Adam BernardSome people only think of V-Nasty as the rapper from Kreayshawn’s White Girl Mob that drops the N-bomb. Those who’ve heard her music may think she’s an angry person. Those who’ve seen her live performances may think of her as the happy person they’ve seen on stage, smiling and high-fiving fans. None of those images, however, give the full story on who V-Nasty is, and that’s because, according to her, she’s struggling to tell that story herself.
It’s that struggle that’s the aspect of V-Nasty that most never get a chance to see. This isn’t a typical “struggle to get out of the hood” type of struggle, although that’s certainly an aspect of it. Rather, it’s the struggle of knowing she doesn’t have the right words for what she wants to say, and desperately wanting those words to come to her. Despite her brash demeanor on the mic, there’s a vulnerability to V-Nasty that, if more people saw, might change some opinions of her.
On the heels of the release of V-Nasty’s mixtape, Doin Number$, RapReviews sat down with controversial artist to discuss the initial impression people had of her, her goal of going back to school, and her unique relationship with her fans. The mother of two also opened up about the highly unlikely prospect of becoming a soccer mom.
Adam Bernard: Your name is V-Nasty, so flip the script and start this interview off by telling me the nicest thing you’ve ever done for anyone.
V-Nasty: The nicest thing I’ve ever done for anyone is… I do a lot of nice things! Yesterday I had some scratch off tickets and I gave a bum one because I didn’t have no cash on me, and I hope he wins something.
AB: When Kreayshawn and the White Girl Mob hit you instantly became known as the white girl who drops the N-bomb. Do you think it was fair to be described by just that one thing?
VN: No. I don’t think it’s fair because I really have talent that people are not even looking at. I have a lot of unnoticed talent, and people don’t understand that I really have been through this story that I’m telling through my music. Well, I’m really not telling a story through my music, because I’m not sure how to write it out yet, but what I’m doing with my music right now is shit that I’ve been through and shit that I’ve seen, so it’s not fair because they should see the real me instead of letting a word block their visual on a whole person that’s been through a lot of shit.
AB: If you could go back in time, and reposition yourself at the launch of your career, what would you want people’s initial impression of you to be?
VN: A white girl that can rap hella good from the hood. For real, God damn, look at that bitch, she go! {*laughs*} Just playin.
AB: Your critics are vocal, to say the least. Do you think you’ll ever be able to do something that will change their opinions of you?
VN: Yeah. I’ve been thinking about a lot of shit, so I’m gonna make a change. I’m gonna try to make a change in the world. I don’t know if I can do it, but I have faith in myself, so I’m gonna try to do it.
AB: When you say make a change, what kind of change do you want to make?
VN: I don’t know exactly what kind of change yet, but it’s gonna be a change for V-Nasty. I guess a change in thought, how people feel about people. I don’t know how to explain it. I want to show people that anything is possible.
AB: What do you feel people don’t understand about you?
VN: Where I come from. They don’t understand what I’ve been through and all the shit I had to go through to get to this point where I’m at now. I get a lot of, what is the right word… accusations. {long pause} I’m trying to sound smart.
AB: Why don’t you tell a story, or explain some of the things you’ve been through, to help people better understand V-Nasty?
VN: I mean like, I’ve been through a lot of shit. A lot of people don’t understand me because people will sit on the internet and talk hella shit like “she came from a lot of money, she came from a rich family and she’s acting this out.” I mean, c’mon, a white girl like me can act out this long? It’s too serious to just be acting. This is real life. I’m still out here. I still come outside every day. I still see all my partners. I come outside looking a mess. I don’t give a fuck, you feel me, because at the end of the day I’m me and that’s what got me here, that’s what got people looking at me anyway. I love this shit, but at the same time it makes me mad when I see people and they don’t understand all the shit built up inside of where I came from. I got a lot of shit in me.
AB: You have a new mixtape out titled Doin Number$. Now, I’ve seen you live, and you’re a very happy performer, but when I hear your recordings you sound angry. Why are you so angry?
VN: I’m going to kill the mic. Actually, it just comes out like that. I guess it’s the beats. When I’m in the studio I’ll go on Twitter and say “send me beats” and I’ll run through the beats on my email and as soon as something catches my attention that’s what I’m going off of, how the beat makes me feel, what… how do I explain it… what does it make me think about when I’m listening to the beat. I just go into the booth and I just start freestyling like fuck it, c’mon, let’s go, and then it comes out like that.
VN: Hella beats! Like a thousand sometimes. Every time I go to the studio I get like a thousand more beats. I try to talk to my fans a lot. I love my fans. I know a lot of people who are my fans are happy their beats are on my mixtape. I want to work with my fans, too. I want to give back to them as they give to me because I wouldn’t be shit without them.
AB: Do you credit them with their Twitter handle.
VN: Not their Twitter. I put their name in there.
AB: A couple months ago you tweeted something out about staying in school, and I’ve read you’re looking to go back to school.
VN: Yeah. I never graduated, so, as you can tell, I can’t really do an interview. I dropped out of school when I was in ninth grade, so there are a lot of things I need to learn. There are a lot of things that people talk about and I’m like “what are you guys talking about,” that I should have learned in school. I feel like I’m a big motivation for a lot of my fans to go to school. A lot of my fans are like “I just got an A on my test and it’s because of you V-Nasty.” I mean, I think I give them motivation, so they motivate me like damn, maybe I should go back to school.
AB: Is this something you want to do now, or after music?
VN: Now. I just want to continue what I’m doing. Everything always comes. I think God has a plan for me so I’ma just walk the road and let everything fall in front of me and deal with everything that’s falling in front of me. I’m not gonna put myself in anything… how do I explain this to you? Fuck! I be havin a lot of shit to say, I just don’t know how to say it.
AB: It sounds like you have a lot on your mind and you’re dying to let some of it get out. How frustrating is it when you can’t fully vocalize what you want to say?
VN: That shit’s so frustrating. I be feeling like I’m a dumbass person, but I know I’m not stupid, I’m a smart ass person, but I’m not book smart so I don’t know how to say shit how I want to say it and really make my point go all the way across. That’s why a lot of people probably don’t understand me now, cuz I don’t know how to get my point across, but at the same time it’s going to get across one way or another, you feel me? Videos, music, whatever.
AB: You had a child at fifteen, and now have two children. How much of a separation is there between V-Nasty the rapper and Vanessa the mom?
VN: {*laughs*} You want to know the truth? There ain’t no different people. I’m Vanessa. V-Nasty’s new. That’s a rapper, but my artistic image is Vanessa. All that shit gotta do with Vanessa. A name ain’t gonna just change me. It’s me all the time. I’m a good ass mom, though. I spoil my kids.
AB: Are you going to be a soccer mom? Do you already have the minivan with the sliding door?
VN: Hell naw! {*laughs*} I ain’t gonna be no soccer mom. I mean, whatever they want to do I’ll take em to it. If they want to play sports then I’ma put em in sports, but I don’t know man, that just don’t sound right… the van, handing out oranges to the team. No, I’ma be in the stands like “get that motherfuckin ball!”
AB: Oh you will be kicked out within an hour.
VN: No, I’m just kidding. {*laughs*}
AB: Finally, will you ever get your chipped tooth fixed, or will that forever be a trademark of yours?
VN: I don’t want my chipped tooth fixed. I need to get it fixed, but I don’t want to. I like my chipped tooth.