Tierra Whack Says It's Good To 'Finally Be Considered A Somebody'

Tierra Whack’s mom dropped her at a Philadelphia video shoot unexpectedly at 15 to freestyle rap while she drove slowly around the block. That visibility was her first entrance into the music industry. Now, nearly 10 years later, she said she finally feels like a “somebody.”

"It’s a really good feeling to finally be considered a somebody," she said.

The 24-year-old Grammy-nominated rapper said she always knew she was a leader, she told Teen Vogue.

“If my people felt a way, I would go speak on it,” she said. “I was the class president. I can't look weak to the people. I knew I had to lead. If they feel this way, I have to make sure I go to work...”

Whack, formerly known as “Dizzle Dizz” early in her career, first became interested in music when she was encouraged by her uncle to turn her love of poetry into raps, The New York Times reported. She ended up becoming a vocal major at the Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush in her hometown of Philadelphia. She hopes to one day be able to give back to a city that she feels gave her so much, revamping the music industry by investing in talented youth.

“It’s my dream to just have a bunch of people in one room who all get along, and we're doing things, teaming up, to just make something bigger and better.”

Whack’s debut album, “Whack World” was released in May 2018, but it was her 2017 single, “Mumbo Jumbo” that earned her a Grammy nomination for best music video, Billboard reported.

She confirmed that new music is indeed in the works, but that in addition to writing new songs she’s also working on herself. “I'm trying to just keep growing,” she said. “We're not gonna be here forever, but we have to create something that lasts forever.”