The Untold Truth Of Saweetie

Have you heard of Saweetie yet? 

For those who don't spend hours per day on the internet, they might think the only female rappers in the industry are Nicki Minaj and Cardi B. But the truth is that the rap game has expanded exponentially. One of the most promising artists to land on our radars is Bay Area rapper Saweetie — thanks to her infectious breakout single "ICY GRL." The song, which is a freestyle over Khia's 2002 hit "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)," went viral in 2017, propelling Saweetie to stardom and earning her praise from some of the most legendary artists of all time. In just a matter of months after the song's release, she signed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records and created her own label, Icy, which shows that she's definitely one to keep an eye on.

But before she grabbed our attention with "ICY GRL," Saweetie was known for her in-car freestyle sessions, her ties to other artists, and her enrollment at one of the biggest universities in the United States. Let's get into it as we explore the untold truth of Saweetie.

Rappers generally pick their rap name. Rick Ross created his name based on the notorious drug kingpin Freeway Rick Ross, and Drake simply pulled his from his middle name. But there are other cases when rappers look to those who know them best to help create their rap moniker. Gucci Mane, for instance, named Waka Flocka Flame during the time the "Hard In Da Paint" rapper was signed to his label. And Snoop Dogg gifted Lil Bow Wow with his unforgettable stage name after falling in love with the then-pre-teen's sharp lyrical prowess.

The latter was kind of the case for Saweetie. In an interview with Teen Vogue, she claimed that her grandmother was the first to give her the nickname, and, thankfully for her, it worked. "My name came from my grandmother actually," Saweetie confessed. "It was just a nickname and I had put it on my Myspace. I had a lot of friends on there. I was extremely social. A lot of people knew me as Saweetie and it kind of just stuck."'

She also told HipHopDX that the name was officially solidified during her sophomore year of high school when her stepmother gifted her with a "Saweetie" chain. 

Apparently, what's meant to be will be.

There are few musical forces as unrelenting and savage as Tampa, Fla.'s Khia, whose 2002 hit "My Neck, My Back" was flipped and remixed for Saweetie's 2017 hit "ICY GRL." Khia has infamously feuded with some of the top female artists — from Remy Ma to Trina — for some of the pettiest reasons. So, it's not too surprising that she allegedly wasn't feeling the newcomer's freestyle either, regardless of it being an ode to her earth-conquering 2002 hit.

"There was a post but she don't know me like that," Saweetie explained when asked by HipHopDX about Khia's reaction to her song. "It was like a little shade here and there but she don't know me so I don't take it personally. It's the game. It's entertainment so I took it with a grain of salt. I still love 'My Neck, My Back.' It is what it is."

Who knows if Khia will ever get over it, but at least Saweetie has been a good sport about it.

Saweetie wasn't always the "ICY GRL" that we see and love today. In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, she revealed that when she first wrote the dynamic party anthem, she only had a few bucks to her name. "I had $40 to my name," she explained, reportedly wincing at the memory. "I was disgusted with myself. I went from being a hustler, working different jobs to renting rooms off Craigslist, and I just wasn't happy." She added that she wrote "ICY GRL" when she was sitting in her room, which only contained a mattress, in an attempt to speak everything she wanted into existence.

Saweetie told Billboard, "I was very prideful when I was going through hard times and didn't want to ask my family for money. I had a few dollars in my bank account, not going out, sitting in my room, and eating a peanut butter jelly sandwich. So what I had to do was stay positive, keep writing raps and know someone was going to see it — and they did."

Like the Jacksons or the Jonas Brothers, musical prowess runs in Saweetie's family. She's apparently cousins with Grammy Award-winning producer Zaytoven, who has worked with the likes of Migos, Future, and Gucci Mane. According to Saweetie, Zaytoven often contributes to her projects, producing some of her most hypnotic tracks, such as "EXPEN$IVE"or "AGUA." But most recently, he worked on her very first EP High Maintenance, which dropped on March 16, 2018, and earned favorable reviews.

But Zaytoven isn't her only famous relative. Saweetie is also reportedly related to MC Hammer. She opened up about her familial ties to musicians in an interview with Billboard, saying, "Our family grew up with the Burrell's [MC Hammer's family]. My cousin's dad is MC Hammer, and another one of my cousins is Zaytoven." She added, "We all grew up together and it's interesting to see how we turned out."

We've all heard stories of female hip hop artists being asked or encouraged to pump up their images to fulfill the sex symbol stereotype, whether it's dressing provocatively, dancing in a sexual manner, speaking seductivel y, or penning sexually-charged lyrics. Just take a look at Nicki Minaj or Lil Kim, for example. Though the aforementioned behaviors are often used as one of many tactics to secure dominance and attention in the entertainment world, Saweetie has made it very clear that she's not into reducing herself to eye candy for clout.

"When I show skin it's gonna make sense. I don't just show skin to show skin. It's ok when other female rappers do it, however, that's just not my demeanor," she explained to HipHopDX. "If you look at my Instagram, I don't come off that way. I wasn't raised that way and that's cool. Sometimes I'm sexy and I'll put on a bikini. The boobs might be out a little here and there but I don't ever do it when it don't make sense. I feel like we should always represent ourselves as the truest and most authentic way possible. I don't have no problem doing that, it just has to make sense."