In Talks With LondonThePlug: “I wanna grab the biggest brands in America and have them work with UK acts.”

Meet LondonThePlug. She’s a seasoned vet within the global entertainment industry and was the innovative figure who bridged the gap between award-winning Cardi B and the UK crowd. 

Under her watchful eye, London is dedicated to developing and marketing artists as part of her deeper purpose. In fact, her work cannot be quantified and with the likes of Dej Loaf, Drake and Rick Ross under her belt, London’s knack for marrying cultures and pushing the bar is seen in plain sight. 

On the cusp of her first festival, she and I caught up to discuss living in America for 9 years, the gems she’s collected along her journey and the fast approaching Noo Limit festival! 

“London! Talk to us about yourself and your background, on a personal level.” 

L: I’m thirty-one years deep into the creation of the ball of fire that’s heavily invested in creating. Living in America for 9 years, I was at the right place at the right time. I’ve gained so much experience through working for Drake and Rick Ross and Lil Wayne. Going on tour with Cardi B and Gorillaz. Years’ worth of stuff that’s making sense now. 

“It sounds like there’s quite a story here. You’re from the UK, so talk to us about being British yet working with some of America’s biggest names!” 

L: I’m a Tottenham girl, N17! I came from a home of go-getters. I was playing football and landed a football scholarship that had me flown over to LSU in Louisiana. I bumped into Lil Wayne’s manager at the time and became quite popular because I was the only British person down South. 

“Oh gosh, yeah. I can imagine.” 

L: I made sure I was at every spot and it paid off. I got given an opportunity to be Drake’s assistant, who was nobody at the time.  

“I have to ask – what was Drake like?” 

L: Lit. He was lit. He rolled with 10 men, all childhood school friends. It was a vibe for me, he was just very light-hearted. He matched what I was doing – I was trying to find my path in my craft. A little fish in this big ocean. It was worth it. 

“British creatives have been describing their experiences from working overseas recently. What was yours like and what were some of the things you picked up whilst there?” 

L: The first year was very hard. It was massive cultural shock, especially as a black woman with an English accent. I thought to myself, I can either sink or swim. I had to just hit the ground running, and the more I moved with that attitude, the more doors opened for me. In America, it’s either you go hard or go home. They’re a lot more hands-on unlike us in the UK.  

“They clearly took you in. Big respect. Take us through some of the differences between the UK’s entertainment scene versus America’s?” 

L: Everyone always asks me which one I prefer. I was so Americanised when I came back to the UK. When I got back, I had to adapt to afrobeats, dancehall and grime. They’ve both got their beauty. Their music reflects their culture. I love being home and I missed it. 

“Having this rich background, how do you channel that into your events?” 

L: I’m able to have experienced both places. I’m lucky to slip into an area that hasn’t been touched. The style of my events and festival is a merge of everything. I don’t feel like we have enough industry events that collaborate with brands. I used to be doing something every day of the week in America, but our party scene isn’t for networking like it is in America. 

“IG baddies like Jayda Wayda and Ari treat their club hostings like a tour! How can the UK’s culture be pushed in that direction?” 

L: That’s a really good question. I’ve been working on a solution so I’ve worked on bringing more artists. When I brought Cardi B out, it was about getting local talent to support her. That’s where you really find stars. How do we bridge that gap? I feel like it’s about UK artists and scene being more open to doing more activities – not just so money driven, it’s about creativity and being more hands-on with your fanbase which is what Americans are really good at. Be more accessible and team up. 

“Oh, London. You’re spot on!” 

L: The UK is not where it once was. We are now in a position where we can represent. Big up everybody and all the acts on the line-up. Americans can come over here and have such big reception because of how they approach it. How they’re willing to do fan meet-ups, signings and working with their PR teams. Central Cee’s campaign was amazing, let me say that. It’s only few and far between where people are seeing that as necessary.  

“It certainly is a new awareness here. I always say the club scene should be more involved, so do you feel like with the likes of Ivorian Doll breaking out, do we have a place where that music can be celebrated properly?” 

L: We don’t and it’s a hard one. For example, Cardi was doing music and then did love & Hip Hop and then blew from there. Rick Ross is in music and food. It’s about the way they’ve exposed themselves. The problem is that we’re only focused on the music and not packages. That’s what we’re missing. 

“Totally. Hopefully, we see some progress there. However, we’re here to talk Noo Limit fest!” 

L: Jheeese! 

“Let’s start from the ground up, how have you put this all together?” 

L: It’s been a journey and there’s a team of creatives that decided to organise something. We needed to create something to save our industry, so we can survive. Down to the acts, we thought hard. We have two major international acts! Everyone on our line-up is a legend in their own right – you know like, WSTRN who own festival season. 

“Big energy! There’s a few DJs in the line-up which is not always what a festival line-up looks like. Talk about your direction of Noo Limit fest?” 

L: The direction of Noo Limit fest is a hub for all talent. It doesn’t matter what level you’re at. We’ve got experienced acts and up and coming acts, making noise. It’s about opportunity. We want a new festival, and that’s what makes up our line-up. We can’t forget about the DJs and females! They often lack that in other line-ups. 

“I have to hail you up, what an authentic event. A lot of people overlook the potential of up and comers will do for the turnout!” 

L: I’ve not gotten where I am without a helping hand, you know? I answer every DM, no matter who. You can never be too big for your boots. I think everyone should adopt that. It brings me so much joy to know that we can create a hub- I might just cry onstage. Do you know what I mean?! I cannot wait. It’s gonna save someone’s life and their career. 

“London, that is sick. I’m so excited. What is in store for your future?” 

L: It consists of creating a concrete bridge between the US and here. I wanna grab the biggest brands in America and have them work with UK acts, so that they see our acts as something to invest in. Vice versa. No one has conquered that yet and I aim to. There’s a massive UK scene in La and I want to be able to capitalise off of that. 

London recently announced the addition of Afro rockstars, NSG, to the Noo Limit festival line-up. Keep it locked with the multifaceted music figure here!