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Tierra Whack

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Tierra Whack
Whack in 2018
Whack in 2018
Background information
Birth nameTierra Helena Whack
Also known asDizzle Dizz
Born (1995-08-11) August 11, 1995 (age 29)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2011–present
LabelsInterscope[3]
Websitetierrawhackmerch.net

Tierra Helena Whack (born August 11, 1995)[4][5] is an American rapper and singer. She originally performed as "Dizzle Dizz" as a teenager but reverted to her birth name in 2017.[6] Her debut mixtape, Whack World, was released in May 2018 and received widespread critical acclaim.[7] Her song "Mumbo Jumbo" was nominated at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Music Video.[8] Whack has since collaborated with Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Tyler, the Creator, Chief Keef, and Melanie Martinez.

Early life and education

[edit]

Whack was born in 1995 and grew up living with two younger siblings and their mother in North Philadelphia.[9] In a 2018 interview with The Fader, Whack mentioned that she and her father are estranged.[4] She was an introverted child who wrote to help herself deal with insecurities.[10] As a child, Whack loved the author Dr. Seuss to the extent that she would rhyme the sentences together in her homework assignments.[10]

Whack pinpointed the exact moment when her love for rhyming began. She had to rhyme for a homework assignment for class and after receiving positive feedback, she continued with it. She later asked her mother for composition books to fill with rhymes and lyrics before she eventually started recording herself.[11]

Whack attended The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush in Philadelphia for three years before finishing high school in Atlanta.[4] At Benjamin Rush, she was a vocal major and was one of the few black students in a predominantly white graduating class.[4] With some difficulty, she and her friends persuaded their principal to let them perform the finale from Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit for the school vocal showcase;[4] Whack performed a rap verse in the song. Later in Whack's career, she toured with Lauryn Hill, who starred in the 1993 film.

At around fifteen, Whack who went by the moniker "Dizzle Dizz" appeared in a 2011 freestyle video produced by Philadelphia's underground music collective We Run the Streets.[12] Her mother drove past the group of men freestyling and encouraged her to join.[13] She released several tracks as Dizzle Dizz including "Dizzy Rascvls", but struggled with depression in the months afterwards.[4] Despite being a teenager, Whack gained notoriety in the streets of Philadelphia as "Dizzle Dizz."[14] Although she had growing fame, Whack grew bored. There was no way to make money in freestyling and no way to creatively grow. She claimed there was little experimentation and growth beyond battle rapping if she were to stay in Philadelphia.[9] Her mother elected to move out of Philadelphia so Whack could finish school.[4] After going to Atlanta with her mother, Whack began working at a Mister Car Wash allowing her to save for a Mac laptop and start recording her music. She was often the only woman working on the line at the car wash, and her former manager said she was a memorable person with an impressive drive, which Whack credits to her mother.[15]

In Atlanta, Whack kept a low profile, having felt the effects of fame back home. She wanted to keep to herself to have a chance to solely focus on her music.[9] By the time she returned to Philadelphia, she had a laptop full of two years' worth of music, which she never ended up sharing with anyone.[16] She left her family behind in Atlanta. During that time she was homeless for three months and hopped around staying at friends' homes but refused to return to Atlanta. She believed staying in Philadelphia would be best for her music career.[9]

Musical career

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2015–2017: Career beginnings

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By 2015, Whack was in Philadelphia and she reconnected with Kenete Simms, a sound engineer and music producer whom she knew from her teenage years.[4] Whack credits Simms as being her collaborator.[4] After she returned to working with Simms she learned how to properly mix her own music. Simms helped her use equipment in order to help her make music more easily.[16] In 2017, she signed with Interscope Records;[4] Johnny Montina is her manager.[14]

In March 2017, Whack made her debut as Tierra Whack with three tracks, including "Toe Jam" and "Sh_ Happens". In October 2017, she released "Mumbo Jumbo", a hip-hop single and accompanying music video which featured the young rapper performing while wearing a mouth prop.[4] Most of the lyrics to the track are purposefully unintelligible.[4] She also toured with Flying Lotus in 2017.[4]

2018–present: Whack World and weekly singles

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Whack's debut fifteen-track mixtape,[17] Whack World, was released on May 30, 2018 and received a "Best New Music" accolade from Pitchfork. Critics praised the unusual format of the album—each song lasting precisely one minute. She released each short track on Instagram, each accompanied by a short film directed by Thibaut Duverneix and Mathieu Léger.[6] The multimedia project received widespread critical acclaim. Robert Christgau gave the album an A-minus and reported in Vice that his wife, fellow critic Carola Dibbell, loved the video, saying, "it gave me reason for living".[18]

Often referred to[by whom?] as the "Missy Elliott" of this generation, Whack has gained a great amount of acclaim for the creativity and eccentricity of her music videos. The track "Mumbo Jumbo" received a nomination for Best Music Video for the 2019 Grammy Awards.[19] In October 2018, Whack traveled to Tokyo for a long-term artistic sabbatical.[4]

In an episode of Genius' The Cosign series on YouTube in which current artists who have been in the industry have the opportunity to watch videos of newer artists, rapper Remy Ma chose to cosign Whack. Even though she mentioned seeing potential in each of the artists, Remy said, "I pick(ed) her because I feel like she brought the entire package as far as the song, the delivery, the vocals, and the actual visual. I feel like she did something that was super out of the ordinary, and I enjoyed it... I wanna watch it again." In the episode of The Cosign, Whack's music video for her single "Unemployed" was put in a group with music videos from other female MCs including Kash Doll, CupcakKe, Mulatto, Tay Money, and That Girl Lay Lay.

She has recorded as-yet-unreleased music with Meek Mill and Childish Gambino.[4] In 2018, she toured with 6lack on his world tour, From East Atlanta with Love. Briana Younger, the writer for The Fader, wrote that "popular and mainstream rap hasn't championed a darker-skinned woman since Missy Elliot...and Whack seems poised to be the one." Whack acknowledged that women in the music industry often aren't afforded the privilege to make art for art's sake, but she refuses to let that inhibit her.[20] Beginning February 19, 2019, Whack released one single per week for five weeks in a series she called "#whackhistorymonth."[21] These singles included "Only Child", "Clones", "Gloria", "Wasteland", and "Unemployed".[22][23][24][25][26] Whether these tracks will be released under a full-length album has not yet been revealed. Whack has said that she is not thinking about a timeline for a new album, saying "I'm not gonna drive myself crazy. I'm having fun creating what I'm creating."[15] Whack collaborated with Flying Lotus on the song "Yellow Belly" for his 2019 album Flamagra and she was later named as one of the members of XXL's "2019 Freshman Class" on June 20, 2019.[27] She appeared at many festivals in the 2019 festival season including Coachella, Primavera Sound, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Camp Flog Gnaw, Osheaga, and Austin City Limits.[28] Her song "Unemployed" is featured in the football game FIFA 20.

Whack co-wrote and was featured in Melanie Martinez's single "Copy Cat", which was released on February 10, 2020. It marks the first time that Whack has worked in a professional capacity with Melanie Martinez.[29] In May 2020, Whack appeared alongside American rapper Lil Yachty on the song "T.D" which features rappers ASAP Rocky and Tyler, the Creator. The song was #84 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Whack's first entry on the chart. She featured on the song "Me x 7" by Alicia Keys, taken from her seventh studio album, Alicia, in September 2020. Her 2017 single, "Mumbo Jumbo", had an accompanying music video that garnered a Best Music Video nomination for the 2019 Grammy Awards.[19]

In October 2020, Whack released her first solo single of the year titled "Dora".[30] In November 2020, she appeared in the 2020 Apple holiday commercial "The Magic of Mini" which featured the new singles, "Peppers and Onions" and "feel good" which were released coinciding with the introduction of the commercial.[31][32] In April 2021, she released a single titled "Link". The music video, created in partnership with the LEGO Group, had Whack sit with a group of schoolchildren as part of Lego's "Rebuild the World" campaign, using their ideas as inspiration for the video.[33][34] In December 2021, she released three EPs, Rap?, Pop? and R&B?.[35]

March 15, 2024, Whack released her 2nd studio album "World Wide Whack" under Interscope Records, it received a 7.3 on the Pitchfork web site.[36] In June 2024, she performed a Tiny Desk Concert featuring some songs from her new album; "Mood Swing","Accessible", "Ms. Behave", "Imaginary Friends", "Moovies", "27 Club" and "Shower Song" as well as earlier favorites: "Flea Market", "Pretty Ugly", and "Hungry Hippo". The concert featured the mascot Phillie Phanatic as a proud supporter of her birth city quoting "anything Philly is all me".[37]

Artistry

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Whack's beginnings in rap started with battle rapping and it is something she looks upon fondly. While she appreciates the foundation which it gave her for her music, she wanted to aim higher than just rap battles. Seeing artists such as Lauryn Hill, Andre 3000, and Eminem had inspired her to become a true artist. In doing so, she would be seen as something more serious than just a battle rapper.[38]

Whack cites Outkast, Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes, and Kelis as some of her musical influences.[39] Whack claims there are many different things which inspire and motivate her and she wants to be able to portray those to her fans in her music.[38] She credits Sesame Street and the children's book No! David as some of her influences; that is clearly seen through her visuals from her album's music video.[9] Her inspirations come from everything, from her relationships to people to inanimate objects.[39] Her single, "Only Child", for example, was created after dating a man whose behavior she aligned with that of someone who grew up an only child.[40]

Whack's mother is often credited as one of if not the biggest inspirations for her music. She recalls her mother playing gangster rap during car rides.[11] For her single "Unemployed", her mother helped her create the key musical hook.[41]

Personal life

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Whack has written poetry since she was a child.[42] Writing was a way for her to deal with her shyness and insecurities.[13] She is also an accomplished spoken word performer.[12]

She lives in Philadelphia with her mother and her two siblings.[4] She is still "Philly-based," saying that Philadelphia is her home and where she feels grounded.[43] She owns a cat, whom she named Starkey after the Whole Foods brand of sparkling water.[4] She does not drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes.[4] She is severely allergic to insects, a condition she satirizes in the music video for her 2018 track, "Bugs Life".[42]

Discography

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Studio albums

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List of studio albums, with selected details
Title Album details
World Wide Whack

Mixtapes

[edit]
List of mixtapes, with selected details
Title Mixtape details
Whack World
  • Released: May 30, 2018[7]
  • Label: Interscope
  • Format: LP, Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

[edit]
List of EPs, with selected details
Title EP details
Rap?
  • Released: December 2, 2021
  • Label: Interscope
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Pop?
  • Released: December 9, 2021
  • Label: Interscope
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
R&B?
  • Released: December 16, 2021
  • Label: Interscope
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

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As lead artist

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List of singles as a lead artist, showing year released
Title Year Peak Chart Positions Album
US
[45] 		NZ
Hot
[46]
"Toe Jam"[47] 2017 — — Non-album singles
"Child Please"[48] — —
"Shit Happens"[49] — —
"Mumbo Jumbo"[50] — —
"Hungry Hippo"[51] 2019 — — Whack World
"Only Child"[52] — — Non-album singles
"Clones"[53] — —
"Gloria"[54] — —
"Wasteland"[55] — —
"Unemployed"[56] — —
"T.D"
(with Lil Yachty featuring ASAP Rocky & Tyler, the Creator)[57] 		2020 83 11 Lil Boat 3
"Dora"[30] — — Non-album singles
"Peppers and Onions" — —
"Feel Good" — —
"Link" 2021 — —
"8" — — Madden NFL 22
"Walk The Beat" — — Non-album single
"Chanel Pit" 2023 — — World Wide Whack
"Shower Song" 2024 — —
"27 Club" — —
[edit]
List of singles as a featured artist, showing year released
Title Year Album
"Pull Up on You"[58]
(Temi Oni featuring Tierra Whack) 		2018 Non-album singles
"Copy Cat"[59]
(Melanie Martinez featuring Tierra Whack) 		2020
"Me x 7"[60]
(Alicia Keys featuring Tierra Whack) 		Alicia

Guest appearances

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List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other performer(s) Album
"Yin/Yang"[61] 2019 Student 1 Upprclssmn
"Yellow Belly"[62] Flying Lotus Flamagra
"My Power"[63] Beyoncé, Moonchild Sanelly, Nija The Lion King: The Gift
"Xtra"[64] 2021 Willow lately i feel EVERYTHING
"Black Magic Woman" 2022 — Minions: Rise of Gru (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
"Banded Up" 2024 Chief Keef Almighty So 2

References

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  1. ^ Simpson, Paul. "Tierra Whack: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  2. ^ Corcoran, Nina (October 30, 2020). "Tierra Whack Is Living Her Best Life on New Song 'Dora': Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  3. ^ "HITS Daily Double : The B-Side – Tierra Whack (Interscope)". HITS Daily Double.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Kameir, Rawiya (November 1, 2018). "Tierra Whack". The Fader. the Fader. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  5. ^ "Tierra Whack on Instagrm". Instagram. August 11, 2018. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Coscarelli, Joe (June 6, 2018). "15 Songs in 15 Minutes: Inside Tierra Whack's Whimsical, Twisted World". The New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Whack World by Tierra Whack". Apple Music. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "Grammys | Tierra Whack". Grammy.com. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e "From homelessness to Philly rap sensation, Tierra Whack is the real deal". Dazed. June 3, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Tierra Whack is on a quest to make hip hop weird again". Huck Magazine. March 20, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Driving around Philly with hip hop original Tierra Whack, June 28, 2018, retrieved October 23, 2019
  12. ^ a b Bailey, Samaria (May 15, 2018). "A conversation with Tierra Whack about self-confidence, Philadelphia and that last name". Revolt.tv. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  13. ^ a b Douze, Khalila (March 20, 2019). "Tierra Whack is on a quest to make hip hop weird again". Huck Magazine. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  14. ^ a b Tierra Whack: Up Next Film Preview | Apple Music, February 27, 2019, retrieved October 23, 2019
  15. ^ a b "Tierra Whack's Labor Of Self-Love, From Car Wash To Critical Mass". NPR.org. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  16. ^ a b Tierra Whack on Hip Hop Culture and the Creative Process | GaryVee Business Meetings, February 10, 2018, retrieved October 23, 2019
  17. ^ Berry, Peter A. (March 15, 2024). "Tierra Whack Delivers on All of Her Potential With Kaleidoscopic World Wide Whack: Album Review". Variety. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  18. ^ Christgau, Robert (July 13, 2018). "Robert Christgau on G.O.O.D Music's Good (and Less Good) Music". Vice. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  19. ^ a b Harvilla, Rob (December 7, 2018). "The Winners and Losers of the 2019 Grammy Nominations". The Ringer. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  20. ^ Younger, Briana. "Tierra Whack is building her own world". The Fader. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  21. ^ Whack, Tierra [@tierrawhack]. "NEW SONG! "Only Child" out now! #whackhistorymonth 😅🤝👑@beats1official @zanelowe [Instagram photo]". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  22. ^ Yoo, Noah (February 19, 2019). "Tierra Whack Drops New Song 'Only Child': Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  23. ^ Strauss, Matthew (February 26, 2019). "Listen to Tierra Whack's New Song 'CLONES'". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  24. ^ Blais-Billie, Braudie; Strauss, Matthew (March 5, 2019). "Tierra Whack Performs on 'Kimmel,' Shares New Song 'Gloria': Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  25. ^ Strauss, Matthew (March 12, 2019). "Tierra Whack Shares New Song 'Wasteland': Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  26. ^ "Tierra Whack – "Unemployed"". Stereogum. March 19, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  27. ^ "XXL Freshman 2019 Cover Revealed". XXL. June 20, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  28. ^ Jaksa, Urska (November 6, 2019). "The Weird Child of Hip Hop: How Tierra Whack Blew Up". Viberate.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  29. ^ "Melanie Martinez's "Copy Cat" Lyrics Meaning". Song Meanings and Facts. February 11, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  30. ^ a b Blistein, Jon (October 30, 2020). "Tierra Whack Returns With First Solo Track of 2020 'Dora'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  31. ^ "The magic of mini feat. Tierra Whack – Apple". YouTube. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  32. ^ "Tierra Whack Drops Two New Songs, 'Peppers and Onions,' 'Feel Good'". Rolling Stone. November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  33. ^ Hussey, Allison (April 6, 2021). "Tierra Whack Shares Video for New Song "Link"". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  34. ^ "Rebuild the World |Tierra Whack | LEGO.com". Lego.com. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  35. ^ Callas, Brad. "Tierra Whack Releases Three EPs". Complex. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  36. ^ Kariisa, Jessica. "Tierra Whack: World Wide Whack Album Review". Complex. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  37. ^ NPR Music (June 7, 2024). "Tierra Whack: Tiny Desk Concert". youtube.com.
  38. ^ a b "Tierra Whack On 'Mumbo Jumbo' & Growing Beyond Battle Rap | THAT NEW NEW | MTV News". January 11, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2019 – via YouTube.
  39. ^ a b "Tierra Whack's 2019 XXL Freshman Interview". July 16, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019 – via YouTube.
  40. ^ "Tierra Whack: Up Next Beats 1 Interview | Apple Music". February 19, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019 – via YouTube.
  41. ^ "Tierra Whack – Unemployed | Song Stories". May 31, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019 – via YouTube.
  42. ^ a b St. Felix, Doreen (July 1, 2018). "Tierra Whack Stretches the Limits of One-Minute Songs". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  43. ^ Cineas, Fabiola (March 23, 2019). "North Philly Rapper Tierra Whack Is the Future of Hip-Hop". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  44. ^ Torres, Eric (January 22, 2024). "Tierra Whack Announces New Album World Wide Whack". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  45. ^ "Lil Yachty – Chart History (Billboard Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  46. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  47. ^ "Toe Jam – Single by Tierra Whack". Apple Music. March 2, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  48. ^ "Child Please – Single by Tierra Whack". Apple Music. March 3, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  49. ^ "S**t Happens – Single by Tierra Whack". Apple Music. March 4, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  50. ^ "MUMBO JUMBO – Single by Tierra Whack". Apple Music. October 6, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  51. ^ "Tierra Whack — Hungry Hippo". YouTube. February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  52. ^ "Only Child – Single by Tierra Whack". Apple Music. February 19, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  53. ^ "CLONES – Single by Tierra Whack". Apple Music. February 26, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  54. ^ "Gloria – Single by Tierra Whack". Apple Music. March 5, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  55. ^ "Wasteland – Single by Tierra Whack". Apple Music. March 12, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  56. ^ "Unemployed – Single by Tierra Whack". Apple Music. March 19, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  57. ^ "Lil Boat 3 by Lil Yachty". Apple Music. May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  58. ^ "Pull Up on You (feat. Tierra Whack) – Single by Temi Oni". Apple Music. May 18, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  59. ^ "Copy Cat (feat. Tierra Whack) by Melanie Martinez on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  60. ^ "Alicia". Genius. Genius Media Group. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  61. ^ "Upprclssmn by Student 1". Apple Music. January 1, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  62. ^ "Flamagra by Flying Lotus". Apple Music. May 24, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  63. ^ "The Lion King: The Gift by Beyoncé". Apple Music. July 19, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  64. ^ "lately i feel EVERYTHING by WILLOW". Apple Music. July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.

Further reading

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[edit]
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