This Beat, This Beat, This Beat Is Mine

It's Wee Rule Wednesday today, featuring the Wee Papa Girl Rappers.

Wee Papa Girl Rappers were London-based hip hop duo and sisters Sandra Lawrence  aka Total S, and Samantha Lawrence aka TY Tim. 

The group name was inspired by their father, originally from the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia and prone to using the French Creole expression "Oui Papa", which the sisters phonetically adapted into their stage identity.

Following an early break as backing singers for Feargal Sharkey, Zeke Manyika and Brilliant, the siblings formed Wee Papa Girl Rappers in 1987. Signed to Jive Records, their debut single Rock The Clock didn't make a signficant impression, but 1988 saw an upturn in their fortunes. Second single Faith got to #60 in March and Heat It Up (with 2 Men & A Drum Machine but no trumpet) peaked at #21 in June.

And then there was Wee Rule. By their own admission more "in a dancehall style" than hip hop, it struck a chord with the record buying public and reached #6 in October 1988, as well as wider Top 20 success across Europe.

It was a great time for female rap artists, Wee Papa Girl Rappers alongside the Cookie Crew and Monie Love. Their debut album, The Beat The Rhyme And The Noise, cracked the Top 40 in November 1988.

Unfortunately, December's follow up single Soulmate stalled at #45, and Blow The House Down in March 1989 was their lowest (and final) charting UK single, at #65.

Second album Be Aware arrived in 1990, along with a slew of singles in the next few years, but chart success eluded them. A brief break and reformation as The Wee Papas in 1992 sadly didn't revive their commercial fortunes and the sisters called time on the group in 1994.

Tragically, Samantha passed away in December 2024, at the age of 55. 

The legacy Samantha created with older sister Sandra as Wee Papa Girl Rappers, perfectly encapsulated in Wee Rule, lives on, a joyous, celebratory three and a half minutes that gets me moving every time.