“Who Is Ladybug Mecca?” probably isn’t the most accurate question. We all know who she is: pioneer female emcee, one third of the evolutionary hip hop trio, Digable Planets. Back in the early-mid 90s, she was the fly one with the cute voice and hipster lyrics. No one can even possibly forget “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” or Ladybug purring, “the babes’ll go spastic, hip hop gains a classic.” So, of course, we all know who she is. But, perhaps the real question is: Where has she been? After all, it’s been a while since Blowout Comb, Digable’s 1994-effort and final release, a grimier, more forthright version of their debut, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space).

But, the fact is, Ladybug has been quite busy, since then. She’s a proud mother of four, she formed her own indie label (Nu-Paradigm Entertainment) and recently released Trip The Light Fantastic, an eclectic, sprawling album which represents one of the best efforts we’ve seen in the burgeoning Bridge genre – an album we here at ThisIsRealMusic have been bumping pretty hard. So, T.I.R.M. commissioned Lady Grace to get Ladybug on the Alternative Soul Café and kick it about everything from her new album and label, to going solo and women in the music industry. Listen in on their conversation and catch-up with an old friend…