LAYLA

LAYLA is the Transformer of the younger generation of German rappers: extremely versatile and always ready to dish it out. »Cutte deinen Neck, Bitch, nenn’ mich Choppa / Stapel’ Cash auf Marmor, währenddessen zählst du Copper« (»I’ll cut your neck, bitch, call me Choppa / Stack cash on marble while you pay with copper«), she spits at all the small-change scrubs on »Choppa«, for example. But she can do other things when she wants – and the Berlin transplant does often want to. There are just as many sex-positive rhymes, like on »Creamy« and »So Smooth,« and romantic tracks that bring her qualities as a singer to the fore, like »24/7.« As LAYLA puts it, in her music, she’s both a therapist and patient, driven by love and anger. This – along with her DIY approach and feminist attitude – helps make her more versatile than any Transformer could ever be. And her bassy beats, whether inspired by trap or nineties R&B, are about as heavy as one, too.