Saweetie Credits Grandmother for Her Name and Fly Style
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Saweetie seeing her favorite lady pamper herself with weekly hair and nail appointments while running a successful Bay Area real estate company is what influenced the multi-platinum hip hop artist.
"She was getting that money. She was fly when she was doing it, and it really influenced me to just wanna be fly for myself, period," Saweetie says about her grandmother.
Since her first job selling candy at school, the My Type rapper has been a boss. "If you wanted candy during class, all you had to do was hit my AIM, and I'd get my bathroom pass and meet you at the bathroom," she says recalling her old high school days. Saweetie may have gone from hustling candy as a kid to hosting the MTV EMAs in 2021, it's clear she hasn't lost her hunger for success. She reveals the secrets to being icy in our Badass Questionnaire series below.
"So the B stands for boss. The I stands for independent—the T for tough. The C stands for CEO because I run my own shit, and the H stands for hyphy because I love turning up and having a good time," Saweetie explains of her acronym for her favorite curse word.
"I really wanted to change the discourse of what bitch meant and what pretty meant," she shares. For the Bay Area native, being pretty is all about the energy you give. That means being a "pretty bad bitch" requires having good energy and positive vibes. "Cause if your attitude is stank, that means your energy is stank, and don't nobody wanna be around no stank energy," she adds.
Although Saweetie is inspired by her grandmother's style and influenced by the women on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest, she believes it takes more work than our outer appearances to be a badass woman.
"A badass woman knows she's a badass woman internally. When you internally feel like a bad bitch then you truly are a bad bitch," she says. One simple way she feels confident in who she is as a woman is when she is drinking plenty of water.
Saweetie also feels empowered when she is in full creative control of her work. It's why she admires the work ethic of the women who have come before her in entertainment. The business savvy of Rihanna inspires the entertainer. The creative heights Beyoncé takes her artistry, the versatility of Queen Latifah, and Eve's freestyle capabilities show her the possibilities of her career.
"I think success is bumpy, and it's not pretty. So if you wanna be successful, you have to welcome obstacles and challenges," she says.