Anyone who has followed Lakeyah’s meteoric ascent knows luck had little to do with it. The Milwaukee-bred rap prodigy seemingly snatched her dreams right out of the sky.
Lakeyah began freestyling and writing poetry at age 15. By 18, she’d moved to Atlanta to pursue a life in music. Now 21, she’s one of the youngest additions to Quality Control Music, home to Migos, Lil Baby and City Girls, and has several hits under her belt, including her bold breakout “Mind Yo Business,” featuring Latto.
Bullish on the mic and even better with her pen, Lakeyah also became the first Milwaukee rapper inducted into XXL Mag’s Freshman Class, a list that included Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Chance the Rapper well before their careers truly took off.
“I felt like I put my city on my back. I felt like I created history,” she tells the Weekly. “I’m not gonna say I never thought I would be big, but to see these things happen for me, having all these people believe in me … it still feels surreal.”
Fresh off her latest EP, No Pressure (Pt. 2), Lakeyah will perform at Hakkasan Nightclub on November 4. We caught up with the emcee to talk about her future music, her female G.O.A.T. status and more.
No Pressure (Pt. 2) is a banger, but why did you feel the original installment needed a sequel? I really wanted to make sure that it got the attention that it deserved, because the songs on both halves were so strong. I don’t want people to think that some of these songs are fillers or skip over ’em, because everybody has low attention spans nowadays. I’m like, let’s split it into two and give them something to really be in awe about.
Which track did you most enjoy working on? I would definitely say “Real Bitch,” featuring Gloss Up. I was having fun making that. But my favorite track overall was “Mind Yo Business,” featuring Latto.
The final track, “No Hook” really stands out for its raw freestyle. How did that come together? It was one night where we went to Lil Baby’s studio, and I don’t know, maybe it was the aura, maybe it was the G.O.A.T energy in his studio, but I was feeling like I really wanted to rap that night, and it went crazy. I had my producer pull up a beat, and it went from there. That’s just how I rap. I like to get everything I want to say off my mind. I don’t rely on hooks. I know it’s what the people want, but some people respect the bars too.
Do you think your best work tends to come from freestyling or more meticulous writing? My best work definitely comes from meticulous writing, because when I’m punching in, it’s more of like a fun thing. I gotta be having fun, Casamigos [tequila] in my system, to be freestyling something. But I like to get all my thoughts out. Writing is my favorite thing to do.
Did growing up in Milwaukee influence your artistry at all, or did it start flowing when you moved to Atlanta? Growing up and being where I’m from definitely influenced my artistry. I rap very luxury and braggadocious. I like bragging. I like sh*t-talking, and that’s definitely coming from where I come from. We like to flex, and that’s me as a whole. But as far as my artistry, I listen to a lot of R&B. My mom listened to a lot of Miguel, Wale and Rick Ross and all the Lauryn Hill. That’s where more of my vulnerability vibe came from.
Speaking of R&B, you’re a fantastic singer. Have you thought about reintroducing that into your music? For sure. A lot of people, especially my fans from day one, they’re like, “We really want you to bring that back.” But something I really want for my career is to split my artistry into eras, kind of like Nicki [Minaj] did. I might do Afrobeats one year and do a whole R&B year. I want people to respect that I can do each lane and respect the versatility.
Some people are already calling you the female G.O.A.T. Do you embrace that title? It’s half and half, because some people be like, ‘How is she the female G.O.A.T.?’ And then some people are like, “Yeah, she’s the female motherf*ckin G.O.A.T!” My fans gave me that name back when I was like 16 years old, and I made a freestyle named “Female G.O.A.T.,” and I just ran with it. It’s self-proclamation, and if I’m not a G.O.A.T now, I know I’ll be the greatest at some things that I do. I like it.
Looking back on your musical journey, did any mentors help you along the way? I didn’t really have any mentors, because coming up I did a lot of freestyles in the car, and I didn’t really have much support from family, because … I should have been focusing on school. But I will say my advisor in high school got me into poetry, because she saw something in my lyrical talent. So shout out to Ms. Miller. She helped me get all my feelings out on paper. And from there, I really started rapping.
Who are your top five emcees? I’m gonna put Nicki [Minaj] in there, because the lyrical talent is undeniable. Drake as an artist is G.O.A.T. status. I’m a really, really big Wale and Rick Ross fan. The poetry [of Wale] and Rick Ross does it for me with the luxury rap. He makes me feel very rich. Then I’m going to put Lauryn Hill in there. I’m about to sample one of her songs. I hope I can get it cleared.
With all the drama surrounding certain female emcees right now, do you see yourself collaborating with others still or focusing more on your own thing? I’m definitely the girl that wants to break off and be No. 1 at anything that I do. I’m very competitive in spirit and I came to rap, and I came here to win. But I’m never against collabing. I love the new generation of female rappers. It’s such a collaborative effort, and everybody’s finding their own lane and riding it and supporting other girls. Let’s collab, let’s win together. It’s enough money for everybody out here.
Is the plan to also collaborate with more R&B artists? Lucky Daye was featured in your latest EP. Yes, I love lucky Daye. I want to collab with as many R&B artists as I can, because one day I’m gonna drop a whole R&B project. Quote me on that. Some of my favorites are Tink, Summer Walker. I love Jhene Aiko, Giveon and Lucky Daye. I would collab with him 100 more times.
You’re on a new BET+ reality TV show called The Impact: ATL with a few other influencers. Have you ever imagined having a solo show? Maybe one day if I get very comfortable putting every part of my life on TV. Just being on this reality TV show alone was hard, because you’ve got cameras on you all the time and specific things to talk about. I’m a very private and reserved person. I like to work. I like to be with my family. I like to protect things that I really love. It was really hard for me to do this show. So we’ll see in the future.
What can we expect from your Las Vegas show that will be different from anywhere else? For one, the outfit alone is gonna be like, “Damn, she’s eating!” (laughs) But I think we’re gonna have a lot of fun. I hope to really involve the fans in the show. I hope that they get to see me being very versatile onstage. We got some nice set designs. I got some dope dancers. And it’s 21 and up, so we’re gonna be drunk, too.
LAKEYAH With DJ Drama. November 4, 10:30 p.m., $50-$75. Hakkasan Nightclub, events.taogroup.com.
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