We all like to remain aware of the events from around the world. That’s why we now have news agencies that report events 24 hours, 7 days a week. Here in the U.S., I am able to receive news updates immediately after events occur. However, I try to take an additional step when viewing or listening to news. I try to gain the world view. Why? I can easily find out what happened, but it’s difficult to understand the answers to why and how the event took place. As an example, if a terrorist attack takes place in France, and those carrying out the attack are from New Zealand, it might be good to hear the reporting from Europe. Perhaps reporting from New Zealand might shed more light as well. This may be simplifying the issue a bit, but my point is the world view; the view from other places might prove valuable in our understanding of what takes place.
When it comes to music, I like to use the same reasoning to learn about artists from around the world. My goal is to find out about their backgrounds. Where they have lived, their cultures and traditions. All of these facts help me understand the artist and why they make their brand of music. This week we have the perfect artist for such an examination. I’ve been looking forward to featuring the dynamic, smart and scintillating Stefflon Don.
As I write this article I realize many of you reading probably do not know Stefflon Don or any of her music. Therefore, allow me to introduce her to you. Stephanie Victoria Allen, better known by her stage name Stefflon Don, is an English rapper and singer. Stefflon Don was born in Birmingham, England December 14, 1991. She is of Jamaican descent and has six siblings. Her family moved to Holland when she was five-years-old, where she was raised in Rotterdam and enjoyed a particularly uninhibited childhood surrounded by Europeans, Turkish and Caribbean people.
I heard Stefflon Don speak in interviews about her childhood and life with such a variety of influence. It certainly contributed to her creativity. “I got my first piercing when I was 13 and my first tattoo at 14,” she remembers with a grin. “I don’t smoke, but weed was legal, there was very little violence. It was very different to England; Rotterdam was a very open and safe society. I think all of this moving around meant I got a different perspective on life. It gave me a wider outlook, the chance to experience other people’s cultures. It’s helped me to see the bigger picture and through my music, I want to speak to all these cultures that I’ve met throughout life. I know there’s a bigger world outside of London, outside of England.”
For Stefflon Don, it all began with an early musical experience. She had her first studio session at the age of nine and spent her teen years singing and rapping with her brothers and sisters. Steff didn’t return to the UK until she was 14 where she crash-landed at St Thomas More comprehensive in Hackney, North London. “I didn’t want to be there, it was so horrible. The kids were all coming up to me; looking at me like I was some kind of alien cos I had a weird accent. And I didn’t dress as cool as the other kids either, so I didn’t really have friends. I was swag-less,” she says with a huge laugh. “It took time but I figured it out and eventually settled in.”
When I heard Stefflon Don’s story about moving back to London, it reminded me of some classmates I had growing up in Chicago. There were a few kids who were from military families that had to move frequently. I’m sure with each move it must have been very hard to adapt to new schools while sticking out as different. I’m happy I never moved around as a child. However, like Stefflon Don I’m sure I would have eventually settled in. Perhaps I would have developed a wider outlook earlier in life.
After finishing school, Steff eschewed any form of a regular 9-5 (apart from a stint decorating cakes) in favor of being a full-time musician. Steff lives, eats and breathes studio. “I get depressed when I’m not there,” she insists. “I’ve tried other creative outlets, but I am music. I can’t do anything else. I don’t know, or want to be good at anything other than this.” The time in the music studio started to pay off for the young artist. Steff first made an impression in 2015 with her powerful, patois-inflected version of Wretch 32’s Six Words and her take on the Section Boy’s street smash Lock Arff. She quickly found herself fielding requests from the UK’s elite; Lethal B (Wobble remix) to Sneakbo (Work remix) and Angel (Hop On), and, coming full circle, was one of the few features on Wretch’s recent Top 5 album, Growing Over Life. She also appeared in Gigg’s Lock Doh video and joined Krept & Konan on Jerimih’s single, London.
The industry took note of her growing YouTube views and rising fan base; in 2016, Steff signed a publishing deal with Sony, and in 2017, she signed her own label – V-IV – to Universal. Spotting a star-in-waiting, Steff was soon offered a deal by Coach K, the man behind US label Quality Control.
Upon her introduction to the U.S. audience, Stefflon Don was a guest on several radio shows. I was able to hear one of the those interviews on the Ebro in the Morning Show. The young artist was a wonderful guest who just seemed ready for the world – and the world music market. Stefflon Don is well aware of other artists and where she fits in with today’s rising stars. As well as social media fans such as Drake and DJ Khaled, Steff has worked with British Afrobeat stars Abra Cadabra and Kojo Funds, south London rap titans Krept & Konan and Giggs, US R&B superstar Jerimih, and esoteric Atlanta rapper Lil Yachty. Earlier this year Steff was chosen to support Migos, Popcaan and Pusha T on their London dates and stormed her own sets at Wireless and the Great Escape.
When questioned about other female rappers of our day, Stefflon Don has only good things to say about them and their music. A low-key feminist, Steff is often surrounded by female friends and family onstage. “I didn’t think about it until people kept pointing it out,” she insists. “It’s just normal for me to want to inspire other women. I want all females to excel and succeed.”
Stefflon Don is just starting out. She spoke about her goals and what will come in her future. “I feel like I hear people say this all the time, but I actually want to bring something different. But I want to do that on my terms. Of course I want number ones, Grammys, BRITs, all of that, but none of that would mean anything if I didn’t make the music I loved and that was real to me. That’s the most important thing; to be the realest artist, making the realest music.”