Tierra Whack | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Tierra Helena Whack |
Also known as | Dizzle Dizz |
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | August 11, 1995
Genres | |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2011–present |
Labels | Interscope [3] |
Website | tierrawhackmerch |
Tierra Helena Whack (born August 11, 1995) [4] [5] is an American rapper and singer. She originally performed as "Dizzle Dizz" as a teenager but reverted to her birth name in 2017. [6] Her debut mixtape, Whack World , was released in May 2018 and received widespread critical acclaim. [7] Her song "Mumbo Jumbo" was nominated at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Music Video. [8] Whack has since collaborated with Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Tyler, the Creator, Chief Keef, and Melanie Martinez.
Whack was born in 1995 and grew up living with two younger siblings and their mother in North Philadelphia. [9] In a 2018 interview with The Fader , Whack mentioned that she and her father are estranged. [4] She was an introverted child who wrote to help herself deal with insecurities. [10] As a child, Whack loved the author Dr. Seuss to the extent that she would rhyme the sentences together in her homework assignments. [10]
Whack pinpointed the exact moment when her love for rhyming began. She had to rhyme for a homework assignment for class and after receiving positive feedback, she continued with it. She later asked her mother for composition books to fill with rhymes and lyrics before she eventually started recording herself. [11]
Whack attended The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush in Philadelphia for three years before finishing high school in Atlanta. [4] At Benjamin Rush, she was a vocal major and was one of the few black students in a predominantly white graduating class. [4] With some difficulty, she and her friends persuaded their principal to let them perform the finale from Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit for the school vocal showcase; [4] Whack performed a rap verse in the song. Later in Whack's career, she toured with Lauryn Hill, who starred in the 1993 film.
At around fifteen, Whack who went by the moniker "Dizzle Dizz" appeared in a 2011 freestyle video produced by Philadelphia's underground music collective We Run the Streets. [12] Her mother drove past the group of men freestyling and encouraged her to join. [13] She released several tracks as Dizzle Dizz including "Dizzy Rascvls", but struggled with depression in the months afterwards. [4] Despite being a teenager, Whack gained notoriety in the streets of Philadelphia as "Dizzle Dizz." [14] Although she had growing fame, Whack grew bored. There was no way to make money in freestyling and no way to creatively grow. She claimed there was little experimentation and growth beyond battle rapping if she were to stay in Philadelphia. [9] Her mother elected to move out of Philadelphia so Whack could finish school. [4] After going to Atlanta with her mother, Whack began working at a Mister Car Wash allowing her to save for a Mac laptop and start recording her music. She was often the only woman working on the line at the car wash, and her former manager said she was a memorable person with an impressive drive, which Whack credits to her mother. [15]
In Atlanta, Whack kept a low profile, having felt the effects of fame back home. She wanted to keep to herself to have a chance to solely focus on her music. [9] By the time she returned to Philadelphia, she had a laptop full of two years' worth of music, which she never ended up sharing with anyone. [16] She left her family behind in Atlanta. During that time she was homeless for three months and hopped around staying at friends' homes but refused to return to Atlanta. She believed staying in Philadelphia would be best for her music career. [9]
By 2015, Whack was in Philadelphia and she reconnected with Kenete Simms, a sound engineer and music producer whom she knew from her teenage years. [4] Whack credits Simms as being her collaborator. [4] After she returned to working with Simms she learned how to properly mix her own music. Simms helped her use equipment in order to help her make music more easily. [16] In 2017, she signed with Interscope Records; [4] Johnny Montina is her manager. [14]
In March 2017, Whack made her debut as Tierra Whack with three tracks, including "Toe Jam" and "Sh_ Happens". In October 2017, she released "Mumbo Jumbo", a hip-hop single and accompanying music video which featured the young rapper performing while wearing a mouth prop. [4] Most of the lyrics to the track are purposefully unintelligible. [4] She also toured with Flying Lotus in 2017. [4]
Whack's debut fifteen-track mixtape, [17] Whack World , was released on May 30, 2018 and received a "Best New Music" accolade from Pitchfork . Critics praised the unusual format of the album—each song lasting precisely one minute. She released each short track on Instagram, each accompanied by a short film directed by Thibaut Duverneix and Mathieu Léger. [6] The multimedia project received widespread critical acclaim. Robert Christgau gave the album an A-minus and reported in Vice that his wife, fellow critic Carola Dibbell, loved the video, saying, "it gave me reason for living". [18]
Often referred to[ by whom? ] as the "Missy Elliott" of this generation, Whack has gained a great amount of acclaim for the creativity and eccentricity of her music videos. The track "Mumbo Jumbo" received a nomination for Best Music Video for the 2019 Grammy Awards. [19] In October 2018, Whack traveled to Tokyo for a long-term artistic sabbatical. [4]
In an episode of Genius' The Cosign series on YouTube in which current artists who have been in the industry have the opportunity to watch videos of newer artists, rapper Remy Ma chose to cosign Whack. Even though she mentioned seeing potential in each of the artists, Remy said, "I pick(ed) her because I feel like she brought the entire package as far as the song, the delivery, the vocals, and the actual visual. I feel like she did something that was super out of the ordinary, and I enjoyed it... I wanna watch it again." In the episode of The Cosign, Whack's music video for her single "Unemployed" was put in a group with music videos from other female MCs including Kash Doll, CupcakKe, Mulatto, Tay Money, and That Girl Lay Lay.
She has recorded as-yet-unreleased music with Meek Mill and Childish Gambino. [4] In 2018, she toured with 6lack on his world tour, From East Atlanta with Love. Briana Younger, the writer for The Fader , wrote that "popular and mainstream rap hasn't championed a darker-skinned woman since Missy Elliot...and Whack seems poised to be the one." Whack acknowledged that women in the music industry often aren't afforded the privilege to make art for art's sake, but she refuses to let that inhibit her. [20] Beginning February 19, 2019, Whack released one single per week for five weeks in a series she called "#whackhistorymonth." [21] These singles included "Only Child", "Clones", "Gloria", "Wasteland", and "Unemployed". [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] Whether these tracks will be released under a full-length album has not yet been revealed. Whack has said that she is not thinking about a timeline for a new album, saying "I'm not gonna drive myself crazy. I'm having fun creating what I'm creating." [15] Whack collaborated with Flying Lotus on the song "Yellow Belly" for his 2019 album Flamagra and she was later named as one of the members of XXL's "2019 Freshman Class" on June 20, 2019. [27] She appeared at many festivals in the 2019 festival season including Coachella, Primavera Sound, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Camp Flog Gnaw, Osheaga, and Austin City Limits. [28] Her song "Unemployed" is featured in the football game FIFA 20 .
Whack co-wrote and was featured in Melanie Martinez's single "Copy Cat", which was released on February 10, 2020. It marks the first time that Whack has worked in a professional capacity with Melanie Martinez. [29] In May 2020, Whack appeared alongside American rapper Lil Yachty on the song "T.D" which features rappers ASAP Rocky and Tyler, the Creator. The song was #84 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Whack's first entry on the chart. She featured on the song "Me x 7" by Alicia Keys, taken from her seventh studio album, Alicia, in September 2020. Her 2017 single, "Mumbo Jumbo", had an accompanying music video that garnered a Best Music Video nomination for the 2019 Grammy Awards. [19]
In October 2020, Whack released her first solo single of the year titled "Dora". [30] In November 2020, she appeared in the 2020 Apple holiday commercial "The Magic of Mini" which featured the new singles, "Peppers and Onions" and "feel good" which were released coinciding with the introduction of the commercial. [31] [32] In April 2021, she released a single titled "Link". The music video, created in partnership with the LEGO Group, had Whack sit with a group of schoolchildren as part of Lego's "Rebuild the World" campaign, using their ideas as inspiration for the video. [33] [34] In December 2021, she released three EPs, Rap?, Pop? and R&B?. [35]
March 15, 2024, Whack released her 2nd studio album "World Wide Whack" under Interscope Records, it received a 7.3 on the Pitchfork web site. [36] In June 2024, she performed a Tiny Desk Concert featuring some songs from her new album; "Mood Swing","Accessible", "Ms. Behave", "Imaginary Friends", "Moovies", "27 Club" and "Shower Song" as well as earlier favorites: "Flea Market", "Pretty Ugly", and "Hungry Hippo". The concert featured the mascot Phillie Phanatic as a proud supporter of her birth city quoting "anything Philly is all me". [37]
Whack's beginnings in rap started with battle rapping and it is something she looks upon fondly. While she appreciates the foundation which it gave her for her music, she wanted to aim higher than just rap battles. Seeing artists such as Lauryn Hill, Andre 3000, and Eminem had inspired her to become a true artist. In doing so, she would be seen as something more serious than just a battle rapper. [38]
Whack cites Outkast, Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes, and Kelis as some of her musical influences. [39] Whack claims there are many different things which inspire and motivate her and she wants to be able to portray those to her fans in her music. [38] She credits Sesame Street and the children's book No! David as some of her influences; that is clearly seen through her visuals from her album's music video. [9] Her inspirations come from everything, from her relationships to people to inanimate objects. [39] Her single, "Only Child", for example, was created after dating a man whose behavior she aligned with that of someone who grew up an only child. [40]
Whack's mother is often credited as one of if not the biggest inspirations for her music. She recalls her mother playing gangster rap during car rides. [11] For her single "Unemployed", her mother helped her create the key musical hook. [41]
Whack has written poetry since she was a child. [42] Writing was a way for her to deal with her shyness and insecurities. [13] She is also an accomplished spoken word performer. [12]
She lives in Philadelphia with her mother and her two siblings. [4] She is still "Philly-based," saying that Philadelphia is her home and where she feels grounded. [43] She owns a cat, whom she named Starkey after the Whole Foods brand of sparkling water. [4] She does not drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. [4] She is severely allergic to insects, a condition she satirizes in the music video for her 2018 track, "Bugs Life". [42]
Title | Album details |
---|---|
World Wide Whack |
|
Title | Mixtape details |
---|---|
Whack World |
|
Title | EP details |
---|---|
Rap? |
|
Pop? |
|
R&B? |
|
Title | Year | Peak Chart Positions | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US [45] | NZ Hot [46] | |||
"Toe Jam" [47] | 2017 | — | — | Non-album singles |
"Child Please" [48] | — | — | ||
"Shit Happens" [49] | — | — | ||
"Mumbo Jumbo" [50] | — | — | ||
"Hungry Hippo" [51] | 2019 | — | — | Whack World |
"Only Child" [52] | — | — | Non-album singles | |
"Clones" [53] | — | — | ||
"Gloria" [54] | — | — | ||
"Wasteland" [55] | — | — | ||
"Unemployed" [56] | — | — | ||
"T.D" (with Lil Yachty featuring ASAP Rocky & Tyler, the Creator) [57] | 2020 | 83 | 11 | Lil Boat 3 |
"Dora" [30] | — | — | Non-album singles | |
"Peppers and Onions" | — | — | ||
"Feel Good" | — | — | ||
"Link" | 2021 | — | — | |
"8" | — | — | Madden NFL 22 | |
"Walk The Beat" | — | — | Non-album single | |
"Chanel Pit" | 2023 | — | — | World Wide Whack |
"Shower Song" | 2024 | — | — | |
"27 Club" | — | — |
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Pull Up on You" [58] (Temi Oni featuring Tierra Whack) | 2018 | Non-album singles |
"Copy Cat" [59] (Melanie Martinez featuring Tierra Whack) | 2020 | |
"Me x 7" [60] (Alicia Keys featuring Tierra Whack) | Alicia |
Title | Year | Other performer(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Yin/Yang" [61] | 2019 | Student 1 | Upprclssmn |
"Yellow Belly" [62] | Flying Lotus | Flamagra | |
"My Power" [63] | Beyoncé, Moonchild Sanelly, Nija | The Lion King: The Gift | |
"Xtra" [64] | 2021 | Willow | lately i feel EVERYTHING |
"Black Magic Woman" | 2022 | — | Minions: Rise of Gru (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
"Banded Up" | 2024 | Chief Keef | Almighty So 2 |
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott, also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the R&B girl group Sista during the 1990s, who were part of the larger musical collective Swing Mob—led by DeVante Swing of Jodeci. The former group's commercially unsuccessful debut album, 4 All the Sistas Around da World (1994), was released by Elektra Records and met with positive critical reception. She collaborated with album's producer and Swing Mob cohort Timbaland to work in songwriting and production for other acts, yielding commercially successful releases for 702, Aaliyah, SWV, and Total.
Ciara Princess Wilson is an American singer and songwriter. She was discovered by record producer Jazze Pha in the early 2000s, and rose to prominence with her debut studio album, Goodies (2004). Its namesake lead single peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, while the follow-ups, "1, 2 Step" and "Oh", both peaked at number two on the chart. The album received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and received two nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. Ciara also guest appeared on the 2005 singles "Lose Control" by Missy Elliott and "Like You" by Bow Wow, both of which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
Simbiatu "Simbi" Abisola Abiola Ajikawo, better known by her stage name Little Simz, is an English-Nigerian rapper. She rose to prominence with the independent release of her first three albums: A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons (2015), Stillness in Wonderland (2016) and Grey Area (2019), the last of which was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and won the awards for Best Album at both the Ivor Novello Awards and the NME Awards.
American singer Teyana Taylor has released three studio albums, one compilation album, three mixtapes, and fifteen singles. In 2009, Taylor released her first mixtape, From a Planet Called Harlem, which included her debut single "Google Me". It debuted at its peak of number ninety on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Around this time, Taylor featured on songs with the likes of Trey Songz, Missy Elliott, and Kanye West. Taylor has spoken about her inspiration from fellow female musician Lauryn Hill, which was noted with the release of her second mixtape in 2012. The mixtape, entitled The Misunderstanding of Teyana Taylor, takes its name from Hill's album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
Elizabeth Eden Harris, known professionally as Cupcakke, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter known for her hypersexualized, brazen, and often comical persona and music.
Katorah Kasanova Marrero, better known by her stage name Young M.A, is an American rapper. She is best known for her 2016 single "Ooouuu", which peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received quintuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Its accompanying music video also became a viral hit, receiving over 400 million views on YouTube by 2019. Marrero's debut studio album, Herstory in the Making (2019) peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200 and was met with positive reception.
Ricardo Valdez Valentine Jr., known professionally as 6lack, is an American R&B singer, rapper, and songwriter. Born in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he gained recognition following the release of his 2016 single "Prblms", which marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. He signed with Love Renaissance, an imprint of Interscope Records to release his debut studio album, Free 6lack (2016), which was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion gained a cult following among his young fan base during his short career with his depression- and alienation-themed music. Critics and fans often credit him for his musical versatility, with his music exploring emo, trap, trap metal, nu metal, indie rock, lo-fi, hip hop, R&B, and punk rock. He was considered to be a leading figure in the establishment of the emo rap and SoundCloud rap genres, which garnered mainstream attention during the mid-to-late 2010s.
Belcalis Marlenis Cephus, known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper. Noted for her unfiltered public image and lyrics, Cardi B is one of the most successful female artists in contemporary music. From 2015 to early 2017, she gained recognition on Vine and Instagram, as a cast member on VH1's Love & Hip Hop: New York, and by releasing two mixtapes.
Danielle Balbuena, known professionally as 070 Shake, is an American rapper and singer. She is best known for her guest appearance on English singer Raye's 2022 single "Escapism", which peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaked atop the UK Singles Chart, and won Song of the Year at the 2024 Brit Awards, as well as her features on American rapper Kanye West's tracks, particularly the 2018 song Ghost Town.
Frank Jahmier Childress, known professionally as Comethazine, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is best known for his platinum-selling single "Walk", which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and "Bands". Both songs were included on his debut mixtape, Bawskee (2018).
Khadimou Rassoul Cheikh Fall, known professionally as Sheck Wes, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 2017 song "Mo Bamba", which became viral the following year and peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100.
Octavian Oliver Lanoire, known mononymously as Octavian, is a French-British rapper, singer, and songwriter from London. In 2019 he won the BBC's Sound of Award, their top award for new artists. He has appeared on tracks produced by Diplo, Mura Masa, Take a Daytrip, JRick and A2. He has collaborated with Skepta, A$AP Ferg, Gorillaz, and many others.
Anthony Tremaine Dixson, known professionally as Westside Boogie, is an American rapper. His debut mixtape, Thirst 48, was released on June 24, 2014, followed by his second, The Reach a year later. He signed a recording contract with Interscope Records in 2015, which entered a joint venture with Eminem's Shady Records two years later. His debut studio album, Everythings for Sale, was released on January 25, 2019. His second album, More Black Superheroes was released on June 17, 2022.
Whack World is the debut mixtape by American rapper Tierra Whack. It was released on May 30, 2018, by Interscope Records. The album is mainly produced by Kenete Simms and Nick Verruto, and conscripts other producers including J Melodic, RicandThadeus, DJ Fly Guy, and Scott Styles. It was mixed and engineered by Kenete Simms and mastered by Chris Athens. The album artwork—of an arcade claw machine—was designed by Nick Canonica and features a sculpture made by Philadelphia artist Caroline Kunka.
Darrell Wayne Caldwell, known professionally as Drakeo the Ruler, was an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. He became known for his rapping flow, as well as his "oddly expressive, poetic word-choices", leading the Los Angeles Times to call him "the most original West Coast stylist in decades". His 2021 single, "Talk to Me" entered the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and preceded his debut studio album, The Truth Hurts (2021).
Ashton Nicole Casey, known professionally as Ashnikko, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Her 2019 single "Stupid" featuring Yung Baby Tate gained viral popularity on the video-sharing platform TikTok and was certified platinum in the United States and Canada. Ashnikko's debut mixtape, Demidevil, was released in January 2021, and spawned the singles "Daisy" and "Slumber Party". Her studio album, Weedkiller, came in 2023.
Rap? is the debut EP by American rapper Tierra Whack. It was released on December 2, 2021, by Interscope Records. The album is mainly produced by J Melodic and conscripts other producers including J-Louis, Sam Gellaitry and T-Minus.
World Wide Whack is the debut studio album by American rapper Tierra Whack, released on March 15, 2024, by Interscope Records. Whack portrays an alter ego in the cover art for the album and its music videos, including in that for the first single "Shower Song". The album received acclaim from critics.