September 4, 2020 • 23 mins
One of hip hop’s brightest new stars opens up about sampling a Bay Area classic in her new song “Tap In”, how social media has changed the rap game, and what it takes to be a budding media mogul.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Inside the Studio presented by I Heart Radio.
I'm your host, Joe Leaving. Okay, so the whole idea
of this home edition of the show is to let
you into the lives and homes of artists so you
(00:23):
can see how they've been impacted by the pandemic and
how it's affecting the way they make music. And this
week's guest, Sweetie, is a real inspiration and she's all
about positivity and hustle, and she says lockdown has turned
her into a creative genius. I mean, for one thing,
she doesn't have to get on a plane every day
(00:44):
to go out and promote her music. She has time
to actually make her music. And if things are a
little quiet, well, she compares the solitude to being a
little kid and having to entertain herself. She and our
Quarantine correspondent Jordan Runtog also talked about how they've both
been finding comfort by going back to the music they
(01:04):
used to listen to in high school. Except for Sweetie,
some of the rappers she grew up listening to her
now her peers. So Jordan's you've got a little catching
up to do. Anyway, If you enjoy this episode. Be
sure to listen to the I Heart Radio podcast that
Jordan's hosts, which is called Rivals Music's Greatest Feuds and
which is available wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, everybody,
(01:33):
my name is Jordan Runt Talk, but enough about me.
My guest today is one of hip hop's brightest new stars.
She caught her start freestyling on Instagram before her track
is a Girl Blew Up on SoundCloud back in. Since then,
she's redefined hustle. By my count, She's appeared on eighteen singles,
filmed seventeen music videos, and released two EPs. She's also
(01:53):
started a record label, a jewelry line, a beauty line,
and launched an acting career. Honestly, I'm tired just thinking
of all that. In June, she drops tap in, which
pays tribute to her Bay Area roots by sampling two
shorts two thousand six Anthem Blow the Whistle the tracks
the lead single from her debut LP, Pretty Bitch Music,
which is due out later this year. I'm so happy
to welcome sweetie. Thank you so much for taking the
(02:15):
time today. Hey sorry, if I keep going in and out,
my postmates keeps telling me, hey, you know, just millennials multitasking,
doing so much at once typical day, and Tony, I'm well,
how are you? Thank you for having me on your
show today. Thank you so much. Actually, this is a
great way to lead into my first question. You do
so much. You are a rapper, you want to run
(02:37):
your own label, you're a CEO, you're also an actress.
I guess my first question is how do you do
it all? When do you do it all? Is this
quarantine does not sound like it has much downtime for you.
I've actually been a lot busier in quarantine only because
I'm not traveling. So the time that I usually would
spend packing my bags, traveling to the airport, traveling to
(02:58):
another city, I'm now at home just shooting everything in
my space. You've got a future is like a time
management like self help author or something too. It's really amazing.
Do you know what you need to have time management?
You need to be organized. I need to have a
planner because otherwise everything just seems like a long laundry
(03:18):
list and it can get hectic one thing at a time.
So if your first LP pretty much music do out
very soon, how is it a departure from your previous EPs. Um,
it's a big departure. I have a new team, new
people helping me with my vision. I'm actually working with family,
so it's helping a lot. My uncle is my manager,
my auntie is a part of my management as well.
(03:39):
UM just brought my cousins on to help with March,
so is definitely a family affair. Oh that's awesome. I mean,
given all the success you've had with Icy Girl on
My Type and most recently Tapping, did you feel any
pressure when you're putting this album together in a way
to sort of, you know, to lead on from everything
that you've had so far. Um, I work really well
(04:01):
under pressure. For one, I was a big procrastinator in college,
so some of my some of my best papers were
written in five hours, ten fifteen p um so that
I was an athlete all my life. So I work
really well under pressure, and some of my best work
comes from pressure. So whenever someone's like, how is she
(04:22):
gonna top Icy Girl my Type and now tap In,
like that only motivates me to just keep competing against
myself and to keep winning. You sample too short to
blow the whistle on tap In? How did that idea
come about? I love sampling songs. I feel like it's
my specialty and I wanted to do something that paid
homage to an o G from my area, so that's
(04:44):
why I did Bow to Whistle and it's one of
my favorite songs. What are you looking for when you're
looking for a song to sample? I know that you
did obviously my neck my back. Is there something that
really speaks to you? Well, my neck my back. That
was an accident. I had did the car rap and
record a video and then went raw in a way
that I've never seen before. So that was just I
(05:05):
listened to my fan base, not listened to the internet,
and they said it was hot. So I recorded that one.
But my first true sample was was my type and
it was just missing something that on my project, and
I was like, let me just go back into the
archives of you know, people who I love and shots
to Pete Pablo because he's been nothing but supportive and
great with that. So I feel like that was my
(05:26):
first true true sample. And you grew up in the
Bay Area and the barrier sound of something you really
feel strongly about incorporating in your music For an East
Coaster like me, would you describe the Bay Area sound.
What are some hallmarks of it? It's a whole bunch
of When I say it PAMs off, I'm not talking
about like this respectful. I'm talking about the flyness in it.
Like everything is is enunciated a certain way. It's just
(05:46):
pronounced a certain way, and we can say something regular,
but that's how we say that. It's so fly like
rich rich Man with eight figures. That's my type, but
so simple. But the y say it's just the charisma
that goes behind it. I think you said that one
of your favorite tracks on the new albums called Prayed Up.
Why is that song so special to you? It reminds
me of this icy girl, reminds me of just the
(06:09):
importance of being motivated no matter what your circumstances. And
although I've attained some level of success, I do find
moments where I am discouraged, where I am second guessing myself.
So it just reminds me of how far I come.
And it just speaks to the girl who was in
college hustling, trying to just make ends meet in l A.
And I feel like it's always important to go to
(06:30):
those roots because I feel like you could. I don't
ever want to get comfortable when I always want to
have that that hunger, you know, just so that I
keep getting better and what I do and you do
do so much. Talk to me about the album title.
I know that pretty much actually has is an acronym, right, yeah,
So pretty like pretty for me. Um, people have always
(06:51):
tried to make that hindrance for me, like quote unquote,
pretty privileged quote unquote, she's pretty, so she she comes
him there, she acts like that, when in reality, I'm not,
And if you've met me in person, anyone can attest
to that. So I wanted to give pretty a good
meaning because I didn't. I didn't have privilege growing up.
I worked for everything that I've accomplished and everything that
(07:13):
I gained. So for me, pretty as attitude, pretty as
work ethic. Pretty is what makes anyone unique given their culture,
skin shape, size, not feel like my fans all looks
so different, but I make them feel pretty and I
make them feel confident. So pretty it's energy is how
you treat other people. It's being a good person and
being a hustler and just being confident in your own
(07:34):
skin and bitch, like I say, bitch a lot of
my music, and I know my mom and my grandmall
be like mad have sometimes, but so when I'm saying bitch,
I just want to make sure that people understand. When
I'm saying bitch, it means boss, it means independent, it
means tough, it means creative and not from the bay.
(07:55):
So the H means hi fi. So all those things,
all those moods, all those acts can be found throughout
the project message of positivity. What's the latest for it?
For a release date? And I know COVID's shuffled everybody around,
but what's the latest it's shuffling is it's continuing to shuffle.
And because you guys are such a big and respected platform,
I wouldn't even want to play all like that. But
(08:16):
definitely sometime in the fall, have you been writing a
lot during lockdown? Even been feeling productive musically? Definitely? I
feel like, if anything, I'm grateful because I was on
a flight every day and that takes a lot on
your body. So it's like for me, this is my
time to just unwind and get back to my creative roots.
I've been doing all my treatments for my videos, so
(08:38):
I'm excited for this. Nobody of work walk me through
how you put a verse together, because I read you
put it together almost like a college essay, you like,
outline it out right. Yeah, because us. I went back
(09:03):
and I listened to my two piece and I was like, damn,
this was some great music. But going back to a
year or two years later when I had to release them,
I was always like, Damn, I wish I would have
talked about this, dad, miss song is missing this. So
I feel like when you have a premises, when you
have an introduction, when you have the body, the meat,
and when we have a conclusion person, you're able to
attack the things that you want on it. So it's
(09:23):
like I was tired of not checking everything off my
list because there's power in the raptors, power in the bars,
and there's power in your words. So it was like
I kept being mad that I kept missing out on
certain things I wanted to touch on. So it was
a way to keep myself accountable for what I wanted
to talk about. Just clarity and get all all messages
direct exactly. And you have a home studio now, right,
(09:43):
how is that? How's that working out for you in lockdown?
Has it changed the way that you've approached music at all.
It's called the pretty box. Yeah. Uh, it's called a
pretty box, the pretty box, and I feel like, you know,
I make pretty bitch music. So it was only right.
I was like, what do I call this place? But yeah,
it's called the pretty box. That is amazing. Has has
lockdown in any way changed you creatively? Like, did you
(10:07):
in any way that you've approached music? I mean even
like collaborating over zoom and stuff like that, or Um,
I felt like it's made me a creative genius once again. Um,
I was the only child for about I come from
a big family, but I was an only child for
about ten eleven years. So I operate well in solitude.
(10:27):
Um it's exciting for me. Um, I have fun by myself,
you know, having to be a little kid and having
to be creative and entertain yourself. Like that's something that
I did do. So it's like for me, I'm enjoying it.
Oh that's good to hear. I mean it's crazy to
me to think that that your life could have taken
such a different path. I mean you you went to
(10:48):
USC studying communications and you nearly didn't get into music, right, No,
I always did. I always did, But for me, like
I'm from the big area, but I went to high
school and Sacramento. Sacramento back then probably a sea market city,
so there wasn't a lot of opportunities. So it's like
I had no one looking at me, and I'm just like,
do I stay in Sacramento or do I get out
of here? And I was like, I gotta get out
(11:09):
of here. I'm trying to be out in the world.
So I decided to pursue college. And then I was
at San Diego State and I wanted to drop out,
but I was like, I'm gonna say in college if
I if I get to go to my dream school.
So I applied to USC. I got in my homegirl
who was an English major. Oh my gosh, God bless her.
So her name was Kaya, and she was the bomb
(11:31):
I wrote. I wrote all my essays and she proof
read them from me. So teamwork, my friends supported me
and helped me get in the USC. So shout out
to incredible. It's funny now thinking that you're being in Sacramento,
but social media has played such an incredible role in
your career and so many other people's career. I think
there was a quote you said it was an amazing quote.
He said, social media is the new streets? How do
(11:51):
you use social media these days as a tool for you?
Social media is definitely the new streets. Like the hashtag
is you passing out your mixtape? Someone clicking freestyles wrap,
Like that's how they're getting to your music. You tagging people,
you deem me people, You're sending your music out there.
It's made it a lot easier, but um, it's also
a double edged sword because there are no more gatekeepers.
(12:13):
Like someone can literally go viral overnight and then there
there with the fan base, with the engagement, they can
be deemed as a star. So it's like, yes, it's
it's made it super accessible, but now it's really getting
down to how do you separate yourself from the pack,
because now anyone can do it. Basically, who are some
of your early musical heroes when you're first starting up
(12:36):
that made you want to make music? You know what?
And this is why I make music? Like I think
it's great when you're able to find an old playlist,
find an old burnt CD um and you listen to
these songs that take you back down memory lane. And
I remember currency and Wiz had Taylor Gang Um. Young
(12:56):
Money had Nikki, Little Wayne and Drake Um. Who else
was out, but I think those those were like the
big people who we listened to at school, and it
was just it was so cool, like skateboarding, wrapping like
that was the culture of our high school. So just
seeing young people go out there and get it. Even Tiger,
like Tiger was a part of Young Money as well,
(13:17):
and it's just like wow, like these people really been
in the game for a long time, and it makes
me respect them even more. It's funny. During the pandemic,
I found myself listening to stuff that I used to
listen to back in high school I ever listened to.
I literally listened to car Service last night by Currency
and West Khalifa, and it's like cleared a roundway, baby,
I get money from Sunday to Sunday Lady like it was.
(13:40):
It just brought back so much like memories and it
was like wow, like it feels great to now be
being a company of people who I grew up listening to,
like all super talents at all. You know, we're just
young having fun and getting it. So I just always
want to keep that with me, Like yes, it gets stressful,
and yes, it is a lot of hard work. But
(14:01):
something that I loved about Young Money and the Taylor
Gang and all the other artists who I grew up
listening to is you were able to see that they
were having fun. So it's like, I never want to
lose that. I read your interview with Little Kim for
Interview Magazine. What was that like? That was so cool?
Little Kim is just she's so sweet, she's so humble,
and she loved you. Yeah, I was. It was It
(14:23):
was a moment for me because yes, I grew up
listening to who I did It in high school, but
my mom loved Lot Kim growing up, so it's like
I grew up just I was born into the Little Kimmitty.
If I don't, I don't know, but it's like, like
my mom loved it so off top, I loved it too.
And she's just so bossy, so independent, and she's a
true trend setter. So the fact that I was able
(14:45):
to go on the phone with her was just everything.
What are the messages that you want to pass along
to your fans and people that are just getting started
right now. Everyone has a different journey. Um, I love
I'm a I'm a student, so I would read a
whole bunch of biographies and how people got made it.
And you really can't compare your journey to the next
person because everybody breaks in a different way. Whether you're
(15:05):
a photographer, whether you're an artist, whether you're a journalist,
when you're in the creative field, everybody has their own
journey to success. So don't compare it. And if you
feel like it's it's truly a part of your destiny,
just stay with it because it will happen because hard
work does pay off. Yeah, I mean, especially the industry
just changed yourself fascinate. When I was in high school,
social media didn't even exist, and that wasn't even that
(15:26):
long ago. It's crazier. So being adaptable to it's gonna
be crucial, I imagine now. Adapting is is truly important.
It's important to study the grace, but supporting to adapt
to to what's running the environment and a lot of
things are changing in real time. So I try to,
you know, do my best, work hard and just adapt.
The last few months have been tough on all of
us for so many reasons. How have you been staying
(15:48):
grounded and feeling good? My family. I love them so much,
like I can just go on the island with them
and just live there for the rest of my life.
There's so much fun. And I actually started and this
um TV series, this, this YouTube series that and hopes
and actually are in talks of being actually picked up
(16:09):
by TV network. So whoever's listening, I strongly recommend you
going to see the Icy live on the YouTube because
it's doing really well and you're able to see me
with my family, and that's something that I've actually started
in Quarantine and it's doing really well. You have time
to do all this. It's incredible, all the things that
you do. He launched your your your fashion line with
(16:29):
a Pretty Little Thing, the Pretty Little Thing collection, donating
all the profits to Black Lives Matter. I think he
raised a hundred fifty thousand. What do you have time
to do all this? I'm still so blown away by that.
Um you know that figure of the woman with all
the hands coming out of her, That's what That's what
I feel like every day. UM. You know, and this business,
(16:51):
you know, social media, one thing is everything just moves quickly,
so you have to be on points. So you know,
you know, I need four shots of express and I'm
ready to go. I mean, what do you do to unwine?
(17:20):
What's your favorite thing when you're finally done for the day.
Did you walks, you go on shows, you binge games,
you play? What's your favorite thing? Oh my god, I'm
gonna show you. I've actually started to paint. Oh my god. Yeah, actually, yeah,
I love I love to paint. It's very therapeutic to me, really, like, oh,
that's so cool. What was that? Was that oil or acrylic?
(17:42):
It's acrylic. Um oil is a little hard. So I'm
doing baby steps, but I've got I want some blis
actually on Sunday because my homegirl I kept using on
her supplies, so I was like, let me just let
me just go and get my own. So, you know,
just a little a little icy icy Vinchi going on,
so we need vinci. Been doing that? That looks beautiful.
(18:05):
Um well, I took art in college, but it was
a little it was difficult because we use pens. We
was charcoal. I didn't get to use paint, and I
was under the impression that we were going to paint,
but we didn't paint. So I've always wanted to try painting,
and it's just so soothing. I love you and say
you are also an amazing cook. I've been watching some
of the seafood pasta, chicken, a dobo, like it's so
(18:28):
much more legit than anything I can ever make. Thank you.
I love seafood, and for me, I've always loved cooking.
But the reason why I started doing seafood because all
the restaurants were closed down. So I was like, I
can't eat my favorite food. So I went right down
the whole food went to a little fresh fresh market
section and I was like, I'm gonna create my own squid,
oct to push, shrimp, sam whatever I want. And that's
(18:51):
that's where I kind of like developed my skill for
you know, cooking seafood because I couldn't eat out no more.
Oh my gosh, what's your absolute favorite thing to make? Like,
if you have to choose, Oh my gosh, I love
to create octopus or seafood seafood pasta with homemade alfredo.
My my alfredo is a little bit on the lemon
zesty park because I like to put some lemon juice
(19:12):
in there. But I love scallops, squid, octopus, rim, I
like everything, So it's like it's like my favorite thing
to make. Oh my god, is that like a family
recipe or just something you invented? And no, it's my recipe.
I just put all my favorite seafoods into one pasta.
Oh my gosh, that sounds incredible as its sa Can
you like FedEx me some of that? It always looks
(19:33):
so good on your social media. You know, I'm a
frazer and I'm gonna send it over to you, because
you know, seafood not good when it get warm. So,
oh yeah, from Boston, so we we do see food.
You guys have the best clam chowder? Yeah we do, Yeah,
we do. Oh my gosh, we're not at a radio
promo out there. I clam chowder every day. Oh my god.
That was like my my staple as a kid. It's
(19:55):
way better than Manhattan clam chowder, which just like wow, Red,
It's like a total different thing. No, now I got today.
Look what you just did to me? Sorry, Oh my gosh.
Well what is next for you? I mean I could
I feel like there's twelve things always happened for you
every day at once. But what are you most excited
about on the horizon? Um, I think I'm most excited
(20:19):
I'm excited for a festival season because I've been trying
to figure out I love when people wash bit, but
I was like, marsh pitting reminds me of something, and
it reminds me of the Bay Area, because if you
go to the Bay and when some mac dre's and
Mr fasom some music that makes you just want to
turn up and get high, that's it's like a version
(20:40):
of mash pitting. So I'm excited for festival seasons because
I'm gonna turn mash pitting into my own thing. And
I actually have a song called pretty Girl Mashpit, so
I'm really excited about that. Like I like to have
a good time, and you know, for a while, it
took me a long time to get into my groove,
like how do I bring my culture in my way
to music. So it'll show them pretty bitch music. It'll
(21:02):
show out my shows, like who don't want to see
some pretty girls turn up, get active, get high, Fia
star Marsh. I've never seen that before. So I'm decide
a whole bunch of pretty girl marsh boots and I'm
gonna about that. I'm so oh, we cannot wait. My
My my final question I always love to ask people
this because everybody says something different. It's so interesting if
(21:24):
you can snap your fingers and have the pandemic be over,
be everything totally back to normal. What's the first thing
you would do? The very first thing? Wait? So who
have Who's who? Have you asked this question? So I'm curious.
Oh my gosh, let's see uh Ryan Tedder, Jason Moraz,
Oh my god, ash Uh. So many people. What was
your favorite answer? A lot of them had to do
(21:46):
with food, I have to say a lot of them
like restaurants to go to see I was. I had
to alleviate. My problem is I'm a FOOLI I couldn't wait,
so that's why I started cooking. But I think, I
think just connecting with my my fans, like I have
so much great content for their to be so many
pop ups shows around. I can't wait to perform and
(22:09):
to just meet my fans again because I don't know,
like especially a boy my fan basis, I feel like
I've known them forever. It's so weird, like my meeting
greets last hours because I'll talk to everybody and we
have full blown conversations. So it's always just so much
fun to meet my fans. I can't you know what.
I can't wait to go on tour. I can't wait
(22:30):
to open up for a huge act, and I can't
wait to grow and to eventually do my own tour.
So that's something that I'm looking forward to. Oh, we
can't wait, sweetie. Thank you so much for your time today.
It's been such a pleasure. Thank you. Howbody and scared
you with my face masks, not at all. We hope
(22:57):
you enjoyed this episode of Inside the Student You Home Edition,
a production of I heart Radio. For more episodes of
Inside the Studio and other shows from I heart Radio,
check out the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to Inside the Studio presented by I Heart Radio.
I'm your host, Joe Leaving. Okay, so the whole idea
of this home edition of the show is to let
you into the lives and homes of artists so you
(00:23):
can see how they've been impacted by the pandemic and
how it's affecting the way they make music. And this
week's guest, Sweetie, is a real inspiration and she's all
about positivity and hustle, and she says lockdown has turned
her into a creative genius. I mean, for one thing,
she doesn't have to get on a plane every day
(00:44):
to go out and promote her music. She has time
to actually make her music. And if things are a
little quiet, well, she compares the solitude to being a
little kid and having to entertain herself. She and our
Quarantine correspondent Jordan Runtog also talked about how they've both
been finding comfort by going back to the music they
(01:04):
used to listen to in high school. Except for Sweetie,
some of the rappers she grew up listening to her
now her peers. So Jordan's you've got a little catching
up to do. Anyway, If you enjoy this episode. Be
sure to listen to the I Heart Radio podcast that
Jordan's hosts, which is called Rivals Music's Greatest Feuds and
which is available wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, everybody,
(01:33):
my name is Jordan Runt Talk, but enough about me.
My guest today is one of hip hop's brightest new stars.
She caught her start freestyling on Instagram before her track
is a Girl Blew Up on SoundCloud back in. Since then,
she's redefined hustle. By my count, She's appeared on eighteen singles,
filmed seventeen music videos, and released two EPs. She's also
(01:53):
started a record label, a jewelry line, a beauty line,
and launched an acting career. Honestly, I'm tired just thinking
of all that. In June, she drops tap in, which
pays tribute to her Bay Area roots by sampling two
shorts two thousand six Anthem Blow the Whistle the tracks
the lead single from her debut LP, Pretty Bitch Music,
which is due out later this year. I'm so happy
to welcome sweetie. Thank you so much for taking the
(02:15):
time today. Hey sorry, if I keep going in and out,
my postmates keeps telling me, hey, you know, just millennials multitasking,
doing so much at once typical day, and Tony, I'm well,
how are you? Thank you for having me on your
show today. Thank you so much. Actually, this is a
great way to lead into my first question. You do
so much. You are a rapper, you want to run
(02:37):
your own label, you're a CEO, you're also an actress.
I guess my first question is how do you do
it all? When do you do it all? Is this
quarantine does not sound like it has much downtime for you.
I've actually been a lot busier in quarantine only because
I'm not traveling. So the time that I usually would
spend packing my bags, traveling to the airport, traveling to
(02:58):
another city, I'm now at home just shooting everything in
my space. You've got a future is like a time
management like self help author or something too. It's really amazing.
Do you know what you need to have time management?
You need to be organized. I need to have a
planner because otherwise everything just seems like a long laundry
(03:18):
list and it can get hectic one thing at a time.
So if your first LP pretty much music do out
very soon, how is it a departure from your previous EPs. Um,
it's a big departure. I have a new team, new
people helping me with my vision. I'm actually working with family,
so it's helping a lot. My uncle is my manager,
my auntie is a part of my management as well.
(03:39):
UM just brought my cousins on to help with March,
so is definitely a family affair. Oh that's awesome. I mean,
given all the success you've had with Icy Girl on
My Type and most recently Tapping, did you feel any
pressure when you're putting this album together in a way
to sort of, you know, to lead on from everything
that you've had so far. Um, I work really well
(04:01):
under pressure. For one, I was a big procrastinator in college,
so some of my some of my best papers were
written in five hours, ten fifteen p um so that
I was an athlete all my life. So I work
really well under pressure, and some of my best work
comes from pressure. So whenever someone's like, how is she
(04:22):
gonna top Icy Girl my Type and now tap In,
like that only motivates me to just keep competing against
myself and to keep winning. You sample too short to
blow the whistle on tap In? How did that idea
come about? I love sampling songs. I feel like it's
my specialty and I wanted to do something that paid
homage to an o G from my area, so that's
(04:44):
why I did Bow to Whistle and it's one of
my favorite songs. What are you looking for when you're
looking for a song to sample? I know that you
did obviously my neck my back. Is there something that
really speaks to you? Well, my neck my back. That
was an accident. I had did the car rap and
record a video and then went raw in a way
that I've never seen before. So that was just I
(05:05):
listened to my fan base, not listened to the internet,
and they said it was hot. So I recorded that one.
But my first true sample was was my type and
it was just missing something that on my project, and
I was like, let me just go back into the
archives of you know, people who I love and shots
to Pete Pablo because he's been nothing but supportive and
great with that. So I feel like that was my
(05:26):
first true true sample. And you grew up in the
Bay Area and the barrier sound of something you really
feel strongly about incorporating in your music For an East
Coaster like me, would you describe the Bay Area sound.
What are some hallmarks of it? It's a whole bunch
of When I say it PAMs off, I'm not talking
about like this respectful. I'm talking about the flyness in it.
Like everything is is enunciated a certain way. It's just
(05:46):
pronounced a certain way, and we can say something regular,
but that's how we say that. It's so fly like
rich rich Man with eight figures. That's my type, but
so simple. But the y say it's just the charisma
that goes behind it. I think you said that one
of your favorite tracks on the new albums called Prayed Up.
Why is that song so special to you? It reminds
me of this icy girl, reminds me of just the
(06:09):
importance of being motivated no matter what your circumstances. And
although I've attained some level of success, I do find
moments where I am discouraged, where I am second guessing myself.
So it just reminds me of how far I come.
And it just speaks to the girl who was in
college hustling, trying to just make ends meet in l A.
And I feel like it's always important to go to
(06:30):
those roots because I feel like you could. I don't
ever want to get comfortable when I always want to
have that that hunger, you know, just so that I
keep getting better and what I do and you do
do so much. Talk to me about the album title.
I know that pretty much actually has is an acronym, right, yeah,
So pretty like pretty for me. Um, people have always
(06:51):
tried to make that hindrance for me, like quote unquote,
pretty privileged quote unquote, she's pretty, so she she comes
him there, she acts like that, when in reality, I'm not,
And if you've met me in person, anyone can attest
to that. So I wanted to give pretty a good
meaning because I didn't. I didn't have privilege growing up.
I worked for everything that I've accomplished and everything that
(07:13):
I gained. So for me, pretty as attitude, pretty as
work ethic. Pretty is what makes anyone unique given their culture,
skin shape, size, not feel like my fans all looks
so different, but I make them feel pretty and I
make them feel confident. So pretty it's energy is how
you treat other people. It's being a good person and
being a hustler and just being confident in your own
(07:34):
skin and bitch, like I say, bitch a lot of
my music, and I know my mom and my grandmall
be like mad have sometimes, but so when I'm saying bitch,
I just want to make sure that people understand. When
I'm saying bitch, it means boss, it means independent, it
means tough, it means creative and not from the bay.
(07:55):
So the H means hi fi. So all those things,
all those moods, all those acts can be found throughout
the project message of positivity. What's the latest for it?
For a release date? And I know COVID's shuffled everybody around,
but what's the latest it's shuffling is it's continuing to shuffle.
And because you guys are such a big and respected platform,
I wouldn't even want to play all like that. But
(08:16):
definitely sometime in the fall, have you been writing a
lot during lockdown? Even been feeling productive musically? Definitely? I
feel like, if anything, I'm grateful because I was on
a flight every day and that takes a lot on
your body. So it's like for me, this is my
time to just unwind and get back to my creative roots.
I've been doing all my treatments for my videos, so
(08:38):
I'm excited for this. Nobody of work walk me through
how you put a verse together, because I read you
put it together almost like a college essay, you like,
outline it out right. Yeah, because us. I went back
(09:03):
and I listened to my two piece and I was like, damn,
this was some great music. But going back to a
year or two years later when I had to release them,
I was always like, Damn, I wish I would have
talked about this, dad, miss song is missing this. So
I feel like when you have a premises, when you
have an introduction, when you have the body, the meat,
and when we have a conclusion person, you're able to
attack the things that you want on it. So it's
(09:23):
like I was tired of not checking everything off my
list because there's power in the raptors, power in the bars,
and there's power in your words. So it was like
I kept being mad that I kept missing out on
certain things I wanted to touch on. So it was
a way to keep myself accountable for what I wanted
to talk about. Just clarity and get all all messages
direct exactly. And you have a home studio now, right,
(09:43):
how is that? How's that working out for you in lockdown?
Has it changed the way that you've approached music at all.
It's called the pretty box. Yeah. Uh, it's called a
pretty box, the pretty box, and I feel like, you know,
I make pretty bitch music. So it was only right.
I was like, what do I call this place? But yeah,
it's called the pretty box. That is amazing. Has has
lockdown in any way changed you creatively? Like, did you
(10:07):
in any way that you've approached music? I mean even
like collaborating over zoom and stuff like that, or Um,
I felt like it's made me a creative genius once again. Um,
I was the only child for about I come from
a big family, but I was an only child for
about ten eleven years. So I operate well in solitude.
(10:27):
Um it's exciting for me. Um, I have fun by myself,
you know, having to be a little kid and having
to be creative and entertain yourself. Like that's something that
I did do. So it's like for me, I'm enjoying it.
Oh that's good to hear. I mean it's crazy to
me to think that that your life could have taken
such a different path. I mean you you went to
(10:48):
USC studying communications and you nearly didn't get into music, right, No,
I always did. I always did, But for me, like
I'm from the big area, but I went to high
school and Sacramento. Sacramento back then probably a sea market city,
so there wasn't a lot of opportunities. So it's like
I had no one looking at me, and I'm just like,
do I stay in Sacramento or do I get out
of here? And I was like, I gotta get out
(11:09):
of here. I'm trying to be out in the world.
So I decided to pursue college. And then I was
at San Diego State and I wanted to drop out,
but I was like, I'm gonna say in college if
I if I get to go to my dream school.
So I applied to USC. I got in my homegirl
who was an English major. Oh my gosh, God bless her.
So her name was Kaya, and she was the bomb
(11:31):
I wrote. I wrote all my essays and she proof
read them from me. So teamwork, my friends supported me
and helped me get in the USC. So shout out
to incredible. It's funny now thinking that you're being in Sacramento,
but social media has played such an incredible role in
your career and so many other people's career. I think
there was a quote you said it was an amazing quote.
He said, social media is the new streets? How do
(11:51):
you use social media these days as a tool for you?
Social media is definitely the new streets. Like the hashtag
is you passing out your mixtape? Someone clicking freestyles wrap,
Like that's how they're getting to your music. You tagging people,
you deem me people, You're sending your music out there.
It's made it a lot easier, but um, it's also
a double edged sword because there are no more gatekeepers.
(12:13):
Like someone can literally go viral overnight and then there
there with the fan base, with the engagement, they can
be deemed as a star. So it's like, yes, it's
it's made it super accessible, but now it's really getting
down to how do you separate yourself from the pack,
because now anyone can do it. Basically, who are some
of your early musical heroes when you're first starting up
(12:36):
that made you want to make music? You know what?
And this is why I make music? Like I think
it's great when you're able to find an old playlist,
find an old burnt CD um and you listen to
these songs that take you back down memory lane. And
I remember currency and Wiz had Taylor Gang Um. Young
(12:56):
Money had Nikki, Little Wayne and Drake Um. Who else
was out, but I think those those were like the
big people who we listened to at school, and it
was just it was so cool, like skateboarding, wrapping like
that was the culture of our high school. So just
seeing young people go out there and get it. Even Tiger,
like Tiger was a part of Young Money as well,
(13:17):
and it's just like wow, like these people really been
in the game for a long time, and it makes
me respect them even more. It's funny. During the pandemic,
I found myself listening to stuff that I used to
listen to back in high school I ever listened to.
I literally listened to car Service last night by Currency
and West Khalifa, and it's like cleared a roundway, baby,
I get money from Sunday to Sunday Lady like it was.
(13:40):
It just brought back so much like memories and it
was like wow, like it feels great to now be
being a company of people who I grew up listening to,
like all super talents at all. You know, we're just
young having fun and getting it. So I just always
want to keep that with me, Like yes, it gets stressful,
and yes, it is a lot of hard work. But
(14:01):
something that I loved about Young Money and the Taylor
Gang and all the other artists who I grew up
listening to is you were able to see that they
were having fun. So it's like, I never want to
lose that. I read your interview with Little Kim for
Interview Magazine. What was that like? That was so cool?
Little Kim is just she's so sweet, she's so humble,
and she loved you. Yeah, I was. It was It
(14:23):
was a moment for me because yes, I grew up
listening to who I did It in high school, but
my mom loved Lot Kim growing up, so it's like
I grew up just I was born into the Little Kimmitty.
If I don't, I don't know, but it's like, like
my mom loved it so off top, I loved it too.
And she's just so bossy, so independent, and she's a
true trend setter. So the fact that I was able
(14:45):
to go on the phone with her was just everything.
What are the messages that you want to pass along
to your fans and people that are just getting started
right now. Everyone has a different journey. Um, I love
I'm a I'm a student, so I would read a
whole bunch of biographies and how people got made it.
And you really can't compare your journey to the next
person because everybody breaks in a different way. Whether you're
(15:05):
a photographer, whether you're an artist, whether you're a journalist,
when you're in the creative field, everybody has their own
journey to success. So don't compare it. And if you
feel like it's it's truly a part of your destiny,
just stay with it because it will happen because hard
work does pay off. Yeah, I mean, especially the industry
just changed yourself fascinate. When I was in high school,
social media didn't even exist, and that wasn't even that
(15:26):
long ago. It's crazier. So being adaptable to it's gonna
be crucial, I imagine now. Adapting is is truly important.
It's important to study the grace, but supporting to adapt
to to what's running the environment and a lot of
things are changing in real time. So I try to,
you know, do my best, work hard and just adapt.
The last few months have been tough on all of
us for so many reasons. How have you been staying
(15:48):
grounded and feeling good? My family. I love them so much,
like I can just go on the island with them
and just live there for the rest of my life.
There's so much fun. And I actually started and this
um TV series, this, this YouTube series that and hopes
and actually are in talks of being actually picked up
(16:09):
by TV network. So whoever's listening, I strongly recommend you
going to see the Icy live on the YouTube because
it's doing really well and you're able to see me
with my family, and that's something that I've actually started
in Quarantine and it's doing really well. You have time
to do all this. It's incredible, all the things that
you do. He launched your your your fashion line with
(16:29):
a Pretty Little Thing, the Pretty Little Thing collection, donating
all the profits to Black Lives Matter. I think he
raised a hundred fifty thousand. What do you have time
to do all this? I'm still so blown away by that.
Um you know that figure of the woman with all
the hands coming out of her, That's what That's what
I feel like every day. UM. You know, and this business,
(16:51):
you know, social media, one thing is everything just moves quickly,
so you have to be on points. So you know,
you know, I need four shots of express and I'm
ready to go. I mean, what do you do to unwine?
(17:20):
What's your favorite thing when you're finally done for the day.
Did you walks, you go on shows, you binge games,
you play? What's your favorite thing? Oh my god, I'm
gonna show you. I've actually started to paint. Oh my god. Yeah, actually, yeah,
I love I love to paint. It's very therapeutic to me, really, like, oh,
that's so cool. What was that? Was that oil or acrylic?
(17:42):
It's acrylic. Um oil is a little hard. So I'm
doing baby steps, but I've got I want some blis
actually on Sunday because my homegirl I kept using on
her supplies, so I was like, let me just let
me just go and get my own. So, you know,
just a little a little icy icy Vinchi going on,
so we need vinci. Been doing that? That looks beautiful.
(18:05):
Um well, I took art in college, but it was
a little it was difficult because we use pens. We
was charcoal. I didn't get to use paint, and I
was under the impression that we were going to paint,
but we didn't paint. So I've always wanted to try painting,
and it's just so soothing. I love you and say
you are also an amazing cook. I've been watching some
of the seafood pasta, chicken, a dobo, like it's so
(18:28):
much more legit than anything I can ever make. Thank you.
I love seafood, and for me, I've always loved cooking.
But the reason why I started doing seafood because all
the restaurants were closed down. So I was like, I
can't eat my favorite food. So I went right down
the whole food went to a little fresh fresh market
section and I was like, I'm gonna create my own squid,
oct to push, shrimp, sam whatever I want. And that's
(18:51):
that's where I kind of like developed my skill for
you know, cooking seafood because I couldn't eat out no more.
Oh my gosh, what's your absolute favorite thing to make? Like,
if you have to choose, Oh my gosh, I love
to create octopus or seafood seafood pasta with homemade alfredo.
My my alfredo is a little bit on the lemon
zesty park because I like to put some lemon juice
(19:12):
in there. But I love scallops, squid, octopus, rim, I
like everything, So it's like it's like my favorite thing
to make. Oh my god, is that like a family
recipe or just something you invented? And no, it's my recipe.
I just put all my favorite seafoods into one pasta.
Oh my gosh, that sounds incredible as its sa Can
you like FedEx me some of that? It always looks
(19:33):
so good on your social media. You know, I'm a
frazer and I'm gonna send it over to you, because
you know, seafood not good when it get warm. So,
oh yeah, from Boston, so we we do see food.
You guys have the best clam chowder? Yeah we do, Yeah,
we do. Oh my gosh, we're not at a radio
promo out there. I clam chowder every day. Oh my god.
That was like my my staple as a kid. It's
(19:55):
way better than Manhattan clam chowder, which just like wow, Red,
It's like a total different thing. No, now I got today.
Look what you just did to me? Sorry, Oh my gosh.
Well what is next for you? I mean I could
I feel like there's twelve things always happened for you
every day at once. But what are you most excited
about on the horizon? Um, I think I'm most excited
(20:19):
I'm excited for a festival season because I've been trying
to figure out I love when people wash bit, but
I was like, marsh pitting reminds me of something, and
it reminds me of the Bay Area, because if you
go to the Bay and when some mac dre's and
Mr fasom some music that makes you just want to
turn up and get high, that's it's like a version
(20:40):
of mash pitting. So I'm excited for festival seasons because
I'm gonna turn mash pitting into my own thing. And
I actually have a song called pretty Girl Mashpit, so
I'm really excited about that. Like I like to have
a good time, and you know, for a while, it
took me a long time to get into my groove,
like how do I bring my culture in my way
to music. So it'll show them pretty bitch music. It'll
(21:02):
show out my shows, like who don't want to see
some pretty girls turn up, get active, get high, Fia
star Marsh. I've never seen that before. So I'm decide
a whole bunch of pretty girl marsh boots and I'm
gonna about that. I'm so oh, we cannot wait. My
My my final question I always love to ask people
this because everybody says something different. It's so interesting if
(21:24):
you can snap your fingers and have the pandemic be over,
be everything totally back to normal. What's the first thing
you would do? The very first thing? Wait? So who
have Who's who? Have you asked this question? So I'm curious.
Oh my gosh, let's see uh Ryan Tedder, Jason Moraz,
Oh my god, ash Uh. So many people. What was
your favorite answer? A lot of them had to do
(21:46):
with food, I have to say a lot of them
like restaurants to go to see I was. I had
to alleviate. My problem is I'm a FOOLI I couldn't wait,
so that's why I started cooking. But I think, I
think just connecting with my my fans, like I have
so much great content for their to be so many
pop ups shows around. I can't wait to perform and
(22:09):
to just meet my fans again because I don't know,
like especially a boy my fan basis, I feel like
I've known them forever. It's so weird, like my meeting
greets last hours because I'll talk to everybody and we
have full blown conversations. So it's always just so much
fun to meet my fans. I can't you know what.
I can't wait to go on tour. I can't wait
(22:30):
to open up for a huge act, and I can't
wait to grow and to eventually do my own tour.
So that's something that I'm looking forward to. Oh, we
can't wait, sweetie. Thank you so much for your time today.
It's been such a pleasure. Thank you. Howbody and scared
you with my face masks, not at all. We hope
(22:57):
you enjoyed this episode of Inside the Student You Home Edition,
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