Rubi Rose's career path has come a long way since she first started out rapping for fun in the dorms at Georgia State University in Atlanta, the school in which she is still enrolled. Before the Lexington, Ky. native was recognized for her rhymes by her peers, her big break came four years ago, when she was tapped to be the leading lady in the Migos' 2016 video for their smash hit "Bad and Boujee"—she's in the red sweater hopping out of the passenger side of the whip. Two years later, rap fans got a preview of what she had to offer when "On Top," her collab with her ex-boyfriend, Playboi Carti, leaked in 2018, and received rave reviews online.
The song was first recorded in 2016, and then Rubi dropped the version featuring her verse in 2018, thus officially starting her rap career. Moving forward, she became popular around ATL for her music. Plus, that unique, deep tone in her voice makes her stand out from the rest. She began to get helping hands, too, whether it be the assistance of other GSU students or being offered studio time. In 2019, Rubi's buzz began to pick up after she released her confident ladies anthem "Big Mouth" and the labels started calling. Now at 8 million views on YouTube and nearly 8 million Spotify streams, the get-hype track is a hit and TikTok helped with that. Lines like "Face to face with it, can't be beefin' through no FaceTime/Cool with all the thugs since my nigga taught me gang signs/Bad bitch, bitches be like, 'Where the fuck your waistline?'/Body like a pornstar, he fuck me like he fresh out" are what helped "Big Mouth" gain popularity on the video platform as plenty of TikTokers danced to those specifically.
That same year, Rubi signed a deal with Hitco Entertainment, choosing L.A. Reid's label because their team believed in her. From there, she dropped "Hit Yo Dance" featuring Yella Beezy and NLE Choppa—the song has been streamed nearly 4 million times on Spotify to date. Her latest single is "Pretty MF," which has already been streamed more than 550,000 times in less than two weeks. Now she has an upcoming project, currently untitled, on the way. With a happy, youthful disposition combined with all seriousness about her career—she's also graduating from Georgia State this year—Rubi Rose is ready for whatever comes next.
Catch up on her journey so far in this week's edition of The Break.
Age: 22
Hometown: Lexington, Ky.
I grew up listening to: "Prince, Michael Jackson, Biggie, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan. [Prince is] just different. From how he looks to how he sounds, I just liked it. Sultriness of him and the sexiness and femininity. He's sexy to me. I loved him."
My style’s been compared to: "Foxy Brown, Pop Smoke. I don't know, I think people just… I don't know, people with deep voices."
I’m going to blow up because: "Not to toot my horn, but I just know I'm the whole package. I sound good. My sound is different. My tone is different. I have a natural look, you know what I'm saying? I'm not the ugliest thing. And I have my head on straight. I'm in school. I know I'm up to date. I'm woke. I'm all that. So, yeah."
What’s your most slept-on song, and why? "'Big Mouth' is my best song and it's slept-on, I don't know. I want some more girls to hear it, and I [want to] start putting out more music to get it heard more and get my name known more. That's an anthem period."
My standout records to date have been: "As of right now? That's out to the public? 'Big Mouth.'"
My standout moments to date have been: "So far, getting booked for all the Rolling Louds, every single one. I'm excited. I'm thankful. I'm very, very, very, very excited about it."
Most people don’t know: "I'm African; Eritrea. It's East Africa. I can speak French."
I’m going to be the next: "I'm going to be next icon. I'm trying to be like Madonna."
Follow Rubi Rose on SoundCloud and Instagram.
Standouts:
"Big Mouth"
"Hit Yo Dance" featuring Yella Beezy and NLE Choppa
"Pretty MF"
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