To say Anycia is simply relieved after she dropped her first studio LP is an understatement. She spent the past several months working on her debut album, and recently went into overdrive to promote the project. In the weeks leading up to the album's release, Anycia is more than ready to share it with the world.
"I'm excited about the whole thing, honestly," she tells iHeartRadio during a Zoom call. "I'm excited about putting the whole thing out, but I do be wanting to get stuff over with chile, okay? I would put the damn s**t out right now if I could, but I got to build it up."
Photo: UnitedMasters/Apex Visions
Over the past few months, iHeartRadio's Rising Hip-Hop Artist to Watch has been strategically preparing her growing fanbase for the arrival of Princess Pop That. She lured thousands of followers into her orbit by tossing out addictive tracks like "BRB" and "Refund" and knocking out collaborations with Flo Milli and Evilgiane. She also garnered more fans at performances like her debut set at Rolling Loud California. Her grand debut at the biggest Hip-Hop festival in existence was the first time her mother and all-time muse saw her perform, which was a major accomplishment in her career.
"I was glad that she got to see me, but it was also like, 'Yeah, I told you,'" Anycia recalls. "It was really, really cool. I had a good time. I was nervous. I had three panic attacks. I cried. Then I don't know what happened. Every time I get on stage, it's like everything just comes out in a fart and then I'll be good."
Anycia's moment with her mother was a complete 180 from two years ago when the now 26-year-old artist quit her two jobs to pursue her music career full-time. Her mom wasn't a fan of her plan to make it as a rapper at first, but her recent success helped change her mind. Now, she considers her mom and grandmother to be her main influences in her life and career.
"My mom and my grandma have inspired me completely with everything I'm doing," she says. "They've always instilled it in my mind that if there's anything that I want to do, do it 100 percent — no matter if people agree with it or not. So really everything I do, they inspired.. even my sense of style."
After dropping songs like "Kimora Lee" and "Delirious," Anycia began to gain more traction with her first body of work Extra, which dropped back in November. Each track on the project, along with every other song she's ever recorded, is inspired by her mood or situations she experienced at the time. Take her stunning collaboration with Latto "Back Outside" for example. Anycia explains the collaboration was fueled by a former boo who pushed her to her limits. As she mentions later on in our interview, Latto's involvement with the record was simply divine timing.
"Back Outside" is one of several major collaborations that appear on her debut album Princess Pop That. She also recruited producers like jetsonmade and Kenny Beats plus young legends like Cash Cobain, Luh Tyler and Karrahbooo, who appears on "Splash Brothers." The hard-hitting song allows the dynamic duo to sling grimey bars back-and-forth over the 1st Class-produced beat. It's one of several previously released tracks that's included on the album along with "Nene's Prayer," "Up. Lit" and "Bad Weather."
"We just poppin' s**t," Anycia says about the album's title. "That's it, and it's my Twitter name. I always had that little alter ego. It's always been my finsta name, my Twitter name. Stuff like that."
During our discussion, Anycia opens up about the journey leading up to the release of her debut LP. She reveals how she got her first major co-sign from Kevin Durant, and shares stories about her experiences with J. Cole and Waka Flocka Flame. Scroll down to find out her story and listen to Princess Pop That below.
Editor's Note: This interview has been shortened for clarity and brevity.
iHR: You've been at it for a while now. How does it feel to reach this level of success in your career?
Anycia: It's bittersweet. It's like I'm having a good time and every day it's like something new. I came in with connections that I never would've thought I had. I'm having a lot of fun. My mom got to see me perform for the first time at Rolling Loud. But the bitter part is... I guess it's really not bitter. I guess it just comes with growth. So really nothing.
You said that your mom saw you perform for the first time at Rolling Loud. How was that experience?
She was backstage with me, but it was cool because my mom's from California too, so it was dope that she got to see me in her hometown perform and stuff. I don't know, it's also funny because no shade, but my mom did not support me rapping at first.
Oh really?
But she was being a parent. She didn't know I was going to work out. Yeah, it definitely was like a moment too. I was glad that she got to see me, but it was also like, "Yeah, I told you." It was really, really cool. I had a good time. I was nervous. I had three panic attacks. I cried. Then I don't know what happened. Every time I get on stage, it's like everything just comes out in a fart and then I'll be good.
I'm glad that you were able to pull it together before you hit that stage. So what made you want to rap professionally? I know you said your mom didn't support you at first, but what made you take it seriously?
If we're being honest, it's really not even that deep. I had always been dibbling and dabbling in music and I'm very spontaneous. I try anything once and if it don't work then it just don't work. I've done a lot of different things, random things, but the last strike for me was I was working two jobs that I hated and then I quit and then I just started doing music. And then chile, I just had a dollar and a dream. I don't even think I had a dollar. Just a dream and some braids.
Last year you came through with your first EP Extra. Talk about the making of that project.
Just different situations. "BRB" I did that randomly getting off a plane in LA "Refund" .... I was mad at my little boo and made a song. Every song is just in the moment type of thing. But the whole tape as a whole, in all honesty, was kind of like a pacifier to put in my fans' mouth. They wouldn't shut up. So I just gave them something so that they could have something to shut up and then I could work on what I need to work on.
That's dope. I feel like the streets had enough to chew on. They definitely ate when you came through with Latto for "Back Outside." How did that collaboration happen?
I literally just went to the studio one day because, once again, my little Boo had made me mad. So I went to the studio and I made that song. That was real —— I was really mad and I really wanted to go back outside. That was a real thing. That's real. I made the song randomly and then, within that same week, she DMed me and was giving me my flowers. And then she said she wanted to do a song with me. So I felt like that was a perfect opportunity to send her that song in particular because I feel like she would go crazy on it. And she did just that.
You've got your debut album coming. What was the inspiration behind that title?
Princess, poppin' that. Poppin' my s**t. Poppin' this coochie, poppin' this ass. Poppin' these bottles. Poppin' rubber bands off the money. We just poppin' s**t. That's it, and it's my Twitter name. I always had that little alter ego. It's always been my finsta name, my Twitter name. Stuff like that.
Photo: Instagram
Talk about your creative process because I know that you've got a lot of records out there.
If we're being honest, everything's pretty intimate with me. I literally won't record if I'm not feeling it. Everything is like my mood for whatever I'm feeling at that moment is what I'm recording. As far as my fans, I'm not going to say I don't care about my fans. I do care about them a lot. But when it comes down to my creative process, I don't really get that -- Just sit back. If you don't like it, then you don't like it. But at the end of the day, this is like, yeah, it's like my job or whatever, but it's also kind of like my therapy right now. So you get what you get. Beggers can't be choosers. But no, I definitely listen to what they want though for the most part. But for the most part it's about what I want. But my creative process really ain't that. Just a little Don Julio, little 10 piece wing, a space heater and we good to go -- and some weed. A few blunts and we good to go.
What's the wildest studio session that you've had so far?
I guess my crazy studio session -- It's good though -- I was sitting down in the studio. Oh no, I got two. I got two and it is both similar. One of 'em, I was sitting down in the studio in my phone and everybody was like, "Look, Anycia." And I looked up and J. Cole was right there and he was like, "I love your music." And I was like, "N***a what?" But I was so surprised because you know, meet a celebrity or something that kind of looked different in person or it looked better or something. This n***a really look like J. Cole. You really got J. Cole hair with the J. Cole clothes with the J, Cole face. You was just J. Cole and I didn't even think he was tapped in all that. I thought he was more into Jhene Aiko and s**t. Nah, he back outside. J. Cole is back outside baby.
Then when I first started doing music, I randomly walked out of my booth and Waka Flocka was in there and I was like, "What the hell?" And he was like, "This you recording? I'm like, "Yeah,." He like "You hard. I'm about to send you a song." And then he sent me a song. I have a song in the vault with him, but that's probably ain't never going to come out though but I love Waka so much.
So you got J. Cole and Waka Flocka who are fans. Would you work with them in the future?
Hell yeah. I'll get on that motherf**king beatbox if they need me to. Well, I already got this song with Waka, but J. Cole, I'll break dance in the background to a slow song. I don't give a damn. I get a crooked smile. Come on, what's up J. Cole? We can do whatever. I'll paint in the back.
What other collaborations do you want to knock out? Who else do you want to work with?
Free Young Thug and... I don't really care. I ain't going to hold you. I love everybody. I think everybody, I be feeling like, and I just said it the other day, one of my pet peeves with the all this is, I hate whenever girls who do other music or people that do other music, they feel like we got to work. No, we don't. We literally don't. We could be cool. We don't have to work just because we both do music, but I'm open. I got a lot of the things -- like Latto. Love, Latto. Cardi B, I love Cardi B, I love Cardi.
I can hear you and Cardi on a record together for sure.
Yeah, I'm open. I like a lot of people right now, but it's not like somebody that I'm like, "I got to have a feature with you." I don't really care. No shade though.
Who would you say was your first major co-sign when you first started?
Kevin Durant.
Kevin Durant? How did that happen?
It was so random. I remember I was on Instagram and I had another manager at the time, rest in peace to him. I was sitting on the couch and I am talking to him. He looking out the window. I'm like, "Who is 'Easy Money Sniper', and why do he got so many pictures of Kevin Durant on his page?" I'm thinking he like Kevin Durant photographer or something. I'm like, "What's up with this man?" So I asked my old manager, I'm like, "Who is Easy Money Sniper?" He like "Kevin Durant." I'm like, "He just commented on my post." He was like, "what?" I was like, "yeah." I don't even know about basketball, but I know who KD is. Everybody had a pair of KD's.
Wow that's crazy.
Yeah that was, like, the first one.
Is there anything else you want to say about the album to get the fans excited?
Everybody just need to be ready to booty me down. That's all. And that's it. Everybody ready to get back up on their back. It's about to be hot outside, about to be summertime. This album is not for the b***hes to be sliding down the wall. It ain't one sad song on there. Even my sad song because about telling a n***a to crash and burn. It's all about having fun. We all going to have fun. We having a good time with somebody. I need to see cleavage out. I want everybody to get some braids, take that lace front off. We hot this summer. We good. We fixing get money this summer. It's all good.