Kreayshawn
Encyclopedia
Natassia Gail Zolot, known by her stage name Kreayshawn, (born September 24, 1989) is an American
rapper and music video director
.
when she was 10 years old. She is a third-generation Russian-American, and the daughter of Elka Zolot, a former member yup punk band The Trashwomen
. Zolot got her first video camera when she was ten years old, and started documenting her raps at a young age. When she was fifteen years old, her mother moved to Canada
, leaving Zolot in Oakland. She lived with her grandfather briefly, until he moved to Los Angeles
, leaving Zolot alone. She dropped out of high school shortly thereafter, and spent several years living with friends. She moved into her own place when she was seventeen years old, and eventually began further exploring her interest in cinematography by shooting videos of friends and later music videos for local rappers such as Lil B
. Her videos caught the attention of dean
Patrick Kriwanekhe, and Zolot attended Berkeley Digital Film Institute
with a full scholarship for two semesters. She then moved to Los Angeles
to pursue her music video career.
for the single Bumpin Bumpin. In May 2011, she released a music video for her single Gucci Gucci, which earned her new attention from the media due to its sudden popularity. The Gucci Gucci
video generated nearly three million YouTube
views in the first three weeks, and Kreayshawn was quickly signed to Columbia Records. In September 2011, Kreayshawn was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
, and hosted the Red Carpet
event before the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
.
about directing a music video for the band's single, "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie
" (from the album, I'm with You
). However, the band later opted to re-shoot the video and did not go with Kreayshawn's version.
and "exploitation of black culture". West Coast rapper Game released a diss track
"Uncle Otis" where he criticized Kreayshawn for her alleged use of the word 'nigga
' when paraphrasing a DMX quote. Zolot sparked more controversy during a televised freestyle
, wherein she insulted rapper Rick Ross
, calling him "fake". She later retracted her statements and described it as a misunderstanding, but she began insulting him again a few days later on her UStream
account, by making negative remarks about his body weight, calling him "fake" and stating that "he can't rap." These remarks eventually led to an altercation between Kreayshawn's manager and Rick Ross' entourage during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. The same night, while Zolot was attending the awards ceremony, her Twitter
account was compromised by an anonymous hacktivist group who posted nude photos of Zolot. She claimed the photos were taken when she was underage, and they were removed from most websites.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rapper and music video director
Music video director
A music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles...
.
Early life
Natassia Gail Zolot was born in San Francisco and moved to Oakland, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
when she was 10 years old. She is a third-generation Russian-American, and the daughter of Elka Zolot, a former member yup punk band The Trashwomen
The Trashwomen
The Trashwomen was an all-female American garage punk and surf punk trio from the San Francisco Bay Area signed to Estrus Records.-History:Formed in 1991 by Tina Lucchesi and Danielle Pimm, and former Bitch Fight & later, Eight Ball Scratch guitarist, Elka Zolot, the band formed originally to...
. Zolot got her first video camera when she was ten years old, and started documenting her raps at a young age. When she was fifteen years old, her mother moved to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, leaving Zolot in Oakland. She lived with her grandfather briefly, until he moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, leaving Zolot alone. She dropped out of high school shortly thereafter, and spent several years living with friends. She moved into her own place when she was seventeen years old, and eventually began further exploring her interest in cinematography by shooting videos of friends and later music videos for local rappers such as Lil B
Lil B
Brandon McCartney , known by his stage name Lil B or "The BasedGod", is a rapper from Berkeley, California. He has recorded both solo and with the Pack. In addition, Lil B is noted for his extensive use of social media Web sites such as MySpace and Twitter to build an online following.-Early...
. Her videos caught the attention of dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
Patrick Kriwanekhe, and Zolot attended Berkeley Digital Film Institute
Berkeley Digital Film Institute
The Berkeley Digital Film Institute is the newest addition in San Francisco Bay Area film schools. The program is an intense, 16-month, total immersion with emphasis on Producing and Directing for Motion Pictures, Television, Commercials and Music Videos. The institute was founded in early 2007 by...
with a full scholarship for two semesters. She then moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to pursue her music video career.
Music career
In 2010, Kreayshawn released her first mixtape, Kittys x Choppas, as well as her first music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the single Bumpin Bumpin. In May 2011, she released a music video for her single Gucci Gucci, which earned her new attention from the media due to its sudden popularity. The Gucci Gucci
Gucci Gucci
"Gucci Gucci" is a song by American rapper Kreayshawn. It was officially released as her debut single on June 14, 2011 for digital download. Produced by DJ Two Stacks and Adeptus, it contains a sample of Kreayshawn's, "Bumpin Bumpin". The song peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. The...
video generated nearly three million YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
views in the first three weeks, and Kreayshawn was quickly signed to Columbia Records. In September 2011, Kreayshawn was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
The MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist is one of the four original general categories that have been given out since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984...
, and hosted the Red Carpet
Red Carpet
Red Carpet is a software management tool for Linux that was developed as part of the Ximian desktop. Ximian and therefore Red Carpet is now owned by Novell....
event before the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
.
Collaborations
Kreayshawn performs as part of the White Girl Mob with friend rapper Vanessa "V-Nasty" Reece who she refers to as her sister.Directing career
In 2011, Zolot's management was contacted by the label representing the Red Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
about directing a music video for the band's single, "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie
The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie
"The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" is a song from the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 2011 album I'm with You and was the first single released from the album. It is their first single released since "Hump de Bump" in 2007 and the first single released with new guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer...
" (from the album, I'm with You
I'm with You (album)
I'm with You is the tenth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. The album was released by Warner Bros. Records on August 26, 2011 in several countries and on August 29 in the US, a day earlier than originally planned...
). However, the band later opted to re-shoot the video and did not go with Kreayshawn's version.
Controversy
Critics of Kreayshawn's music cite cultural appropriationCultural appropriation
Cultural appropriation is the adoption of some specific elements of one culture by a different cultural group. It describes acculturation or assimilation, but can imply a negative view towards acculturation from a minority culture by a dominant culture. It can include the introduction of forms of...
and "exploitation of black culture". West Coast rapper Game released a diss track
Diss track
A diss track or diss song is a song primarily intended to disparage or insult another person or group. While musical parodies and attacks have always existed, the trend became increasingly common in the hip hop genre as part of the hip hop rivalry phenomenon...
"Uncle Otis" where he criticized Kreayshawn for her alleged use of the word 'nigga
Nigga
Nigga is a term used in African American Vernacular English that began as an eye dialect form of the word nigger .- Use in language :In practice, its use and meaning are...
' when paraphrasing a DMX quote. Zolot sparked more controversy during a televised freestyle
Freestyle rap
Freestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...
, wherein she insulted rapper Rick Ross
Rick Ross
Rick, Ricky or Richard Ross may also refer to:* Rick Ross , American rapper* Richard J. Ross, a Massachusetts State Senator* Richard Ross , an American photographer...
, calling him "fake". She later retracted her statements and described it as a misunderstanding, but she began insulting him again a few days later on her UStream
Ustream
Ustream is a website which consists of a network of diverse channels providing a platform for lifecasting and live video streaming of events online. Established in March 2007, the site has over 2,000,000 registered users who generate 1,500,000+ hours of live streamed content per month with over ten...
account, by making negative remarks about his body weight, calling him "fake" and stating that "he can't rap." These remarks eventually led to an altercation between Kreayshawn's manager and Rick Ross' entourage during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. The same night, while Zolot was attending the awards ceremony, her Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account was compromised by an anonymous hacktivist group who posted nude photos of Zolot. She claimed the photos were taken when she was underage, and they were removed from most websites.
Mixtapes
- 2010: Kreayshawn x DJ Woogie – Kittys X Choppas
- 2011: Kreayshawn x NatoVatoTaco – Kreayshawn X The Bay (featuring V-Nasty)
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Rap Hot Rap Songs Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
UK R&B UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
|||
| 2010 | "Bumpin Bumpin" | — | — | — | — | — | Kittys x Choppas |
| 2011 | "Gucci Gucci Gucci Gucci "Gucci Gucci" is a song by American rapper Kreayshawn. It was officially released as her debut single on June 14, 2011 for digital download. Produced by DJ Two Stacks and Adeptus, it contains a sample of Kreayshawn's, "Bumpin Bumpin". The song peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. The... " |
57 | 62 | 18 | 77 | 22 | Life With Loopy |
| "Keep It Craccin'" (featuring V-Nasty & Snoop Dogg Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school... ) |
TBR | TBR | TBR | TBR | TBR | ||
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Album | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Murder" | 2011 | T.R.U. REALigion | 2 Chainz |
| "Firetruck" | Before Volume One | The Madden Brothers Good Charlotte Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 1998, the band's constant members have been lead vocalist Joel Madden, lead guitarist and back-up vocalist Benji Madden, bass guitarist Paul Thomas and rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Billy Martin... , Hollywood Holt |
|
| "U Trippy Mane" | Blue Dream & Lean | Juicy J Juicy J Jordan Michael Houston, better known by his stage name Juicy J is an Academy Award winning American rapper and record producer from Memphis, Tennessee and is the co-founder and a member of the duo Three 6 Mafia . He is also the younger brother of Project Pat... |
|
| "Gucci Gucci (Freestyle)" | Sorry 4 The Wait | Lil Wayne Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included... |
Music video filmography
- "Fuchsia Glaze" – Ka'ra Kersey
- "I do my own thing" – Dread
- "Ride by" – The Brother-hood
- "Like a Martian" – Lil BLil BBrandon McCartney , known by his stage name Lil B or "The BasedGod", is a rapper from Berkeley, California. He has recorded both solo and with the Pack. In addition, Lil B is noted for his extensive use of social media Web sites such as MySpace and Twitter to build an online following.-Early...
- "They Can Tell" – The Brother-hood feat. YP
- "So Many" – Krisstaxx feat. Novaboy
- "Insane" – Lil BLil BBrandon McCartney , known by his stage name Lil B or "The BasedGod", is a rapper from Berkeley, California. He has recorded both solo and with the Pack. In addition, Lil B is noted for his extensive use of social media Web sites such as MySpace and Twitter to build an online following.-Early...
- "We Eatin'" – Novaboy
- "Based World 1989" – Lil BLil BBrandon McCartney , known by his stage name Lil B or "The BasedGod", is a rapper from Berkeley, California. He has recorded both solo and with the Pack. In addition, Lil B is noted for his extensive use of social media Web sites such as MySpace and Twitter to build an online following.-Early...
- "Guilty by Association" – D.B. Tha General
- "Best of Me" – Krisstaxx feat. Young Eez
- "I Like You Like You." – BEME