Hey everyone, it's Julie Young.
And we are here tonight in K-town at Maru.
Did I say that right?
Yeah. Okay.
And we are here with my girl Awkwafina,
one of my favorite girls ever.
Hello.
And Nina, who is HJ Lee's daughter, the founder of KoreanAmericanStory.
How are you doing, girl?
I'm good. How are you?
Good, good. Happy New Year.
Happy New Year.
You always look nice. It's not our New Year though.
That's true actually. You're right.
Or the Hasidic Jews' New Year. You know, at my kids' school, they call it the
the Chinese New Year, and I was like, no, people, lunar.
Lunar. It's like oriental.
Okay, so I have a little gift for you.
No, really?
I do.
From Phillip Lim? From Phillip Lim.
Damn, girl, you ballin'. From me.
Should I open it now? Yes!
Oh my god
I should give this to my grandma. When the holiday season rolls around.
No slipper, no slide. Cash Only.
Should I hold it? Hold it close to your heart.
No, no let's put it over here. Okay.
Let's start from the beginning, like I always like to do. Okay.
You were born in Queens. Yes. I was born Long Island.
You were? Yeah.
Really?
I was born in Stony Brook University Hospital where my grandma
worked and all my uncles and aunts went there for college and my dad.
but you grew up in– Forest Hills. Forest Hills.
Okay. And you grew up mostly with your dad and your grandma.
Right.
My grandma took care of me most my life.
Until I was like 18, I lived with her.
So how do you think you were affected by the fact that
your mom died at such a young age for you?
When I was really little, I learned how to
become embarrassed, which was one of the first emotions I ever felt, was humility.
like I didn't like it when people around me were crying because that's
what most of my first memories were. So, I didn't like to be the face of why
people cried. I did like to talk about it with people. I didn't like it when people
cried around me. I didn't like to like really share. It gave me a lot of
adversity at such a young age that I gained a very odd sense of humor and also a very
odd way of looking at life, like the realness of life
Like I remember negotiating myself about God when I was five years old.
And I remember thinking to myself like, ‘God is not real.’
When I have that kind of sense of
like looking at life, I think I became more mature than a lot of kids around me.
So– and your mom was Korean, so when you grew up, you grew up mostly Chinese.
I mean, I always felt like a distance from my Korean family. I think like, now they're you know
they're— they're kind of like bougie. They have more money than my Chinese family.
And also I feel like Korean people have more of an aspect of like shame.
So when they found out my mom was marrying a Chinese guy, they were like, very like,
’why would she do that? Why isn't she marrying like some rich Korean guy?’
Yeah. So, I've always felt that kind of complex.
Your mom came here to go to school, right? She came here from Daegu.
She met your dad here.
She came here as an artist and went to New Paltz, SUNY New Paltz, and met my
dad at New Paltz. Then he transferred out of New Paltz and to go to Stony Brook.
So just because we're talking about identity a little bit here,
So I read this quote that you—
you were quoted in an article.
You said, ‘My story isn't so much as an Asian female rapper, as much
as one of an American kid, who didn't come from the kind of trust fund background.
It really was an American story. I was someone who grew up listening to
Backstreet Boys. I was an American kid.’ It's funny when I talk about you, a lot
of times people are like, ‘Oh, she's Korean?’ and I'm like, ‘Well, she’s Korean and
Chinese.’ But then they're like, ‘Oh yeah,’ or they'll be like, ‘Oh that Korean rapper.’ Or
that you know it's like they focus so much on that but you're—you're like
that's not really what this whole thing is about, right? I think I was raised like
a lot of Asian American kids are with that element in their life in their life
Like I was raised by an old Chinese Lady. You know, there were a lot of like
flyswatters and like back scratchers. She definitely collected plastic bags
and like– which, Grandmafina. I love Grandmafina. And I need to meet her
someday. Yeah, totally. And I also had— so I had a very Americanized dad
who was more or less born here. He came here when he was
like you know under five. So he was very American, but then I kind of also saw my
grandpa who represents a lot of what a typical Asian dad is and someone who
kind of locks himself in the study.
He doesn't talk to anybody, doesn’t engage has no emotion.
S o I grew up with that Asian element. But I was mostly American,
like I didn't speak any Asian languages. All of my friends were American.
Asian cliques in my school did not like me. They didn’t get me.
They thought I was too weird. They thought I was too boyish, you know.
So I had a very aggressive personality at such a young age.
Okay, so you went to LaGuardia High School. Yeah. And then you went to
Albany, SUNY Albany? Yeah. Okay, so I read
your immigration paper. It is so well written but also– it's so captivating.
It's so like– it's such an amazing story. Oh my God. This is so awkward.
No, seriously. This is so awkward. I’m like blushing right now.
Who told you all of that history? My grandma, my insane grandma.
I went to SUNY Albany right after I spent a year in China. So it was that roots trip. As we all know,
you wrote Awkwafina’s Guide to New York City. Yes.
I actually read it though, in between the
last interview and this one. And there's some good shit in there. Like—
There’s some good shit in it. There's some seriously good shit in there.
People don't know. There's some good shit in it.
I've lived in the city for a long ass time now. And you've—There's some good shit in that book.
Who's behind Tawk? Like, who's— what's that all about?
So I was reached out to by AW, Astronauts Wanted
which was—is a Judy McGrath— I don't know if you know who she is.
She used to run MTV, when MTV was, as some would call, in its heyday.
She started something called AW and they reached up a lot of Youtubers, alot of Viners,
and I was the smallest terms of like a following that they had reached out.
But Judy McGrath really liked me which is really cool because they could have gotten anybody.
They could've gotten someone with millions of followers. Right.
But she came to me and she said like, 'If you could do
anything you wanted like what would it be?' Well I would do a talkshow with
like strippers and homeless people because I feel like they're the
two most entertaining kinds of people.
How much input do you have?
For the first season, I wrote everything. I pitched most of the sketches.
For the third season, we got a writer that wrote some sketches
but still, all the sketches were all mine.
You know I have eight-year-old twins, right? Yeah.
I don't look like I do, but I do. So cute.
So I said, 'What do you want me to ask Awkwafina?'
What do you like about performing?
I like to be able to control the audience. That's fun.
It puts you in a nice position, you know?
They also would like to know, 'Who else would you like to rap with? Who is your favorite rapper/singer?'
I really like Da Brat. I think Da Brat's dope. Oh
I mean there are rappers who I rap with for like love of them.
Maybe Necro? I love Necro. Yeah.
And there are rappers who I'd rap with because I want to get millions of views.
So obviously, that'll be who— Beyonce, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Kanye, all those motherfuckers.
What about singer? Singer?
I really like Neil Young. He was one of my favorites.
Later, I really liked experimental Fleetwood Mac. I liked Tusk.
So you just filmed two movies, right? Yeah.
One with Seth Rogen? Yeah.
Is he hilarious in person? He pretty much is
exactly what he's in the movies. Yeah. Kind of chill, funny. Yeah.
What was the other movie? The other one is a an indie movie
where I play a high schooler, so that's fun.
It was directed and written by this this new up-and-coming powerhouse writer
named Olivia Milch. She's an excellent writer.
Do you ever, you know, stop and think like, 'wow, my life.'
Before I became Awkwafina, I was not in a good like— I was very much like in a quarter-life crisis.
Like what the fuck am I gonna do?
Your dad encouraged you to be like a—
Meat inspector.
So, there's your grandmother who was like, 'no, let her do what she wants to do,' right?
Yeah. I mean, my grandma is like totally an enabler.
Like, my grandma's the kind of person that like, if I was a Heroin addict, and I was going through
withdrawal on the floor she would be like, 'Okay, just have some heroin.'
Yeah, so my grandma has always been on my side.
So what does grandma think about your success now?
She's very happy. She has— definitely has a lot to say about it always.
She always tell me things like,
'When are you gonna make another "My Vag"? That was your only good song.
And she'll tell me, 'So, wow, you have so much time off. What are you gonna do?'
So, like I saw her for Christmas and I just kept (indistinct) two shows and two movies.
Right. So I was really busy, and I just had a breather.
So I came and she's like, 'You're depressed that you don't have any money?'
What are some things on your bucket list that you still have yet to accomplish?
If I were to die tomorrow or get
diagnosed with some kind of a horrible illness, and I get only three days to live,
I'd be fine, you know? Like, I think I could die right now, knowing that like I
exceeded my expectations of anything ever set for myself.
I think that in this industry the trick is to be ambitious but to not be delusional.
So I think that you start to fail when you say, 'Well, I'm going to be the star in this.
And I'm going to write this. And I'm gonna do this.
So, you know, I'm very content with what I have. I never thought that I would be a rapper, to be honest.
I—I—These are just things I love to do. I never thought I could make money off what I enjoy doing.
Honestly, like my passion is producing music. That's what I—to this day—
spend hours doing, you know? I see like my rapper friends who, well, maybe Rekstizzy,
who like will go to a hookah bar for four hours and write his new album there.
Shoutout to Rek in L.A. now. You should be here.
I can't do that, so. I don't ever spend much time writing rap lyrics.
I spend far more time writing beats.
Did you listen to Rek's new album? Yeah, it's great.
So, Rek— I'm on one of the best tracks in that album.
You sound hot on that, girl. Thank you.
You sound really hot. Thank you.
Download Rek's new album. Yeah.
You Can't Be Serious on Spotify. Streaming on Spotify
And pretty soon iTunes.
When are you happiest?
Right after I've been really productive. I would sit. You know what I mean?
Right. Mm-hmm.
I'm happiest right after I play a show. The feeling of after playing a show
that was a good show
is better than any feeling. And you're on a constant good one—
Total High— for the whole night.
Tell me something about Nora that we don't know.
I'm very reclusive. I am not a lemur.
I don't hang out.
As you get more into the acting world, do you get direction to sort
of be more any other way than other than yourself?
People never tell me to be more Asian.
Like, I think that I am a part of the post-racial world where people stop
asking Asian people to play Asian people.
And maybe if I get cast as like a rapper type, then they'll tell me to be more rapper-y.
In this political atmosphere, it can come off as
definitely culturally appropriative.
So that's one one thing where I draw the line because I don't think that my rap or any
songs that I've done as Awkwafina are cultural appropriation.
Aside from the genre itself. I'm not being ignorant on a track.
I'm not talking about like doing things that I don't do.
So I have this friend who is a big huge fan of yours.
He's not here right now, but he wanted to ask me what five languages your vag speaks.
♪ My vag speak five different languages ♪
Oh, um. It speaks American Sign, which was very hard for me—
That is so impressive! Oh my god. —to learn but I think it's hot.
It speaks Spanish really well. French. Pretty much all the languages that we love,
my vagina speaks. Italian. What else? Dutch. Portuguese - it speaks.
He also wants to know if you're gonna have a new rap album coming out soon.
Yeah, it's in the works.
If I do come out with a new album, it's going to be free on Soundcloud.
All right, that's cool.
I think what Julie was mentioning before, of you not being Korean American, like woman rapper or whatever.
Like not wanting to limit yourself or to be pigeonholed yourself as like
Do you feel any pressure to represent, just because you have more of a platform?
I didn't like to be pigeonholed as a feminist when I first came out, not because I'm
not a feminist because I didn't want to let feminists down.
By like saying like taking their cause and using it as my own and then eventually saying some shit where
they're like, 'That's not PC. Like, that's not nice.'
I definitely have a platform.
And I think that what I say actually affects people.
And I think people relate to it, but you know,
there will always be like personal beliefs. You know what I mean?
All right. Awkwafina, thank you so much. You're a joy
You're welcome. Don't forget to–
Kumbae. You're done with that, right? You need another round.
Wait, are you gonna do a karaoke song for us? Can you do a karaoke song for us?
Sure. All right.
What's your karaoke song?
Oh, I can do 'Dreams.' Is that gonna be legal though?
♫ Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom ♫
♫ Well who am I to keep you down ♫
Wow. Good.
Pretty good. Wow, that's awesome.
♫ It's only right that you should Play the way you feel it ♫
♫ But listen carefully to the sound Of your loneliness ♫
♫ Like a heartbeat drives you mad In the stillness of remembering what you had ♫
♫ And what you lost And what you had ♫