Lay Bankz is a playful amalgam of what hip-hop appears like in 2024. A assured rapper who sings, dances and has the form of zeal that results in superstardom. She’s a bit spicy, too; do not sleep on her clap-back sport. And he or she does all of it with that Cheshire Cat-like smile that lights up a room. Whereas TikTok can get a nasty rap for making artists widespread that do not essentially deserve the acclaim, the 20-year-old Philadelphia native has used the platform to her benefit by showcasing her character in myriad methods. The songs that received her observed—”Left Cheek (Doo Doo Blick),” “Na Na Na” and “Inform Ur Girlfriend”—are filled with the energetic lyrics and upbeat power that complement her spirit. However she does issues slightly otherwise for her 2024 XXL Freshman freestyle by bringing her critical aspect to gentle.
“Recently, it has been so much on my thoughts,” Lay expresses within the video beneath. “Combating battles inside inside/There be some days I am unable to speak to my mother/’Trigger I am coping with so many emotions and actually I am feeling like I ought to unwind/And simply converse on the ideas that I bury, like if I do not make it a minimum of I used to be attempting.”
The rising rhymer, whose signed to Artist Associate Group, places her struggles out within the open. From burying family members to pulling again on unfilled goals, Lay retains it actual on what she’s going by means of. “I am unable to give in, I am unable to give out/And when the strain caving in, I make some diamonds out of dust/Ghetto angels defending me from sin, however I buried some our bodies and it harm/Have you ever ever been f**ked up, that is the worst/All of the sh*t I am accomplishin’ my first/I used to be doin’ essentially the most to get near my goals and abandonin’ hope ’trigger it do not work.”
She even switches up her movement, giving extra life to her bars: “Unhealthy grades now they on to me, metropolis hated me now they all happy with me/And the music saved a smile on me/However the trade pretend, they lied to me.”
Lay Bankz takes a web page from one in every of her inspirations with these rhymes. “Lauryn Hill, if we’re speaking about hip-hop music,” she shares of artists she’s influenced by. “Lauryn Hill is simply wonderful. Like, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. I’ve been listening to it for, like, two months straight now, back-to-back. Missy Elliott is simply dope all throughout the board. Her music may be very artsy, and I really feel like I’ve an artsy model of music. And, yeah, simply the loopy ad-libs and the loopy sounds after they come on, it’s simply very charming.”
Singers additionally play an element in Lay’s artistry. “Beyoncé ’trigger she’s simply an incredible performer,” Lay says. “She’s an incredible artist. Simply the event of her profession. I’ve been a Beyoncé fan for the reason that starting of my life. Aaliyah. I feel her model and simply how candy of a woman she was, simply very inspirational.”
However do not get it twisted; she’s doing all of it in her personal method. “It is time for me to be in individuals’s faces and present them who I’m together with the music,” she maintains. “I feel that everyone has their very own sense of individuality, however mine stands out in my very own method due to what I do. I dance, I sing, I rap, I write. And I am simply unique with doing it. I freestyle within the sales space, I produce.”
See Lay Bankz make diamonds out of dust in her 2024 XXL Freshman freestyle.
The Freshman concern is on newsstands in every single place. Along with interviews with the 2024 Freshman Class and producer Southside, there are additionally conversations with Sexyy Purple, Ski Masks The Stoop God, Mustard, Rubi Rose, Ken Carson, Ghostface Killah, Lola Brooke and extra, plus, a glance again at what the 2023 XXL Freshman Class has been doing. Additionally, there are tales on the continuing scamming and fraud plaguing hip-hop, and the way podcasters and streamers are taking part in a significant position in rap beef. The problem is on sale right here, together with some unique Freshmen merch.
