The Business Behind Saweetie: Rapper Talks Social Media, Non-Profit & More

Saweetie is focused on her grind and nothing can stop that hustle.

Besides dropping collaborations with Doja Cat and Jhené Aiko, the Bay Area MC, 27, has been steadily working on building the empire outside of her growing rap fame. Head on over to her Instagram account and you'll notice a feed that lands somewhere in between the content of a rapper, food aficionado, beauty mogul, spokeswoman and Reels creator. "I think it's really important that artists began to look at their self as businesses and not as people, just so that we can create that protection for mental health," the rapper told iHeartRadio over Zoom as part of Instagram's This Is Music 2021 event.

As per the University of Southern California graduate, social media wasn't always something that she enjoyed, especially early in her career. However, her mentality changed once she started looking at the practice as more of a business-minded tool to connect with her fans, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That prompted her to regroup with her team, study social media practices and figure out the appropriate content for her audience.

"Because on Yelp, even the best businesses, you'll find a couple of negative reviews here and there. Because of the human psyche and because one comment can ruin our whole day, it's really important that we view ourselves as businesses to protect our mental health," she continued.

Asked why it's important that she prioritizes collaborations with her female peers, Saweetie explained that it's based on a two-fold strategy. "It diversifies my brand," she explained. "I like to collaborate with people who I respect, who I listen to, and who compliment a track. Jhené Aiko did that with 'Back to the Street' with her beautiful, angelic voice. Doja Cat brought her personality to 'Best Friends.' Every time I collaborate with somebody, they definitely bring something different to the table." Both tracks are scheduled to appear on her debut album, Pretty Bitch Music, which is set to drop later this year.

Beauty remains a space that celebrities are clamoring to jump into and Saweetie's no exception. To fulfill her entrepreneur spirit, the rapper also wants to expand her efforts into the world of cosmetics. "Me and Whitney [Harper], we're working on a makeup line, so that's what's next," she teased. "I'm really excited about it."

She's also working hard with her grandmother on a non-profit called Ice Baby Foundation that will give back to the community. More specifically, the organization is going to hone in on education in low income communities, autistic kids, single mothers, among others. "The reason why we started this was because of the Black Lives Matter movement. Honestly, I was tired of donating all my money to organizations and not knowing what they did with it," she confessed. "My grandmother has been in non-profit since I was like five or six. I trust that she's going to help us make a difference in the world because while music is a form of escapism, there are real world matters I just want to give back and help people who support me."

Photo: Getty Images


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