotels]. It may sound exaggerated, but sometimes it does feel like we’re in a war against other people because we’re being made to feel like our home isn’t our home. I’m talking to my partner, asking:, ‘Would you stand by me in the face of prejudice?’” “S.O.S” “When we get to this part of the album, I’m really getting into my lover-girl bag. Very sultry, very sexy music. I love and am very inspired by Afrobeats. It’s basically saying to the guy who’s courting me that we can drown in love and that he might need some saving.” “THE ONE” “After I’ve kind of shed all my skin, said all my insecurities, spoken about my fears and what my friends have gone through, it’s like I’ve finally let my guard down. I’m saying to this guy that I want to be the one. It’s produced by Young Chencs and Roddy Beatz, with a strong nod to UK drill and Cash Cobain.” “IDK” (with Zinoleesky) “Again, it’s me diving into that sultry sound, I’m really letting my hair down. It’s an Afro-piano record—a mixture of Afrobeats and amapiano. I drafted in Zinoleesky from Nigeria, because he’s amazing, and it’s produced by another Nigerian called Puffybeatz. Being Ugandan and Nigerian, I’m heavily inspired by the west of Africa.” “HEALING” “There’s a bit where I say, ‘Every time I feel my goal might be a myth/God comes with the assist like I insist.’ Even though there are down moments, and it’s talking about the pressure and anxiety of the future, I’m still preaching about how God has my back. The whole inspiration behind the project is that I’ve been journaling throughout, and anyone who’s done therapy or journaled knows that it’s ongoing work. But finally realizing you need healing is still helping within that. It’s not linear, but you’re onto something good.” “ME & YOU (OUTRO)” “I’m having a conversation with my inner child. Even after all the hardships, everything you’ve felt, all the odds stacked against you, you do realize you’re actually doing everything you wanted to do. I’ve always wanted to show people you can come from nothing to something, to inspire people from similar backgrounds—Black women, people from South London, people from council estates—that you can do more. Even though I’ve been asking, ‘Why do I have to work harder? Why do I still feel unseen?’ I’ve actually still been able to have such a great independent career, so it’s having that recognition moment with my inner child. Girl, you’ve actually done it! We’re here, and it’s going out to the world.”