Sykes breaks the mould

Right about now, it is safe to say that you can count the number of female rappers from the U.K. on one hand. The number of thoughtful and talented rappers is even fewer than that.

Sykes is set to change these statistics!

You could say she is a ‘thoughtful rebel!’ Rapping and rhyming since the age of 10 and clearly having no intention of slowing down. Once in her teens, Sykes truly began to take her art-form seriously and now it seems she is headed for her prime. A rapper, songwriter, entertainer, this female has no intention of being pigeon-holed.

Influences include Sugar Hill Gang and Salt n Pepa, so it’s no wonder Sykes can spit the way she does. After hearing Rappers Delight (Sugar Hill Gang) and Push it (Salt n Pepa) the stage was set! Skyes went on to to say:

“The name Psycho was given by my friends, not in a bad way, but simply to compliment the fact that I’m just a bit random and nuts! But the name Psycho seemed a bit too hardcore though, so we made the name shorter. That’s where Sykes came from!”

From the get-go, Sykes has set out to make her mark. For her first talent show Sykes was brought on stage in a straight jacket! This soon became her trademark. No doubt a sign of things to come! Sykes simply states, “Don’t fence me in, put me into a box or judge me”

Sykes’ debut album Bulletproof, led to the dynamite combination of Sykes with Ecks Production. The two have combined to create some incredibly unique tracks. Bulletproof contains music that ranges from, Soul and Hip Hop to Rock, Ragga, and Dance! The new album also features collaborations with newcomers such as Yelitza, HoneyTones and Rob Carvelo. Each song shows how far Sykes has come since she first put pen to paper back in her teens. Tracks cover a variety of topics; tracks to appease her female fans and lyrics to impress the males. ‘Beer goggles’ and ‘I’m in need’ have Sykes spitting from the heart! She tells it like it is and says it with style. “Write 48 bars, and spit ’em so hard ya left a permanent scar”!

Throughout 2009 she did over 60 Shows including, Birmingham Arts Fest, Hastings Festival, BBC Your Game Hull, London Pride, Nightingales, Shout Festival, Outburst festival UK, Hare and Hound and the Indian Mella in Nottingham just to name a few.

Musical achievements thus far include: a feature on the Channel U tour Cardiff 2005; opening act for both Mario Winans and Buju Banton at the Carling Academy Birmingham. Appearances throughout Birmingham, and London: Cafe One, The Yardbird, Play Bar, Candy Bar, Nightingale’s and Marcus Garvey, Main stage at Birmingham Artsfest 2007, 2008, 2009, Huddersfield carnival, London Pride 2009, Shout Festival just to name a few. And more recently began resident female rapper at L.I.M.E. (Ladies in music and entertainment) and the host of her own show, Snakebyte which tours the city. Sykes has also made several appearances on radio including Radio 1, Radio 1 WM, receiving a lot of support from local radio stations Newstyle Radio and Sting FM, not forgetting her first Television appearance on The Community Channel “charged”. Sykes also shows her support for local charities performing to support groups such as St Basil’s and The Children’s Hospice.

She has had TV and Radio exposure. Interviews include: Charged on the Community Channel, Radio play by BBC Radio one, Galaxy, BBC WM Introducing, Newstyle, Supatrax.com and various internet broadcasters.

In addition to her growing music career, Sykes has also branched into acting, with appearances in local theatre performances.

With the pending release of her debut album and the start of what can only be described as a very promising career, Sykes is ready to take her place alongside her heroes. It’s all music; it’s all love. This game is tough, but Sykes will battle till the end.

Below are some YouTube clips of Skyes in action or visit her MySpace site for further info: