We caught up with Atlanta-born rapper Blaatina shortly after her performance at Rolling Loud New York. Powerfully soft spoken, we couldn’t helped but be charmed/impressed by her wisdom-packed views on navigating life and the music industry as a woman of color who’s faced multiple challenges from a young age.
Blaatina discussed preparing for her Rolling Loud performances (she made her RL debut in Miami 2019) and her thoughts on the New York Police Department’s successful push to have several artists removed from the line up.
On the topic of rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine who was in the midst of testifying during the time of the concert, Blaatina said, “He did what he did and he said what he said to get out so he just has to be prepared for the consequences. And it seems like he’s not mentally prepared for the consequences.”
On whether male rappers need to be attractive to be successful, Blaatina answered, “Not at all,” and added, “There’s some big artists who are big right now that are not attractive to me.”
Reflecting on her early days recording, Blaatina talking about writing rhymes for “I Can,” a video she dropped in February 2018 that’s close to five million views. “That girl in the video had that potential but just needed that push,” she said.
On signing to a label, Blaatina said she’s attended all the label meetings, but has resisted despite the temptations. “In the meetings they make it seem like a dream.” she explained.
Now based in Los Angeles, Blaatina ended part of the interview by providing some advice to women on purchasing their first gun, recommending a Glock as a starter gun.
Check out the exchange below.
