Few things matter more than the people around an artist when it comes to taking their career to new levels. For Sacramento rapper Stunna Girl, that person was her father. At the age of 8, she was shown how to record music in her dad's makeshift home studio. From that point on, she was ready to be an artist, starting off as a singer in the early years of her music journey. By 12, she was rapping. At that time, she dealt with stints in juvenile hall for fighting and robbery from ages 12 to 14, then spent three years in a youth jail for assaults, robberies and using fake IDs. She was released from behind bars at 17.
Following her release from jail, Stunna Girl began dropping more music. After a 2018 filled with freestyles she shared on the internet, she dropped her first mixtape, YKWTFGO (You Know What the Fuck Goin' On), last March. The tape features her raucous energy, high-pitched tone and "Runway," the hit song that went viral on TikTok and boosted her profile.
A fitting title, "Runway" is about looking one's best, and embracing self-confidence. At the time in 2019, Stunna Girl had no idea her song was taking off globally until her little sister FaceTimed her and told Stunna Girl to check out TikTok. "Runway" was taking off, elevated by the Runway Challenge, which showcased TikTok users flexing their ’fits. The track has since reached 24 million Spotify streams, and on YouTube, an unofficial upload of the banger sits at 10 million while the official video nears 1 million views. Labels started calling Stunna Girl, and she eventually decided to team up with Epic Records.
Now, the West Coast rapper has her second mixtape, Hannnn, on the way. She's embracing the positivity in her life these days, and successfully finding a way out of her rough past. Catch up with Stunna Girl in this week's edition of The Break.
Age: 21
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.
I grew up listening to: "A lot of old school R&B. Sade, Donnell Jones, Jodeci, I like that type of music. Donnell Jones, I just really liked his music. It was soulful, very catchy. My mom used to stay blasting that shit."
My style’s been compared to: "I don't get a lot of comparisons. People can't even compare me."
I’m going to blow up because: "I know I'ma blow up. I already knew I was gonna do this. I'm just unique and I'm me. It just works."
What’s your most slept-on song, and why? "'Back in the Day.' It was around the time I didn't have a label push or anything. I just feel like the song is really a classic. It didn't get the proper attention and gas put behind it, but that song's very slept on. Even the video, I had to scrape up and do what I had to do. The song was very soulful."
My standout records to date have been: "'Runway' is definitely my biggest song, and I knew putting it on the project. When I made the song in the studio, everyone hated it. And I'm telling you, my own people was like, 'Don't put this song there!" When I made this song, I was literally walking, I look like I'm fresh off the runway. It made me wanna get up and strut. It was funny because I even started sleeping on the song a couple months past. My dude was like, 'You need to make a video for that song. That song is a hit.'"
My standout moments to date have been: "When my song started going viral. It really was my little sister. She doesn't know my music, so when she was really excited for me, and I seen her video, and she called me on FaceTime, I just saw the look in her eyes. She's in elementary school. She called me and let me know what's up. I'm like, 'Yeah, I did it.'"
Most people don’t know: "I'm pretty much open. I wouldn't say there's anything I'm hiding. I got no skeletons."
I’m going to be the next: "Biggest artist of all time."
Follow Stunna Girl on SoundCloud and Instagram.
Standouts:
"Runway"
"Back in the Day"
"Like I Said Tho"
YKWTFGO
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