Kate Tempest

Known just as much for her spoken word and slam poetry as for being front-woman and rapper for the band Sound of Rum, Kate Tempest has developed a name for herself throughout the UK. A lyricist at a young age, Tempest began entering rap battles and competitions at 16, and when visiting New York a few years later, took up spoken word poetry--winning the NU-Yorican Poetry Café Slam in 2006. With an equal love for romantic poets of the past and of members of the Wu Tang Clan, Tempest isn't afraid to meld the old with the new. Her work is a favorite of British rapper Scroobius Pip, who has invited her on his Radio One program Spoken Word Surgery multiple times.