Envy (English rapper)
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Envy | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Nicola Varley |
| Born | 9 April 1987 |
| Origin | Sale, Greater Manchester, England |
| Genres | Grime, electro, hip hop |
| Occupation | Rapper |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | StopStart Records |
Nicola Varley (born 9 April 1987), known as Envy, is an English rapper/MC.
Envy carved out her own niche in the predominantly male British grime scene with several show-stealing appearances on 'The City Is Ours Music Mixtapes' from Manchester. This led to several collaborations with artists from all over the UK She released her debut solo single, "Tongue Twister",[1] through StopStart Records.[2]
Having graduated from Loughborough University with a degree in Media, Envy now concentrates on her music career full-time:[citation needed]
Her lyrics, if you can hear them (you might need a vari-speed facility), are well smart, with the wry, pithy intelligence of the media-savvy: "I take it tit for tat/I'll take your tacit consent/To turn the Taliban to take over your town… You're lookin' to be loved but can't find a flippin' solution/I'm lost on location, laceratin' as I'm lacin'/Lookin' lovely/Better pray your label pay for elocution," she rapid-fires over the bubblicious grime rhythms, with their shades of Missy's Work It, of previous single Tongue Twister. We're not sure what she means or who the subject is of her ire here, but as ever she sounds fierce yet witty, her staccato delivery popping in time to the buzzing, fizzing synth beat. In fact, so rhythmic is her phrasing that it would sound good acappella, but it works both ways: remove her rhymes and you've got pristine future-perfect electro-pop.[3][4]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Set Yourself on Fire
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Singles
[edit]| Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| "Tongue Twister" | 5 May 2008 |
| "Friday Night" | 24 November 2008 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Envy - Tongue Twister promo video". 5 November 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Stop/Start Records". Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ Lester, Paul (6 October 2008). "New Band of the Day: No 403: Envy". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
- ^ "Tion Wayne & Arrdee Link Up In Nigeria For '24 Hours In Lagos' Freestyle". Retrieved 11 May 2022.
Further reading
[edit]- Macpherson, Alex (8 April 2010). "Envy: Set Yourself on Fire". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
- Gardner, Noel (21 March 2010). "Album Review: Envy – 'Set Yourself on Fire' (Stop Start)". NME Magazine. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
External links
[edit]| Authority control databases: Artists |
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