Layla Rose Hanbury (born 5 October 1982), known
mononymously
A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...
as Layla, is an Australian
hip hop singer-songwriter and MC from
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
. In January 2005 she released her debut solo album, ''Heretik'', on
Obese Records. She is a member of Syllabolix (SBX) Crew, with other MCs including her husband,
Dazastah
Dazastah is one of the MCs of the Perth, Western Australia-based hip-hop group Downsyde.
History
Dazastah (Darren Reutens) joined Downsyde when he met MCs Optamus (Scott Griffiths) and Dyna-mikes (Shahbaz Rind) at Leederville TAFE in the late 1 ...
(aka Darren Reutens). The couple also perform as Layla and Dazastah. During September and October 2011 the duo were a support act for another SBX artist,
Drapht, on his Australia-wide Party Party Party Tour.
Biography
Layla Rose Hanbury was born 5 October 1982. In 2000 Layla's first gig was at an
MC battle where she was the only female among 20 entrants.
[ Note: Last name is given as Handbury.] Layla is a member of the Syllaboliks (SBX) Crew
with other Australian MCs and hip hop acts:
Drapht,
Matty B,
Dazastah
Dazastah is one of the MCs of the Perth, Western Australia-based hip-hop group Downsyde.
History
Dazastah (Darren Reutens) joined Downsyde when he met MCs Optamus (Scott Griffiths) and Dyna-mikes (Shahbaz Rind) at Leederville TAFE in the late 1 ...
,
Hunter,
Downsyde
Downsyde are an Australian hip hop group from Perth, Western Australia. The group is composed of three members, Optamus, Dazastah and Dyna-Mikes.
The group has performed alongside groups including Jurassic 5, Cypress Hill, Grandmaster Flash, Th ...
, and Clandestien. In 2001 Layla provided raps for Clandestien's track "A.T.O.M.S.", alongside Dazastah and Dynamikes, which appeared on the group's debut album, ''Clandestien''.
The following year she issued a track, "Its Only Me", on the
Obese Records 2× CD compilation album, ''Culture of Kings Volume 2''.
In 2003 Layla was one of six artists interviewed for the
VHS, ''All the Ladies'', describing "what it is like to be a female MC in the Australian underground hip hop scene".
[.] Film footage included live performances from an earlier gig, Short 'n' Sweet, organised by fellow hip hop artist,
A-Love (aka Antonella Formosa).
Layla's solo track, "Maverick", appeared on the 2003 Various Artists compilation album, ''Straight from the Art''.
On 12 January 2005 Layla released her debut album, ''Heretik'', on Obese Records.
The album included the single, "The Fuss About Sluts", which was co-written by Layla with Darren Reutens (aka Dazastah).
[ Note: Layla is given as Hanbury L, Dazastah is given as Reutens D.] The lyrics relate to female artists, exemplified by
Britney Spears, who sexualise their performances and give young girls a poor example.
Reutens also produced, mixed and recorded the album.
In the Mix website's Sophiska described ''Heretik''s tracks, which "range from straight up hip hop battle jams ... to more reflective, instrumental composition ... The remainder are very theme dependant, 'Driving Miss Layzy' employs more of a light-hearted funk, soul formula to complement rhymes about laying back and procrastinating".
Her brother, James, provided artwork for the album including a comic book in place of typical liner notes.
After the release of her debut album, aside from performing, Layla also studied for a degree in natural medicine.
Layla and Dazastah have co-written material with Drapht, including "Inspiration Island" for his 2005 album, ''
Who Am I''.
[ Note: Requires user to enter title, e.g. Inspiration Island.] Layla has performed on albums by fellow SBX artists and some guested on her debut album.
On 7 December 2007 Layla was featured in a documentary, ''Words from the City'',
on Australian hip hop artists, which was screened nationally on
ABC Television.
ABC TV guide December 2007
/ref>
In March 2011 Layla indicated that a follow up album was possible – she had written material for "20 plus tracks".[ Note: This source has last name spelled as Handbury.] In May that year Layla married Dazastah;University of Canberra
The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is within walking distance of Westfield Belconnen, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. U ...
.
Discography
Albums
* ''Heretik'' – Obese
Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...
(OBR028) (12 January 2005)
Singles
* "The Fuss about Sluts" – Obese (OBR027) (2005) (limited edition 12" vinyl – 500 copies)
Other appearances
Layla has appeared on releases of other artists, including members of Syllabolliks Crew (*).
References
External links
"Interview, Part One"
with Maya Jupiter on ''Hip Hop Show'', Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...
, 14 July 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Layla, MC)
1982 births
Living people
Australian hip hop musicians
Obese Records artists
Australian women rappers
Rappers from Perth, Western Australia