Fresh from releasing her latest mixtape “Right Paige”, Paigey Cakey takes time to talk to GIITTV about being taken seriously, turning dreams into reality and finding her sound.
Making your way in an industry full of people vying for their time in the spotlight isn’t easy, but Paigey Cakey has managed to weave a path to the front of ones to be watched. The rapper/ singer / actress has the looks, she has the bars, but most importantly: she has the heart to silence any doubters who say she doesn’t deserve centre stage.
After getting thousands of views from a freestyle uploaded to YouTube as part of a media studies project a couple of years ago, the feisty female MC has kept a hold of the mic hoping her grip on the scene would be just as tight.
Building up a frenetic momentum in a relatively short amount of time, her latest release Right Paige features some of the UK’s most prolific urban acts like recent MOBO award winning Stormzy, Chip, Sneakbo, Fekky and recent GIITTV feature Yungen.
That she has been able to enlist the help of acts of this calibre is truly a testament to the movement she is creating, but getting that respect in the first place wasn’t as easy as it seems.
“Due to it [rap] being so male heavy, a lot of males didn’t respect me so it was tough initially,” Paigey says about the attitude she faced when she first started out before adding: “A lot of men think that women should be in the kitchen rather than spraying bars. That means I have to work even harder than your average male rapper.”
Critics were promptly shut down with the release of her GRM Daily Rated freestyles, and no doubt her latest offering will quell the noise from those still hesitant to accept her.
Calling the project Right Paige is a nod to the place Paigey finds herself in now. “I have finally found my sound and it consists of both singing and rapping so I am content and excited about releasing this project,” she tells me.
For a female in the industry, finding that happy medium of being true to yourself while appealing to mainstream demands can at time times seem like mission impossible, but Paigey seems to have also mastered this. Recognising that female rappers are usually dismissed if they do not conform to the machismo, “street life” type image or exude masses of sex appeal, Paigey says: “I try to keep a balance of my sexuality and don’t let it supersede what I am rapping about and have been lucky enough to have a fan base that sees and supports that.”
Before leaving, Paigey shared some pearls of wisdom for making your dreams a reality: “Put yourself in a place where opportunities can see you. Don’t just knock at the door of opportunity – blow it off the hinges to get in.”
So the next time you come across a doorframe that doesn’t look quite right, it’s probably safe to assume Paigey Cakey and her latest mixtape just passed through.
Download Right Paige here
@Paigey_Cakey
