Lizzo is basically the 2014 provider of old-school hip hop – yes, she behind summer earworm friendly hit Batches & Cookies – and is full of swag, sass and sardonic lines. Born in Detroit, Lizzo moved to Minneapolis, where she's recorded with everyone from underground musicians to Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. Batches & Cookies didn't just 'come' though – the girl's been around for a while, cranking out hits for her album with Laserbeak, she was in an electropop duo, a prog rock band and even her own version of Destiny's Child called Chalice. The last band she was in was GRRRL Prty, which sounds like Missy Eliott writing songs for Bikini Kill – in other words, totally awesome.
We managed to grab Lizzo to give us a tour of a day in her life in Minneapolis – there's no Ferrari bed, but we feel like it's coming.
You have worked with some pretty amazing people in a pretty short amount of time. How has this mostly come about?
I stalk them off Twitter, mostly.
Oh OK, that's modern. Is it important for you to be self-motivated?
Yeah! Self-motivation is the motor to success.
What was the one thing that made you want to start making music?
Well, I guess it was Destiny's Child.
What is it like to be a young woman in rap?
Just the same as it is to be an old man in rap – just with less money.
It's becoming more and more acceptable to be different in rap, isn't it?
Change means the river is flowing. Rap is not a bog.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into rap?
Just keep rapping to any and everyone. Be heard. Be good.
How did you feel the first time you got on stage, and how does that compare to how you feel now?
The feeling was of unbridled, fleeting adrenaline that I've eventually learned to control. I'm still as sweaty as ever, though.
Is it true you took a three-month vow of silence?
I stopped talking. In hindsight, it is considered a 'vow of silence' but I really just checked out temporarily.
Batches & Cookies is a banger. Did you feel pressure to follow it up?
Thanks! Well, no I didn't feel any pressure because I didn't expect any one to like it in the first place.
The music industry is in a strange and interesting place. How are you making it work for you?
I just ignore it.
Follow Hanna on Twitter @HannaHanra
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.