Even if you’ve never watched Game of Thrones, you can learn a bit about the show by watching the short, cinematic music video for “Pissed” by Bay Area rapper Saweetie. In it, the 25-year-old emcee channels her inner Khaleesi, taking her seat on the throne and effortlessly flaming haters without the use of a dragon. “I was making money, you was taking a break/Now you wonder why I’m the bitch that you ain’t,” she raps.
Since breaking out in late 2017 with her bossy single “ICY GRL,” Saweetie’s gotten her fair share of detractors. “Pissed” served as her battle cry, a signal that she’s coming for the royal seat, regardless of who’s sitting on it. She’ll bring that fire—and ice—to Daylight Beach Club at Mandalay Bay on June 9.
Up until a year ago, Saweetie was still uploading videos of herself sitting in her car and rapping over songs from the early aughts. A May 2017 freestyle over Khia’s 2002 oral sex anthem “My Neck, My Back” quickly morphed into “ICY GRL.” While the social media-to-pop star story is all too common today, Saweetie has taken a calculated approach, making sure not to fizzle out too soon. She spent a year sharpening her skills between her first EP, High Maintenance, and her Icy EP, released in March via Warner Bros. Records and her own recently launched imprint, Icy Records. “I’m still a baby artist and I’m learning, so before I prepare my big official debut, I’ma just continue to experiment and find my sound,” Saweetie told Billboard in March.
She might have had the key to success all along. Her latest viral sensation, “My Type,” takes a cue from “ICY GRL” by combining energetic, throwback production with her confident swagger. The song, which samples Petey Pablo’s 2003 party starter “Freek-a-Leek,” has given rise to the #MyTypeChallenge with people uploading videos of themselves twerking as Saweetie raps: “Rich ni**a, eight-figure, that’s my type.”
Start practicing now—you’ve got a few days to show her what you’ve got.
SAWEETIE June 9, noon, $20-$30. Daylight, 702-632-4700.
