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Saweetie Feels She Got ‘PTSD’ Over Criticism of This 1 Freestyle

Earlier in her career, Saweetie went on a radio show and delivered a freestyle that the host called 'basic,' generating widespread ridicule on social media. Looking back on the situation, the 'Best Friend' rapper called it a 'really dark moment' that left her feeling like she had PTSD.
by Chelsea Stewart
Published on
2 min read

Saweetie is truly in a league of her own. Hailing from California’s Bay Area, she has a unique rap style that allowed her to become as big as she is now. But it wasn’t always smooth-sailing for this self-professed “ICY GRL.”

Earlier in her music career, there were different hurdles and obstacles she faced, including an onslaught of negative attention around one of Saweetie’s freestyles. Looking back at the situation, Saweetie reveals it impacted her so much she felt like she had post-traumatic stress disorder.

Saweetie
Saweetie at SiriusXM Hollywood Studio, 2019 | David Livingston/Getty Images

Saweetie’s raps were called ‘basic’ after she freestyled on a radio show

Just a few months after breaking out with the 2017 song “ICY GRL,” Saweetie stopped by the radio show Ebro in the Morning, where she faced questions about her career.

She explained she used to post freestyles on social media in hopes of getting discovered, which finally came when she uploaded “ICY GRL” on SoundCloud. Wanting to hear a freestyle, host Ebro Darden had her deliver one on the spot, but he didn’t seem super impressed by it.

While Darden first called it “cool,” he decided to be honest about his real thoughts. “I just thought the raps were basic,” he said. His co-host Peter Rosenberg agreed with the assessment. However, both commended Saweetie on her courage and confidence in rapping on the spot when she didn’t have to.

Saweetie looked back on that moment in an interview

While she seemed to handle the criticism well at that moment, Saweetie admitted in the April issue of Cosmopolitan that it really affected her.

“It was a really dark point in my life,” she said. “I went from being so loved so quickly because of ‘Icy Grl’ to, on my first promo run, well, you saw the interview. The script flipped really quick, like night and day. I was like, Wait…”

“I had PTSD from that,” she continued.

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Saweetie, 27, continued on to explain that she was new to the music industry at the time and was “literally thrown into it” as “ICY GRL” blew up. As her star rose, she also started getting shows and other bookings, but her inexperience showed, leading to online ridicule.

Despite those challenges, Saweetie said it was an important experience. “I’m really grateful for my start,” she added. “Because the mistakes, the struggle, the grind—it allows me to appreciate the rewards that come now because I know what it feels like to sleep in motels, to drive and do promo, to be stressed out.”

It could be argued that Saweetie has musically improved a lot since then. Over the past couple of years, she’s released a string of hit singles, including the 2019 summer anthem “My Type.” She’s also gearing up to release her long-awaited debut album Pretty B*tch Music, which features songs such as “Tap In,” “Best Friend,” and “Back to the Streets.”

Ahead of its release, Saweetie dropped the “Pretty B*tch Freestyle,” which fans seem to love, as it has more than 10 million views on YouTube. It’s funny how life works out sometimes.

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