[MUSIC PLAYING]
Nothing but illustrious guest.
Number one show on late night.
Mero, who is joining us in the building?
Just a creator, multi hyphenate
musician, artist, actress.
You know what I'm saying?
Motherfucking model, everything and goddamn world.
Number one, Chika in the building y'all.
The one and only.
The genuine article.
It's me.
The introduction was acreate, it was acreate.
There we go.
Chika in the building.
Full disclosure, we actually know her.
We've met before.
She's a part of the hive.
Chika, how's it going?
It's going well.
How are y'all today?
We're good.
We good, but how are you?
Let's check in on you because that's what--
2020 has been a wild year for everybody.
We like to check in on our peoples.
You're a part of the clique, so how are you feeling?
How you doing?
Mentally every day is pain, but also at the same time
I'm happy to be here because that's a lot more than a lot
people can say right now.
So you take the good with the bad.
I'm doing fine.
I could be better, but I could also be worse.
And that's how we look at things, you know--
MERO: Facts.
Half full, that's where we at.
How are you guys?
How are y'all doing?
We're good.
Trying to stay positive like you sis.
Doing interviews like this to uplift the people.
I see it late at night you've been dropping music,
dropping little verses here and there.
Out rapping half the motherfuckers in the game!
Yeah I said it!
Not even half I would say I'm in the upper 4%.
Talk that talk.
I have to.
Sometimes you've got to be honest.
I'm better.
Fuck that humble shit.
You're better.
It's honest.
We've seen you in some freestyle ciphers
and some people were driving through in the Honda.
And then you come through, skirt, skirt,
in the Lamborghini.
What's it like having that kind of X-Men ability,
having that flow.
The ability to turn it off turn it on.
You can rap, you can sing.
You do it all.
You're multi-faceted.
What does that feel like?
Do you feel like LeBron?
Do you feel like Steph Curry?
When you're in that booth, in front that microphone,
are you like, ain't nobody doing this better than me?
They're not.
It's really unfair to the people.
And I think that reality, that truth that I walk in,
it causes me to have empathy for others because they're not me.
And that's so-- what can you say when you exist in such a world
where you're better than everyone who does what you do?
And so I give thanks.
I think that's where we're getting with it.
I give thanks on a daily basis because I
did nothing to deserve all the gifts that I was given.
Will I return any of them?
No.
Will I give up on these things?
No I won't?
It's really just I'm grateful.
I'm grateful and I intend to remind everyone daily that I am
the best to ever do what I do.
Talk that talk.
I was going to say, who's your favorite.
But we already know it's your brother,
and his favorite rapper is you.
It is.
That's how that works.
When you grow up on your older brother doing crazy things
and you emulate that, of course--
we can say that took his crown, it's fine.
My brother's favorite rapper is me.
That's how it works.
As it should be.
And listen, you out here.
I seen you, I was watching a little Netflix movie, a little
something called Project Power.
And you know what, there was a little girl in there
and she was rapping.
And it's like wow, the rapping was so good,
and then I saw you in the movie.
And I was like, wait a minute.
I thought that was all you.
Tell us about that, you're involvement
and how they got you-- what inspired the verses you
were spitting in that movie?
What I can say was it was really a cosmic thing.
It was a universe thing.
I was doing things on the Gram back then.
It was in 2018 when I was approached about this movie.
And Jamie Foxx randomly stumbled across my page and was like,
you're dope.
I was like, I know, I know.
But he ended up sending my page to the producers and directors
of Project Power, and they were like, this is
dope, what do you need from us?
He was like, if you want the future rap
you need to get her to come in and audition for this role.
So initially I was going to be playing the role of Robin,
but Dom Fishback, I'm going to go ahead and give her props.
She outdid me, she deserved it.
And she did the hell out of that role.
So I like how they cast it, but they also
were like, even though you're not
playing this role can you write all
of the freestyles for Robin?
Would you like to be a ghostwriter?
And was like, absolutely.
DESUS: So good.
MERO: Hell yeah.
So I ended up writing all of the freestyles.
Never honor roll, but I'm on a roll like lint, yeah.
I see I'm digging at your pride.
You thought you could hide that the system is a lie,
wasn't built for me to thrive.
Going through that process and doing a freestyles,
would you take that challenge on again on a bigger scale?
Maybe scoring a whole movie?
Absolutely.
I hope to executive produce soundtracks.
We out here.
That's my whole thing.
When I was writing the freestyles for Project Power
it was easy for me.
Not like-- you know, it was easier.
It was easy, but it wasn't easy because I'm
so skilled, even though I am.
It was easy because the character I was writing for
has so much similarity to myself.
And you need to believe in yourself, and upping yourself.
And being like, one day I'm going to be
the biggest and the baddest.
And I wrote that in 2018, and here we are.
Talk that talk.
The same week of the announcement
about the XXL freestyle.
Not the freestyle the list, the freshman list.
So it's a full circle moment in which
I was writing for the character, and being
like, one day I'm going to be the dopest x, y, and z.
But then you get to see two years later after writing all
those things that I could actually relate to,
I'm still grinding.
I have reached a new height in my career
and also here's this movie that is a time capsule of where
I was at a certain point.
So yeah it's really dope.
Ever watching myself back on screen I'm like,
I don't look like them no more.
I don't rap like that not more.
I have locks now.
It's so different.
Everything's different.
How did it feel when you got that call like, yo you in.
You're the future.
We're putting you on a list.
I remember I was just trying to make some veggie lasagna.
I was about to eat.
My team would be real weird, full disclosure
off to the side.
And they were getting everybody on the phone.
I was like, what is this can I eat?
And they're were like, yo you made the list.
I was like, ah.
I'm hungry though so I'm about to go.
It was a surreal moment, but also one that I didn't--
I didn't expect and I didn't not expect it.
I was just like if they don't that's on brand.
There's plenty of dope rappers who haven't made the list.
And if they do at least game--
real recognize real so that's dope.
I wasn't really shocked or anything that was more
like, oh, a little head bow.
You just killed a NPR Music Tiny Desk performance.
Amazing.
Just hearing the different versions of songs
and you're going from the rapping to the singing.
And you've got the backup singers and stuff.
What was that experience like and how different was that
from how you usually perform?
It wasn't that different.
I know that when I do show for the most part--
no not anymore, but when I first started doing
shows back in Alabama and things like
that, I'd have to do it to track because I didn't have
a band or anything like that.
But when we did a Tiny Desk I'm so accustomed to live
music because I'm from Alabama.
I like sounds and soul and being able to play things out,
that it wasn't that different.
What was cool though, was that the EP wasn't out yet.
So it wasn't even like I was just doing a performance
of songs that people know.
No one in the room had heard any of those songs
ever before in life, besides the band and my team.
So the reaction that you're getting,
I'm glad we got a film it and it's a thing
that's frozen in history.
Because those were people's real reactions to hearing
my EP for the first time.
And the Tiny Desk dropped the same day my EP came out.
So this was filmed in February, my EP came out in March.
It was a cool moment of me being able to actually
put my money where my mouth is.
But I'm actually being able to say
it, whereas eventually a month later people got to hear it.
The world got to hear.
But in that room for the first time
it was like a listening party.
And it was a listening party for a live version of my EP.
So honestly I thought that was the best way to have done it.
And everyone's family was in the room, my sister there,
my team was there.
It was a really cool moment.
And we were in DC and I used to frequent the streets of DC
as a bird.
And so it felt great.
It felt really fun and I'm glad that we have that moment.
Everyone does Tiny Desk, but that was my first project
and the first time anyone had ever
heard my first project in this huge format,
which is NPR Tiny Desk.
So shout out to them.
It came out so well.
A lot of people get nervous when
it's time to do live music.
Especially when singing.
I was not nervous.
You can tell.
You just walked up in that motherfucker like, I'm up.
Everybody get ready, I'm about to kill this shit.
I was being a headass.
And I enjoy being a headass.
And it was a really fun time.
It was a fun time, I can say that.
At least you know you were being a headass.
You can call yourself out.
I was.
Self-awareness is the best kind of awareness.
It comes first.
I was on full headassery that day.
Are you going to do any more modeling?
Honestly, every time I walk out the building people
think I'm modeling.
I mean you've got to get paid for it.
The drip is stupid.
Always, but yeah, for sure.
When people approach me about photos and things
like that I'm like, of course.
Why would I not?
But going to the Calvin Klein one, like a year ago,
opened up a lot of doors for me not only in the modeling realm,
but just fashion in general.
So when it comes to that and brand deals
and working with people, and being on print and a lot
of things I've just gotten lucky enough that people
come to me for that.
It's not even like a career path that I
ever thought of or chose.
I don't care.
I'm not that vain of a person.
I'm vain in my abilities, but not in appearance.
I don't care that much.
If I'm approached for it, of course.
And if we just do random shoots for publications
we're going to snap each and every time
because that's what we came to do.
Is that not why we're here?
If not then bother at all?
You don't got a lane.
You just do whatever the fuck you want to do.
I do whatever the fuck I want.
Exactly.
Because you do what you want when you're popping.
But if you had to pick something that people would not
expect from Chika, that you would dabble in,
what would that be?
I want to write and score a musical.
People might got to that technically,
but a lot of people don't know that my background
is musical theater.
But I would like to producer an on Broadway,
maybe off Broadway.
Who knows?
You're trying to make a new Hamilton?
I mean never say never.
Maybe you want to make a play about two guys from the Bronx
and how they ended up--
It's sounds boring though.
It sounds like no one will really go for it.
It sounds obsolete.
Damn.
But if you come up with anything else then we can talk.
OK, we'll work on it.
We're going to table it, so--
The first one is never written.
What you come up with next-- maybe a girl from Alabama?
That's what it is.
She comes and she's the heroine that saves us from misery.
She runs into some Bronx bums somewhere along the journey.
Look at these two bum motherfuckers in front
of the store.
Let me go help they ass.
[LAUGHS]
Yeah, we'll do that.
That sounds a lot more marketable.
That's hilarious because she's at the market in Alabama,
but we still have wild New York accents
and we have ourselves timbs.
And we're just like, yurr.
Y'all have full embody that.
Mm hmm.
But I have my ear to the streets.
I think that's what people are going to want.
They're going to want to hear a story about someone
from Montgomery, Alabama that isn't about slavery.
So we'll do that.
Speaking of that, growing up in Alabama who
are your musical influences.
Who--
From Alabama?
That's what I'm saying.
Nat King Cole, uh--
She said Nat King Cole!
[LAUGHS]
There's so many options.
It's just such a variety.
Gucci was born in Alabama.
Shout out to Gucci.
That's about it.
Doe B, shout out to [INAUDIBLE] I
guess he's from my hometown he passed away sadly.
There's not too many Alabama musicians.
I hope I'm not missing anyone.
Alabama Shakes, Brittany, she's dope as hell.
But when it comes to just in general
I think I grew up more on Atlanta rap
because we're two hours away.
So it really is they're our cousins.
They're our equally ratchet-- a little more ratchet cousins.
So I grew up on southern rap that wasn't
necessarily Alabama centric.
It was like the Andre's and the TI's and all that.
That's where we were at.
Right.
So did you gravitate more towards the crunk
shit, the turn up shit, or like Dungeon Family?
It was always crunk.
Always crunk.
Atlanta snap music.
It was like yeah--
[LAUGHS]
Hitting that Fabo and shit.
Yeah.
Shake that Laffy Taffy.
A little Crime Mob.
If we went to skating rinks and shit like that,
of course they're going to play those songs.
Of course.
They're not really trying to play too much underground,
but when it came to the music that did flood through Alabama
it was more so that anyway.
That's what you want to do on the radio.
That's what people are turning up to.
So it was crunk shit mainly.
What was your favorite turn up crunk song?
That if you even harder right now, you're going to lose it.
Damn, I was playing one yesterday.
Or actually it was like three days ago,
before I deleted my Twitter.
What was it is?
It's uh-- They play at all the-- you've got to help me.
You've got to.
They play it at every probate.
Hold on.
The Pastor Troy shit?
Down For My Niggas.
Down for my niggas.
Fuck them other niggas, cause I'm down for my niggas.
It's another one and it's mainly
centered around snapping.
I can remember, but they play them hand-in-hand.
It's a switch, it's like a flip.
It's such a southern ass mix that I'm remembering.
And I'm going to remember after this interview
and be so pissed.
But it's literally the anthem of any southern nigga.
They played it every event.
Every event, weddings, funerals, bar mitzvahs.
I'm going to remember it.
Don't even worry about it.
Now it's like an ear worm in my head.
I'm trying to think.
It's not Back That Ass Up.
That's everybody's song.
Back That Ass Up is the southern version
of New York's Juicy.
That's not even-- they play that everywhere now.
Everybody's rushing the floor.
Shout out to my man Joe, he's from New Orleans.
He's like, fam, if you play that song
at any function in New Orleans you're going to cause a riot.
And make sure there's no children in the room
because they will get trampled.
They will get trampled.
We won't care because it's going to be fuck them kids.
Do you hear what song is playing?
Clear the dance floor.
You should know to evacuate the dance floor.
This is not for you right now.
It's not for you right now.
Once you hear Cash Money taking over for the '99 and 2000,
you evacuate the area.
That's horror music for children.
That's when you know some don shit is about to happen.
Get out of the way, we're about to stab everyone.
Just go in the sewer with the clown.
You're better off down there.
[LAUGHS]
Chika what's next?
For me in general in life, or what you mean?
Yeah.
Right now everything you're trying to do you're achieving.
You said you want to do the musical.
What other things?
You want to see some film direction?
You want to start a museum?
I've been writing a show for a few years
and trying to get my mind wrapped
around what it would be like to be in the television
and film world.
That's something I would love to do.
Also I feel like I've reached a point in my career
where I've done everything that I said I would,
when it comes to getting recognition.
A lot of people, once they reach a mil--
dollar wise.
I don't give a fuck about these followers.
But when they reach a million, or they buy their mom a house,
or x, y, an x.
That's when they feel fulfilled.
But for me, no one believed in me at all.
So even being able to talk y'all and sit and chill,
and I do this on some casual shit that my career brought me
to is an accomplishment for me.
So I think that everything I've set out to do I've done it.
So at this point I just plan on acting a fool, acting an ass.
And making good music and really venting via that music.
Bringing some healing if I talk about real shit.
And then whatever at that moment tickles my fancy,
I'm going to be all up in there.
That sounds inappropriate.
It may trigger.
That's it, that's the button right there.
Ain't no more to say after that.
She said it.
Shout out to you for believing in yourself.
It's an amazing feeling.
You believed in yourself, other people didn't.
And now you're like, yeah y'all missed out because I knew what
I was bringing to the table.
How you feel?
Hmm?
I feel great.
How do you what?
What was that?
What the J. Cole line?
They looking at me like, damn never
knew that you would be rich.
Well you should've asked.
It's from Land of the Snakes, greatest song.
Shout out to Cole.
That's how I fell.
You should have asked.
You ain't know I had bars?
You should've asked me when I was like two.
You would have had years.
You would've known.
You would've know.
Let's give it up for the homie.
Chika out here dominating everything, spitting on stuff,
you know how it goes.
Chika, everybody that comes on our show
is an illustrious guest and gets a neon sign.
What would you like your neon sign to say?
To chaos.
Yeah.
That's the type of shit I like.
Matter of fact, let's add fire flames at the bottom of it
and make the screen shake like yeah.
To chaos!
Wow!
We out here disrupting shit!
Ruining things.
Ruining lives, pushing kids down on the dance floor,
that's what we're here for.
That's right!
Yo, give it up for Chika the god in the building.
Chika, keep doing your thing.
Never be humble on them.
Stay on their necks.
I won't.
Thank you so much.
I appreciate that.
Keep dunking on these motherfuckers.