For the past five years, the biggest hits in rap have been written and released by the women of hip-hop. Each year seems to bring with it a new rap it-girl (I wrote a bit about them here) who captures fans’ attention with a flirty, dismissive hit that listeners can’t seem to get enough of. Fans on Twitter often declare these tracks “the song(s) of the summer” — even when they were released months before or even the last year.
Some recent examples include Coi Leray’s “No More Parties,” FloMilli’s “Conceited,” GloRillla’s “FNF (Let’s Go),” Ice Spice’s “Munch,” Latto’s “Big Energy,” and Lola Brooke’s “Don’t Play With It.” One of this year’s early contenders is “Pretty Girls Walk” by St. Louis rapper Big Boss Vette, which is still going strong despite being released in October of last year.
So, who is Big Boss Vette, and why is she in the running for rap’s latest it-girl?
Born Diamond Alexxis Smith, Big Boss Vette — like many if not most rappers these days — has been a fixture on TikTok, where much of her following originates thanks to viral favorites like “Bad Bitch” and “Outside.” Those hits built on the momentum she first gained in 2015 with a cover of Dej Loaf’s “Try Me”; since “Bad Bitch” became a trending sound on TikTok, her account has accumulated more than a million followers. Meanwhile, her Spotify has garnered more than 2.5 million monthly listeners, and “Pretty Girls Walk” has more than 23 million combined streams on that platform between the original and remix featuring Coi Leray — the YouTube video has 4 million plays.
The song’s success is likely a huge part of the reason she’s now signed to Republic Records, where her debut album is in the works. Another standout single is “Snatched,” which has nearly 9 million streams on Spotify, and a remix featuring Flo Milli and Saucy Santana. Meanwhile, “Pretty Girls Walk” continues to bulldoze its way into thousands of TikTok users’ videos, putting Vette in contention for XXL‘s coveted Freshman cover for 2023. Don’t be surprised if/when she appears there — and then proceeds to take over the rap game.