St. Louis rapper Sexyy Red said her recipe for longevity in the music industry is just “being herself.” While spending time in LA for the 2023 BET Awards, Sexyy Red discussed her rise to fame and her hit song Pound Town climbing Billboard Charts.

“I’m going to just keep being myself, and they going to mess with you when you being genuine,” she said to VIBE. “I’m going to try to stay around for a long time.”

The song became a hit on TikTok as millions created content featuring the song. From skits, dances, and stitches, Pound Down secured its place on the viral TikTok sounds.

“I was shocked, yeah. I didn’t think it was going to take off how it did,” she said. “When I made it, I was like, this hard; I think this the one. And some of my people were like, No, this isn’t it. This ain’t serious. You playing.”

“I didn’t think it was going to go crazy how I did though…I was like, Dang, is this real? I was just shocked; I was really shocked. I’m still shocked at how it turned up. I’m still surprised,” she added.

The success of “Pound Town” opened doors for the “Slut Me Out” rapper to lock in a remix with Nicki Minaj for “Pound Town 2.” She later released her first body of work Hood’s Hottest Princess, which includes songs featuring Juicy J, Sukihana and more. 

“I just feel like I wanted to get my favorite people on there. I love Juicy J; I’m glad he was on there,” she said.

Despite receiving immense love for the trendy song, she’s also been met with negative comments about how she carries herself, the vulgarity of the song, and her influence. No matter what the haters have to say, Sexyy Red is proud to be who she is, calling herself a product of her environment.

“I just be myself. I really don’t care what nobody think. People, they try to bully people. You not never supposed to let nobody make you feel uncomfortable with being your true self, for real, no matter what you want to dress. Do what you do,” she said.

“Before this rap stuff, I used to be outside. Me and my baby daddy, we used to be outside. Even before him, I was bad and sh*t. I just really talking about what be going on in the streets for real, where I’m from. I’m just a product of my environment,” she said.