I have my Icy brand, so one day when I do have the time I'll create my own fashion line.
I went from being a hustler, working different jobs to renting rooms off Craigslist, and I just wasn't happy.
I like my visuals to feel like movies.
I've been wanting to do music since I was 14, but like I've really always enjoyed giving speeches and I enjoy talking to people, so I was like, maybe I can be a newscaster.
What I really love about the Bay area sound is that it's very unique and that's something I want to strive for, as an artist. It's easy to get caught up in what's trending, but Bay area rap stays true to the local sound.
Well, most of my sessions have been with Hit-Boy and London, so I haven't had the opportunity to really vibe a lot in person with the other producers. But they're super open to experimenting and taking direction really well and they have good energy.
When you're a college student interested in music, you hear all these rappers talking about dropping out. For me, when I heard someone like J. Cole rapping about school and staying in school...it inspired me to keep going.
I stopped listening to a lot of music because I wanted to become more comfortable with what I naturally sound like.
That's what's most annoying - when people in this industry act like they don't know me. And they say it in a way where you can just feel that it's shade.
We all want to be identified as someone cool, and I have struggled with repping where I'm from and my heritage before. It's part of growing pains. But when people see me being proud of what I am - and they are what I am too - it makes them proud. That's why I try to represent my Asian and my black side.
Y'all should be happy for me. It's funny, compared to my peers, my catalog isn't even that big, but I'm still getting a lot of notoriety because my songs do really well. I'm working hard and minding my own business and trying to do something I'm super passionate about.
Especially as an artist, the creative freedom we have makes us who we are. We're human beings-we're gonna mess up sometimes. I definitely feel like people should continue being who they are. As long as you're staying true to who you are, that's super important.
I feel like an EP is for practice and an album is the game.
I performed in high school for Black History Month at a talent show, but besides that I didn't have the resources to perform so I spent my time as a teenager writing music.
I founded my label last November called Icy, and once my foundation is laid, I'd love to go back and help other artists and give them the opportunity that I wasn't given at a younger age.
I was already writing poetry, so I transitioned from writing poetry a cappella to writing over beats, and it was way more exciting to me that way.
I'm the type of person where I'll take on anything because I like to work so much.
My grandmother used to call me Sweetie, and I really loved it.
If the public doesn't receive what you say, people can start to build your brand for you.
It's important for women to have each other's backs. I'd like my label to give women the resources they need to flourish.
