LONDON - YELLE

Yelle is virtually unheard of in England but in France she's a big deal. She began attracting attention with "Je Veux Te Voir" (I Want To See You) in which she asks French rapper Cuizinier to do porn so everyone can see his tiny penis. More recently she had a number one novelty single called "Parle √† ma Main" (Talk to the Hand) in which she talks to a transvestite teenager on a pretend telephone. We had a chat with Yelle ahead of her show at The Old Blue Last tonight. She doesn’t speak much English but she's fluent in hater.

Vice: Another white Parisian female rapper who's a bit rude. How are you different from Uffie?
Yelle: She is just a mic with a DJ spinning records behind her. She is very clubby. I try to do an interactive show with a live band. We send a lot of power out to the crowd. Even if they don’t understand the lyrics, they can feel the power.

Your shoes are very shiny.
Yeah, I represent Reebok in France. They give me lots of free trainers. I once did a fashion shoot with Lil’ Kim because she is also a Reebok icon. Her face is like a monster. She’s a complete mutant. She arrived and everybody was like who is this girl? She wasn’t nice. She didn’t talk to anybody.

What did Cuizinier do that made you want sing about him having a small dick?
Nothing. I didn’t even know him. It was just funny to do a track about someone who represented French pimp rappers.

Was he mad about it?
Yes. He's pissed off because we got a record deal with that song. He thinks we are successful because of him. But it’s not a hate anthem. I am a fan of his. He's an MC and he should be able to answer a beef. He didn't.

SAM WOLFSON