The last few years have proven to be that of a renaissance era in hip-hop with the resurgence of female rappers dominating the conversation. Previously, we’ve seen this particular industry governed by the likes of men creating content centered only around the male gaze, and thankfully, women have returned to take their rightful thrones in the rap game. With the long-awaited influx of female voices that represent an entire generation of women’s experiences, one MC quietly clawing her way to the top is none other than Chicago’s own, Dreezy. Known for embodying the fierceness of veterans twice her age and the fashion sense of any model fresh off the runway, Dreezy is making a name for herself as one of the most revered voices of this generation and beyond.
While the Chicago native has proven herself as a consummate professional capable of transforming her thoughts into powerful deliveries of wordplay, charm and wit, she’s much more than that. Dreezy sat down with Blavity News to discuss her new music, the impact that women have had on hip-hop and how her hometown of Chicago has influenced her sound.
On new music
When it comes to musical projects, Dreezy has built a reputation for herself as an icon on the rise utilizing her unmatched skill as an artist to bring incredible visuals to life. As we officially make our way through this year’s spring season, the musician has released a new song and visual, “They Not Ready.” The rapper teases it as a “reinvention” and one of the greatest music videos that she’s ever released.
“Well, you can expect a new introduction, reinvention, bars and one of my dopest videos that I personally feel like I’ve ever dropped. You can be ready for the dopest male and female producer collab since Missy Elliott and then Timberland because people just not doing collaboration albums with women anymore,” Dreezy told Blavity News. “I feel like me and Hit-Boy are about to take over the game and do something really serious. He’s a respected producer in the hip-hop world and music period, Grammy-nominated and one of the top producers right now. Then you have Dreezy, one of the most respected female rappers in the industry who’s Grammy-nominated. We’re just going to put our stuff together and make history. That’s how I’m feeling.”
The inspiration behind her upcoming project
While listeners are currently able to witness the brilliance that is “They Not Ready,” Dreezy’s fans are in for a treat, as it is a part of the artist’s larger project, HITGIRL. The project’s name is inspired by Hit-Boy and reimagines the songwriter as a heroine of sorts, like that of a Marvel comic book character.
“The name ‘Hit-Boy’ kind of inspired it. I felt like I wanted to do something special with him. If we’re going to do this together, I wanted it to be memorable. I wanted him to feel like he was a part of it and I wanted to create something different for myself, especially when I started getting in the studio with him because, you know, we kind of have different sounds,” Dreezy said. “My whole concept of HITGIRL was making her a Black girl, a Marvel character and a bada** that is still my same ego but just someone to be able to represent the music in a cool, interesting way. I wanted to make it almost like a movie hit girl. When I thought about the project, I thought about a hitman, an assassin. I just started thinking of Grand Theft Auto and creating this hit girl to be sent out and go out on missions to kick a** and kill the rap game. She’s just someone that goes after what she wants and is very bold fun and is just really me but in a Marvel form.”
Influences on her music
A quick listen to any of the millennial’s music will showcase her undeniable talent but also heavy influences from her peers such as Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne.
“I’ve always been influenced by dope rappers, not just female, not just Nicki, not just Jay-Z or Foxy. It’s just that dope rap has always influenced me and I feel like this sound for ‘They Not Ready’ is prime Nicki Minaj,” Dreezy said. “My rap style overall is a mesh of Lil Wayne, J. Cole, Kanye, Nicki and maybe a little bit of Drake on the melodic side.”
Dreezy’s music also features heavy influences from her hometown of Chicago.
“My music is Chicago. From my accent to the way I dress to my bars, I’m always repping my city in my songs. That’s what put me on, my song ‘Chiraq’ that got me my first deal because I brought the whole city out, and I’m just strictly rapping about Chicago stuff that only people in Chicago would know,” Dreezy said. “I was also heavily influenced by Kanye, just being a dreamer, thinking outside of the box, being confident and setting yourself apart from everybody else.”
Women’s impact on hip-hop
The impact that women have had on hip-hop is immeasurable and Dreezy offers nothing but praise to her female peers in this male-dominated industry. The MC, who’s featured on the gold-certified single “Got Me“ alongside Ari Lennox, Baby Tate, Ty Dolla Sign and Omen, feels that this uptick in female rappers has been a humbling experience for their male counterparts.
“I hope it is giving a lot of women more respect to see in this industry how we really do this and carry our own weight and still be the full package that everyone expects us to be. I also think it does something for the women’s culture. I feel like our culture is growing,” Dreezy said. “I feel like it humbles these men. It humbles these guys and it makes them have to bow down to some of these women because we’re really out here grinding harder than them, rapping harder than them and doing everything the same as them while still looking like a million dollars.”
Dreezy’s single and music video, “They Not Ready,” is out now.
