World Wide Whackis out March 15.
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She called the song 27 Club, she says, because I planned to end my life at 27.
Im 28 now, so I made it through.
Im figuring it out.
Generally, Whacks work resembles off-kilterSesame Streetepisodes with creepier concepts.
It never gets too dark, even when she shows flashes of sadness.
I came up kinda rough.
My mom was single, working many jobs.
Then I find this hobby: me writing poetry, then rapping.
Then I realize I wanna make this my thing.
The video went viral, and We execute the Streets became her management team.
My mom used to always dress me in bright colors.
I would stand out, Whack remembers, laughing.
In school, everybody would have the navy-blue thing, and she would get me bright red and orange.
But despite the virality of that work, she didnt love her Dizzle Dizz persona.
Everyone was happy for me, but I wasnt happy.
I just felt like I was selling myself short, she toldThe Faderback in 2018.
It changed her financial situation immediately.
Im thinking Im about to have to get two jobs and figure it out, she says.
God sent me the perfect blessing.
Two days before her 21st birthday, she found her grandmother unresponsive.
It was the first time she had encountered a dead body.
Meanwhile, her fame was ratcheting up.Whack Worlddropped the following year and received rave reviews.
Lauryn Hill invited her to open at a tour stop in Philadelphia, and Andre 3000 became a mentor.
In 2019, Beyonce enlisted Whack as a featured artist onThe Lion King: The Giftalbum.
But instead, Whack went fairly quiet.
that didnt inspire much conversation.
But she didnt release an actual album.
I was at a breaking point.I was looking for a reason to do it.
But I was too cowardly to do it myself, she says of her ideations.
(She bangs the table with every word for emphasis.)
The stillness imposed by the pandemic helped.
It was like a gift and a curse because I was running, she says.
The discipline of having to sit still and sit with your thoughts, I needed that.
She started seeing a therapist and doing more physical activity: playing basketball and riding her bike.
Luckily,Whack Worldpaid her bills even when she wasnt producing more music.
Everything opened up: sync placements, shows, different branding deals.
People were on me.
It fed me for six years.
Thats how I know I made a classic.
She seems to be in a better headspace these days.
Shes committed to her hometown, too.
I dont wanna be nowhere else, she says.
A lot of my friends be tryna shit on Philly, and I tell them to shut up.
Theyre ready to take their next check and get out of here.
Im like, What is so wrong with the city?
The 15-track project feels like a burial of Whacks former self.
Remnants of that other person are still there: the playfulness, the world-building, the commitment to experimentation.
But theres so much more self-reflection going on.
At the end, night falls, and shes flattened until the next day, when the cycle repeats.
An unlikely source of inspiration the 2021 documentaryBitchin: The Sound and Fury of Rick James set her free.
Its one of the best documentaries Ive ever seen, she says.
Previously unaware of them, Whack paused the film and started to do some light research.
It gave me chills.
Im like,Yo, I wanna make something like this, she recalls.
The vibe was already there.
They found the right drums, then I said, I can show you how it feels.
I cried, and I was like, This is what Ive been trying to say.
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