Tierra Whack

Tierra Whack is a Philadelphia native whose theatrical, undeniably unique take on contemporary rap and R&B has received widespread acclaim. Her debut album, 2018's Whack World, consisted of 15 one-minute-long tunes, rapidly shifting in mood from playful to introspective to irritated. She further displayed her wry creativity on stand-alone tracks like 2020's "Feel Good" and 2021's "Walk the Beat." A trio of 2021 EPs, Rap?, Pop?, and R&B?, addressed her aversion to easy categorization. World Wide Whack, a full-length centered around an alter ego of the same name, arrived in 2024.

Whack began writing poetry as a child. She started rapping as a teenager, initially going by the name Dizzle Dizz. A 2011 freestyle video produced by Philadelphia underground music collective We Run the Streets earned her an audience, and she began releasing songs online and performing around town. However, she wasn't satisfied with her work, and was having trouble developing an individual style. Her family moved to Atlanta so she could finish high school. Upon returning to Philadelphia in 2015, Whack (now going by her real name) reconnected with an acquaintance from her teenage years, engineer and producer Kenete Simms, and the two began working on music together. She released several singles in 2017, including "Child Please" and "Mumbo Jumbo," seemingly a satire of mumble rap.

In 2018, she released Whack World, her debut full-length. Presented as a visual album with music videos for each of its 15 brief tracks, the release was a major critical success. Whack subsequently opened for her self-acknowledged idol Lauryn Hill in Philadelphia and later toured across the world with 6LACK. Over the next two years, she issued a bevy of singles including "Only Child," "Wasteland," "Feel Good," and "Peppers and Onions." She appeared on Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack, as well as on albums by Lil Yachty, Alicia Keys, Flying Lotus, and others. The J Melodic-produced "Walk the Beat," arrived in August 2021, and a trio of genre-focused EPs, Rap?, Pop?, and R&B?, closed out the year. An instrumental edition of Whack World, a dramatically different listening experience than the original, appeared in 2022. Also that year, Whack made an appearance on the soundtrack to The Minions: The Rise of Gru, followed by a contribution to Creed III: The Soundtrack in 2023. She also starred in a hybrid documentary-fiction film titled Cypher. "Millions (Jumbo Sounds Mix)," a club remix of a song from Rap?, and the single "Chanel Pit" both surfaced during the year.

In 2024, she released the full-length World Wide Whack, telling the story of a character "both untouchable and vulnerable, superhuman and painfully human." ~ Paul Simpson