Holly Davis chats with DJ Sarah Love, first lady of hip hop, about her fondness for Nelson Mandela, the implausibility of millions of people living off less than $1 a day, and the hip hop artists producing content worth sharing...

So you’ve performed throughout more than five continents, what has been your favourite and why?

Oh wow! It’s really hard to say, because its like comparing apples and oranges, each has had its highlights for different reasons, but the first time I dj’ed in Africa, I thought 'This is amazing, I’ve got all the way to the Motherland via my record box.' Just to be rocking a party out there, it felt like such a wonderful thing to be doing, for them and myself.

Out of all the places you have travelled to, where have you witnessed the most absurd poverty?

Africa and India. I’ve seen 'shanty' towns first hand in Africa, where I’ve walked through those areas, I’ve been in there with the people, so I guess that’s pretty extreme. At the same time going to India was shocking to see the stark contrast of wealth. Like, five star hotels right next to abject poverty; people just sleeping in the middle of the road, street kids hustling at night. But frighteningly, there are scenes I’ve seen in America that are similar to the developing world. It’s fascinating and disturbing to me to see the most powerful country in the world with that kind of spread of poverty. There’s no security net to protect vulnerable people in the developing world and it’s often the same case for some people in America.

"Frighteningly, there are scenes I’ve seen in America that are similar to the developing world. It’s fascinating and disturbing to me to see the most powerful country in the world with that kind of spread of poverty"

How does that affect you when you’re going to a country to perform and that’s going on all around you?

I’m a very sensitive person to the world that’s around me. When you see these kinds of things first hand, what it makes you realise is that no one in this country can f**king complain about s**t! The difference is this - in Britain people can say whatever they want, can complain about this and that, but the bottom line is every person, every child in this country has options and opportunity; you can make choices and decisions in your life. It’s possible to come from a social security upbringing, get your head down in school, work hard and graduate from university. Every person has access to healthcare when they need it, you don’t have to just hope that infected tooth fixes itself up. I’m not saying that there aren’t people in the UK struggling, because there are plenty of people living well below the breadline here too. The difference is when you go to certain other countries where they do not have the infrastructure, no safety net for vulnerable people, you can be faced with the choice between going to school or working to eat? That’s the reality of how I look at the world. We are extremely privileged in the UK on the global scale. You know there are millions of people in the world living on less than $1 a day... ?

"In countries like Britain we need to realise how privileged we are, and that the only reason we have those privileges is that we happen to have been born on an island in the European continent..."

How would you live on less than a $1 a day?

F**k knows. I don’t know how people are doing it. I mean in Britain I’d say that’s impossible (we’re saying that’s like 60p a day?) That’s just about surviving, that’s not living. There’s no way you would have a balanced nutritional intake, without even thinking about a roof over your head, quality of life, education, security and health care; those things are bonuses on that level. First of all it's like - what’s going to fill your belly before anything else....? In countries like Britain we need to realise how privileged we are, and that the only reason we have those privileges is that we happen to have been born on an island in the European continent - that’s the only reason. And we need to recognise why these global disparities exist.

If you could be any public figure in the world who would you be and why?

I adore Nelson Mandela; he’s just like the illest dude on earth, for real, hands down! He’s the G, I respect and love him so much. Also being South African and Xhosa I have additional pride and admiration for what he’s done for my people and the world. He’s inspirational, so smart; he’s a real Xhosa warrior. So if I had to pick a figure I’d give it to Madiba. He’s made the world a better place for a lot of people.

What hip hop artists do you think are producing records with meaningful content?

Well, for the hip hop world I’m a part of, which is the original ethics and expression of our people, for me the majority of artists are holding it down and contributing something of meaning. You’ve got artists like Fashawn, Invincible, Blu or Pharoahe Monch; whose next album is called ‘W.A.R. We are Renegades’, so the title says it all really. At the same time you have more rugged thugged-out style artists, like Roc Marciano or Sean Price, where they’re not necessarily talking about world politics, but they’re voicing and expressing something from us that I think is an equally important and valid contribution to the process of meaningful content. I’m always so impressed by Scorzayzee, he’s a rapper from Nottingham, and Black the Ripper from north London too; both of them are very much into putting gems and food for thought in their lyrics.

What have you got planned next?

Touring. Starting with a long trip to Australia. Then I’ll be back in Europe, the States and in Africa to round the year off, so lots of traveling. I’m really excited about my show ‘Soul Power’ on Spine TV, so constantly adding to that, and this time of year for me is about building my 2011. I’m living my life like its golden right now, and that’s my priority.

Reach out at www.DJSarahLove.com I’d love to hear from you.

Words: Holly Davis
Photo: courtesy of DJ Sarah Love

DJ Sarah Love Interview from Jonny Tanna on Vimeo.