One problem rapper Lady Sovereign might have is that her reputation precedes her.
Let's be honest - having a performer pour Heineken on the front row, begin a belching contest, and inaudibly mumble through some of her apparently forgotten lyrics could give some performers a bad rep.

But Public Warning, the sophomore release by the white, ponytail-wearing 5 ft. 1 inch protégé of rapper and Def Jam Records President Jay-Z, is clearly a winner.

The 20-year old's pugnacious in-your-face lyrics, sometimes reminiscent of an incorrigible teen gone wild as evidenced by "Love Me or Hate Me" ("If you love me, thank you! If you hate me, [expletive] you!] and "My England" ("It ain't about tea and biscuits. I'm one of those English misfits") are catchy and fun when set to the pounding electro beat.

Indeed, that young rebel yell is what makes Public Warning so innovative. In these days of high-end production and rolled-off-the-assembly line lyrics, Lady Sov (as she likes to be called) takes rapid-fire rap back to its roots of raucous fun. The melodies are catchy as is the rap itself. And the lyrics tell stories that the listener can actually follow.

Even though she gets angry when people call her "Feminem" ("People wanna classify me as Eminem. Why? Heh? Wha? I'm a different kind of specimen," she raps in "Blah Blah") the link is clear. So many of her lyrics are about herself, her angst, and her fear of being jammed into a stereotypical mode. And it does get a bit tiring when Lady Sov calls herself "the biggest midget in the game," time and again on countless songs.

But heck, she is. For now.

As Tori Amos famously said "I love young women who are angry…. But if you don't transcend, you become a very disturbed 40 year old."

Young Lady Sov has plenty of years before she needs to worry about that. Still, it will be interesting to see which path she — and her music — takes.