Tierra Whack on Being the Weird Black Kid

We had a 10 minute window to interview Philadelphia-local Tierra Whack at Splendour in the Grass, I think one of the only publications that did. An honour. 

If you don’t know Tierra Whack, and you should, she first rose into the spotlight at 15, when a Youtube video of her freestyling on the streets of Philly went viral. From there, she got a job in a car wash, where she saved up enough money to buy a laptop to record her music. 

Since then she’s hit the global stage rapping aside the likes of Lauryn Hill, and now Tyler, the Creator, with tracks aside artists like Lil Yachty and ASAP Rocky. While fun and upbeat, her music – often sounding like it could soundtrack a kids show – balances its joviality with lyricism stoking depth and darkness. 

I’d just caught Manchester rapper, Aitch, playing at the stage furthest away from the media area. When I came back, dodging and shouldering drunken festival goers out of the way, her publicist had been looking for me. Fuck, were we late? VICE’s video guy told me to take a shot before the interview for liquid courage, rightfully so (we had a bottle of tequila lying around somewhere, so I took two). Beforehand, someone had offered me a bump of K. Hell no, that was not a hole I was willing to go down. I was a bit buzzed but (obviously) still functional. 

Trudging over in our ankle-high gumboots we were seated outside her dressing room carrying a lighting board and our camera equipment. We’d gone down the wrong row of rooms twice and were sprinting. SPRINTING. I was shitting myself. 

But alas, when Tierra opened the door, her hair hooked up into a high pony-tail – brilliantly red – her fluorescent green jumpsuit something off a teletubbie spin-off, her cool demeanour tempered the situation immediately. 

She invited us into a bare-bones room filled with nothing but a table and a couch, but not before some dudes asked me to take a photo of them with her on a phone I had no idea how to operate. And whilst peering through green-framed sunglasses, she shook my hand and sat down while the video guy fixed the lighting.  

“Was that your family outside?” I ask.

“You mean the black people?”

“Aha yeah.”

“Yeah, that’s my Mum.”

Tierra had two dressing rooms, they were chilling in the other. I’m guessing it looked better than this one. I respected the notion of bringing her mum on tour though. I tell her I’m a huge fan, she replies, “Yeah, I know.” Not in an egotistical way, but because I must have been acting like a starstruck fucking idiot. But she’s all smiles: her personality wavering between kinda kooky but also effortlessly cool. And as she sits on the couch, she hunches forward slightly in a non-threatening way.

The first thing she does is pull out her phone, “Hah It’s 6:15, I go on at 7”.

VICE: So I saw a lot of Tweets saying “This is the most amazing show I’ve seen.” How’re they going in Australia and New Zealand so far?

Tierra Whack: I go into a show with no expectations, so I can’t be disappointed, but it was literally breathtaking. I couldn't believe the fans were showing me so much love. They were really nice and supportive. A lot of time I’m in denial that I have an influence.

Why? 

I don’t know, I just didn’t believe it. I was in denial that people followed me. It was a good feeling. People watch, people do care, I do have an influence, it was a great realisation cause I’m always in my own little bubble.

When did you have that realisation?

Recently. It happens in pieces. It’ll be like “Oh, I am cool”, and then I’ll be like, “Oh, I don’t know.”

I guess that’s a better way to be than having a huge ego and thinking you’re better than everyone.

Yeah, cause I’m not perfect. None of us are.

Your mum dropped you off when she saw some guys free-styling on the street in Philly…”

My mum is my biggest supporter, I wouldn’t be anywhere without her. She’s my number one fan. Number one supporter. Best-friend. Everything.

But she dropped you off on the street?

Yeah, she kicked me out of the car and said ‘go rap for those guys’. They had a camera like this one [points to camera]. But she knew, ‘cause it was in the middle of the hood in Philly. So she’s like, ‘Get out the car, go rap, somethings happening over there.’ And she just pushed me out of the car and I didn’t know what I got myself into, but that was my first viral video on Youtube when I was like 15/16-years-old.

What does a 15-year-old rap about?

It was like spoken word, it was just freedom of speech, whatever came to mind. I was just expressing my weird, little thoughts.

One thing I noticed about your music is that…

It’s dark.

I was gonna say it has a child-like wonderment to it.

Oh yeah, yeah. I say this all the time and I still live this way. I never wanted to be an adult and I still don’t.

Real life Peter Pan.

Yes, yes. I don’t know, kids can do whatever they want. There’s no real consequences or responsibility. They’re just free. Kids are the most honest people in the world and nobody judges them.

Your cousins, you’ve got them in your videos too?

Yeah, yeah. 

I hear everyone knows their names at school now.

Exactly. My little cousin is famous.

When I first heard your music I was like, “Tierra and Tyler”….

…sitting in a tree, k.i.s.s.i.n.g

But you have similar raps, you’re a similar kind of person.

Yeah, that’s why I said I couldn’t not go on tour with him. I had to go on tour with him. He paved the way for people like me.

What do you mean?

You know, that black weird kid, the weird black kid. That’s who he is, that’s who I am. We’re not weird, we're just true to ourselves.

Yeah, but the weird kids in high school always end up being the coolest outside of it. If that’s what you mean?

Yeah, that’s what it turns out to be. Cause any real person that’s authentic and true to themselves, you’re gonna respect the other individual who’s on the same vibe as you. Whatever you’re comfortable with doing, I respect it. That’s you, I’m rocking with you but when it’s forced and you can tell it’s not organic you're like “ugh”. So what we’re doing, it’s not a gimmick.

Who do you most want to collaborate with?

Me and Tyler still got some stuff coming.

You have a song coming?

I’m gonna be honest, not yet, not yet but we’re building, we’re becoming friends and I think that’s the most important thing.

I remember hearing rumours that Beyonce wanted me on a song.

Right.

And I’m like, “What does Beyonce want with me?”

Cause you’re bringing her into the new era?

Yeah, but both of them, even Jay Z, hearing that he was a fan of me, I was like “What?” and then finally I got a direct contact and I was like “Oh this is real.” These are people I never imagined I’d meet. I remember when I was a kid and driving to New York, even going to Jersey outside of Philly, and I'd literally be staring out the window the whole time expecting to see Lauryn Hill cause I knew she was from Jersey.

Have you ever met Lauryn Hill?

Yes, I went on tour with Lauryn Hill. It was my second or third tour. Just speechless. She was one of the only people where I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say. I just couldn’t get the words out. And I don’t get fanned out. I really admire people and respect people but I just did not know what to say to Lauryn. It’s crazy.

You’re so humble.

Are you surprised? It’s not cool to be an asshole.

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