Cryssy Bandz has been killing it out of New York for a while now. She started rapping almost a decade ago and since has gotten cosigns from Nicki Minaj and verses from Freeway and A Boogie. While she was in Atlanta, she came by the rolling out studio to talk about some New York legends and perform two of her hit songs.
How did you end up on an English grime beat?
My boy 75 Floki on Instagram, actually. He sent me a DM and then he sent me some beats. He was, like, hey, I’d like you to get on this. And then I was, like, oh, wow, this is fire. I felt like it was a privilege for me to be on a song with someone from France. I never been to France, so, of course, I was doing that. Oh, that is a great feeling. Because, like, I basically only did the song. Of course, I’m promoting it out here, but for it to be playing on a whole different continent is crazy.
How did you start rapping?
I just was always a writer. I love writing stories, essays, poems. One day, I recited this poem at this show; it had to do with my dad. He didn’t raise me, but it was really emotional. The way I recited it after each line, it was sounding like a bar; the audience was just like yelling and gassing me up. So, I was, like, oh, I could do this rap stuff. Then, when Bobby Shmurda got signed, I grew up with him. Used to cut school in his house sometimes, whatever. Seeing him around the neighborhood and shit let me know it was possible.
How did you get an A Boogie feature?
So A Boogie was definitely a business transaction, but it was still a blessing. I got to be in the studio with him. I recorded my verse, and I sent it to him. I let him listen to the reference track. So, when he was, like, yo, you want me to do the hook? I was like, hell yeah, you the hook king. When he did that, I rerecorded my verse, and he was giving me little tips on how to breathe and … little stuff like that. Then, he had to dip out. But then, I was able to be backstage at one of his shows. I’ve been around him a few times, actually. It was dope.
I heard you got the Nicki Minaj cosign, too. How so?
She definitely did — shout out to you, Nicki Minaj. So I did “Chun Lee.” It was one of the first things I did to go viral. When she didn’t repost it, I was a little disappointed. But then, I was in the final four out of millions of people doing that Megatron challenge. I bet my little sister $5 … that she wasn’t gonna post me, I went to sleep, woke up — and she posted me. It was a swipe left, and I was the first one. It was just so fire. I was so lit I gave her $10. I didn’t win but on Queen radio, she definitely played my verse and was spitting my lyrics. Like, Nicki Minaj knew my words. So, that was amazing — and I would always love her for that.
