Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the artist formerly known by the stage name “Dizzle Dizz” is quickly taking over the music industry. Now referred to by her birth name, Tierra Whack is a unique singer, songwriter, and performer whose whimsical style and fast-paced raps have placed her in the spotlight. Though many of her songs fall under the rap genre, she does not prefer to define herself as a rapper – rather, she would like to be called an artist and an entertainer.
Among her inspirations are famous rappers including Missy Elliot, Busta Rhymes, and Lauryn Hill, but Whack also cites Dr. Seuss as a big influence in her life and style; in fact, she titled a song on her debut album “Whack World” as “Dr. Seuss.” This album, which contains 15 songs that are one minute in length each, was released in May 2018 along with a 15 minute video that contained a short music video for each song. Dubbing this video an “auditory and visual project,” Whack knew that she had to do something more than simply releasing music to make an impact.
Watching “Whack World” is like stepping into Whack’s world, surrounded by vibrant colors and going in and out of different scenes for each song. Following the success of her debut album, Whack went on to release a series of singles in February of 2019 with the hashtag #WhackHistoryMonth to promote the music. In her rise to fame, Whack has gained fans in some of today’s most popular artists, including A$AP Rocky, Solange, and Flying Lotus, with the former praising her as “one of today’s best female rappers” in an interview on Beats 1 Radio.
Prior to any dreams of being a performer, Whack notes that poetry and writing are what led her to the world of rap. As a child, she would fill notebooks with her rhymes as a way to express herself before her uncle had the idea to put her rhymes over a beat and rap. She quickly found that she had a natural talent for rapping as well as freestyling – with Philadelphia known as “the city of spitters” this is no surprise. In 2011 and at just 15 years old, while going by the stage name “Dizzle Dizz,” Whack was featured on the popular YouTube channel “WERUNTHESTREETS” in a video showcasing her above-average freestyling skills. Following this video’s popularity, Whack and her family briefly moved out of Philadelphia and to Atlanta, Georgia, where Whack focused on finding herself and her style. Shortly after this move, and more determined than ever to make a name for herself in the music industry, Whack returned to her hometown with her own style and originality that has yet to be seen in the rap world.
When asked about the reasoning behind her one-minute songs in “Whack World” during an interview with Pitchfork, Whack said she “just didn’t want to overwhelm the world,” and knew that she could showcase her talent and unique style in short songs. This way, new listeners can decide their feelings on her without having to sit through a three or four minute song; “when I’m listening to new albums, I’m only listening to the first 30 seconds before I know if I like it or not.” This honesty is in-line with Whack’s open personality and is more than fitting for today’s fast-paced society. Whack was also able to give fans a taste of her eccentric style with the 15 different videos for the album, condensed into one video for the whole album. By doing something so daring and unique as this, Whack stood out in the music industry and was able to truly make her name known.
Though she has not released another album following “Whack World,” Whack has gone on tours in the U.S. and the UK to promote her album and singles, and to connect with fans. With the goal of producing something that has never been done before, the artist is continuously working to show the world something new and unique. Much like her eccentric outfits and style, the future is looking bright for this Grammy nominated artist on the rise.
