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Since Tierra Whack stepped on the scene, she’s been pushing boundaries. The singer-rapper is quirky, strange, chaotic and a visionary in her own right and her explosive debut EP, Whack World, proved to be so. Her 2018 project was an audiovisual storm that condensed over 60 original songs into a 15-minute album, complete with an accompanying video that illustrated Whack’s imaginative versatility. In addition, her 2017 single, “Mumbo Jumbo,” gained critical-acclaim and put the artist up for a 2019 Best Music Video nomination at The GRAMMY Awards.

A Philly native, Tierra’s rise to relevance has been one of pure creative flow and inhibited idea-generation. After a period of living in Atlanta in high school, Tierra returned to Philadelphia in 2015 and linked up with sound engineer and producer Kenete Simms where they began making music under another moniker. From there she gained recognition as an independent artist, going on to sign with Interscope Records in 2017. Since then, Whack has been redefining the female hip hop landscape as a multi-faceted and intoxicatingly fresh artist. From touring the world to making the 2019 XXL Freshman Class, Whack is making moves and is planning on delivering some new material that is sure to leave us and the world in shock and awe.

We here at REVOLT.tv are excited to see what she’s going to cook up. In celebration of her performance at REVOLT Summit’s New York kickoff event, we’ve listed seven things you may not know about Tierra Whack:

1. She was first known as “Dizzle Dizz”

When Tierra Whack was just setting out on her musical journey, she went by the name “Dizzle Dizz.” Whack first started developing her artistic identity when she moved to Atlanta by way of Philadelphia with her mom in high school. There, she began putting her spoken word poetry to beats and eventually reverted her name to Tierra Whack.

2. She was a shy kid

As bold as her persona is now, Whack was actually very introverted, and in her own admission, insecure as a child. She gravitated toward poetry as a way to channel those insecurities and became a pretty accomplished spoken word poet before transitioning into music.

“I couldn’t tell you how I felt verbally but I could write it down. [I felt] almost like I couldn’t find the words. I felt like in a box and kinda like I don’t wanna talk or know how to talk,” she told Fader.

3. She loved Dr. Seuss

Who better to learn the art of rhyming from than the originator himself, Dr. Seuss? Tierra has expressed how much she loved Dr. Seuss books growing up and when given composition assignments in her elementary school in Philly, she strived to make every sentence rhyme. Her love of rhyming at a young age worked its way into her poetry and ultimately freestyles.

4. She still lives in Philly

Despite touring the globe for her music, Tierra has no plans to move from her hometown. In an interview with Philly Mag, she expressed her love for the city, “Philly is my home. It’s my heart. When I go back home, I feel grounded. When you travel all around the world and you finally get to go back home, you appreciate it so much more.”

5. She has a cat named Starkey

Her cat is actually named after the brand of sparkling water from Whole Foods, Tierra’s favorite. As she claims, the cat refuses to drink any water that isn’t Starkey. She even tried to get a sponsorship from the brand saying in an interview, “They’re trying to figure out how to get me a sponsorship but, like, they don’t really know how yet. It’s the first time for them.”

6. She’s very allergic to bugs

Whack is severely allergic to insects. In fact, she pokes fun about it in her 2018 video for “Bug’s Life” which shows half of her face swollen due to anaphylaxis.

7. She loves her Mom

Tierra Whack credits her mom a lot for her ability to be free and uninhibited in her creative process. A single mom with three kids, she supported Tierra’s music early on, from encouraging her to hop out the car and freestyle on a corner in Philly, to moving the family to Atlanta to give Tierra the needed space to write. We have to thank Mama Whack for paving the way for Tierra to do the damn thing.

Be sure to catch Tierra Whack perform at REVOLT Summit’s kickoff event at Brooklyn, New York’s Kings Theatre on July 24. Click here for more info.

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