Saweetie: Rapper or Gimmick?

Some call her the sample queen, while others can’t get enough of her weird food combinations. Wherever you fall on the Saweetie train, you’ve probably heard the debate about her overall skills as a rapper. So, we decided to throw our hats into the conversation.  Here are our thoughts on whether or not Saweetie is a gimmick.

The beginning

Born Diamonté Harper to a Filipino mother and Black father in California’s Bay Area, Saweetie told Complex her mom was only 17 when she had her. Being the child of a teen parent impacted the way she was raised. Saweetie explained how she was more so a part of a “team” versus the traditional parent-child relationship and, as a result, she “grew up fast.”

Her mom always encouraged her to write poetry and express herself, and this led to her first rap performance in her Algebra II class.

As she tried to come up with a rap moniker, she told Elle Canada she thought “sweetie was too boring, so I added an ‘a’ and it stuck.” Saweetie became her display name on the then mega-popular social media site MySapce, and a star was born.

But writing lyrics wasn’t the only priority for the “Tap In” rapper. She graduated from USC in 2016, and after earning her diploma, she put more focus on her rap career.

Leveraging her ‘pretty privilege’

The year was 2017 and the song was Khia’s “My Neck, My Back.” And while that song needs no introduction, Saweetie definitely saw it as a way to leverage her intro into the industry. According to Teen Vogue, Saweetie developed the song while chilling in her Toyota Corolla because she wasn’t able to afford studio time. The song was a hit, and its release eventually led to an all-out bidding war as several labels wanted to add her to their roster. Five months after the song’s release, she signed a contract with Warner Brothers Records.

 

 

 

And while people were undoubtedly taken away by Saweetie’s physical beauty, she definitely wasn’t afraid to leverage her pen and continue to release heat. Mindful of people claiming her music was popular simply because she had “pretty privilege” — the idea that people who are deemed more attractive have an upper hand in the world — Saweetie decided to lean into the shade and make it her brand. Saweetie told Nick Cannon on Power 106 that although some people lean into their looks to advance in the world, she was more committed to her talent and investing herself so she could eventually become a billionaire.

The gimmick debate

Even though people love to put her down and discredit her as an emcee, her music accolades tell a different story. According to Rolling Stone,  her music has had over 2 billion streams, and you can most certainly cut on the radio and hear a Saweetie song within a matter of minutes. So, yes, she has a legion of fans who adore and her music despite the handful of people who think Saweetie is a gimmick.

For me, Saweetie’s very much in her bag and in her lane. There really isn’t a need to compare her to other musicians or even hold her to a particular standard. Can we just celebrate her and her achievements for what they are? 

Then there’s the debate about her sponsorships and endorsement deals that really makes people think Saweetie is a gimmick. For whatever reason, people seem to think that she should focus on rap only, But what we’re not going to do is pigeon hold Saweetie. She has a hunger for success and that’s why she keeps winning. Who really cares if she’s branching out and snagging sponsorships with Xbox and McDonald’s. If Saweetie is a gimmick then being a gimmick is paying off.

She knows what her strengths are and she has never claimed to be the best in the industry. She’s is enjoying her craft, building her brand, and releasing catchy music along the way, and we can’t be mad at that at all.