Richardine Bartee
At her age, I was one year away from starting college. I was not a virgin.
In bed and ready to catch a power nap, I received an email alert from someone named Champagne Cherub. As I like to ask people what they think of GRUNGECAKE when they first hear it, I had a moment. Drake was first up to bat because of his Instagram handle. Next, I thought of angels because cherubs are cute and baby-like.
“But how can the two mix”, I questioned. Aha, a shorty is a fucking dichotomy. I couldn’t help it. Curiosity killed many cats but never the yams, so I had to see what was inside. Needless to say, I clicked the link.
“Some more familiar names”, I thought. From what I’ve seen, Ham On Everything is the bee’s knees and it is a periodical event (or pop-up rave) which promotes a lot of emerging quirky talents coming out of the Los Angeles area. Plus, my column contributor Eric Fobair worked with them in the past, so it was a no-brainer. Not really knowing what to expect, a few seconds into the video, my 29-year-old cliché zodiac characteristics started to kick in. Whether you’re a self-proclaimed thot by day, a working class individual with a freaky side or a thug by night, Champagne Cherub gets the attention of us all.
Just sixteen-years-old and rapping for less than six weeks, it doesn’t mean that Los Angeles’ sweetheart isn’t qualified to pursue the path she’s currently on. I’ll even go a little further to say that I believe that she isn’t any different from what tends to go on in the ‘hood. By the time you’re twelve years old, as a young girl, you’ve probably experienced some form of a sexual advance or a sexual encounter was made toward you. Parents might not want to read this: Or you’re already “active” and you’re openly talking about it with your friends. CC has been into music her whole life, and she’s homeschooled so she decided to utilize her free time to bring us music and videos for them like ‘Coconutz’. You’ll be surprised to know who came up with the concept of the video.
Who are some of the people that inspire you sonically? What are you listening to?
Trina, and like Lil Kim. Foxy Brown, all of like the bad artists. Blaque, R&B artists. Like the late 90’s. 702. Like, Sole.
Oh, wow.
There’re a couple of other women that I listen to. I definitely like Lauryn Hill. Definitely, Missy. Like, she’s my bitch. Like: Hi. How are you? I love her.
So is this a part of a larger body of work?
Yeah, it’s definitely going to be part of a mixtape. I kind of just wanted to put it out there. See how it does. Have fun with it.
Tell me a little bit about the video. Who came up with what, like down to what you’re wearing? Just your style. Everything.
I came up with everything. I did the treatment for it. I did all of the vision boards for it. Like, I did everything.
Wow, okay. That’s impressive!
I’m not playing.
That’s amazing! That’s really good to hear. Are there any current rappers or singers that you want to work with or collaborate with for your mix tape?
I would definitely want to work with Stunnaman from The Pack and any Bay artists. I want to collaborate with Father and Junglepussy. I love her. Like, I really love her. I really love, and then like I mean, if we could get Trina on a track that would be crazy.
I’m pretty sure it could happen.
I would probably cry.
Laughing.
Are you connected with Junglepussy already or…
I’m not, but I would love to be. Like, I love her work. I love what she’s doing. I like her voice. I like what she’s about.
I’ll connect you two because she’s amazing.
Thank you.
Honestly, I feel like the video is going to be viral. I think it’s going to be big in no time. I feel like you have a worldly appeal to you. I feel like because of what you’re talking about, I can only imagine when people find out that you’re sixteen, there’s going to be that type of talk like: You know she’s so young. Why is she saying that? Blah, blah, blah but I mean honestly, when we were twelve, we were talking about the same things. It is what it is and sex will always sell.
Right.
And honesty is always appreciated from this end, so in a way, I think it’s very empowering for a young woman to say the things that you’re saying.
Thank you.
I think it’s great. When you heard the name GrungeCake, what came to mind?
Like, 90’s Kurt Cobain type shit. Like, grunge shit. Like, some weird crazy flannel shit.
Do you have any words of advice for people looking to get into the game?
Just do it. Don’t let anybody fuck you in this industry. They all know each other, and they’re all going to talk about it.
Laughing.
Do you have anything else you want to say?
Let’s get this paper, and follow me on all social media.
