City Girls are tastemakers of the culture, even if music critics have yet to give the rap duo its flowers. But don’t think for a second that the Miami natives are waiting for anyone’s recognition to continue paving a path of their own in the male-dominated music industry.

As previously reported by REVOLT, the ladies just dropped off their new album, RAW. The 18-song project comes two years after their last body of work, 2020’s City On Lock, and five years after their studio debut, Girl Code. The latter was a grand introduction to mainstream success with the anthem “Act Up.” At its peak, the song topped the Rhythmic Songs airplay chart in 2019. The track also garnered JT and Yung Miami multiple nominations and made them a trending topic as fans and critics debated the dawn of the new ratchet girl rap era.

“People try to laugh and clown about ‘Act Up,’ but ‘Act Up’ was a culture shift, and it deserved way more than what it got,” JT told Elle in a new interview. “People sample songs 15 years out. ‘Act Up’ was sampled within a year. I don’t give a f**k where it came from, how it came about, ‘Act Up’ was a song that deserved way more than what it got,” she added. The popular record was noticeably sampled on Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hot Girl Summer” featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign.

The three-time platinum hit also became a hot topic when Lil Yachty divulged that he penned a significant portion of the record. The “Another Late Night” rapper’s contributions fueled naysayers’ doubt-filled narratives about the City Girls. But the ladies remain unfazed by the hate.

“When you think about it, probably the biggest songs that win Grammys are written by other people, so that don’t even make sense,” said JT as she hit back at the criticism. “I feel like, as the City Girls, we never got the respect that we deserved, and it’s okay. I’m not crying about it; I don’t give a f**k. But that’s when you put your all into you and how you measure your success.”