Sexyy Red has had one of the biggest rises to fame this year, and done it all while being unabashedly herself.
The St. Louis rapper quickly became the talk of this summer thanks to the viral success of her Tay Keith-produced track “Pound Town.” Following the song’s success on TikTok as a result of the #PoundTownChallenge, Sexyy Red enlisted Nicki Minaj to hop on a remix of the track titled “Pound Town 2” in May. The remix earned Sexyy her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 in June. The 25-year-old has since skyrocketed to the top of the charts, with her June mixtape, Hood Hottest Princess, becoming a blockbuster success due to singles like “SkeeYee” and “Looking For These H*es.”
Sexyy Red’s candor outside the booth has also earned her a reputation for being one of rap’s realest newcomers. Early interviews have showcased Sexyy Red’s amazing knack for authentic storytelling, with all these positive traits earning her massive cosigns from A-listers like Drake, Travis Scott and Tyler, The Creator, just to name a few.
From shutting down a high school auditorium to walking men like dogs for her Rolling Loud debut, it’s safe to say Sexyy Red has all the makings of a very unique star. It’ll be exciting to see how Sexyy Red transitions into this next phase of her career. As summer comes to a close, it’s worth looking back at the many memorable moments the young rapper has had so far. Here, XXL highlights the 10 biggest moments of Sexyy Red’s career so far.
Links With Nicki Minaj for “Pound Town 2”
The first big cosign of Sexyy Red’s career came in the form of Nicki Minaj, who joined forces with the young rapper on her breakout hit “Pound Town,” remixing the track in late May. “Pound Town 2” was likely the first exposure many people had to Sexyy Red, and Nick has remained one of the former’s biggest fans ever since.
“I met with Sexyy Red & found her to be so down to earth & sweet,” Nicki wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, shortly after the remix dropped. “I couldn’t hear myself on this song at first but once I let go & decided to just have fun with a bad b!ch, I ended up LOVING how it came out!”
The song ended up being Sexyy Red’s first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at No. 66 in June.
Gets Massive Cosigns From Hip-Hop’s Biggest Stars
The one thing Sexyy Red did a lot of this summer was garner insane cosigns from some of rap’s biggest talents. Nicki Minaj applauded her “raw” talent, while Drake took it a step further and called her his “rightful wife” while planting a kiss on her cheek. As Sexyy spent the summer snapping pics with Lil Baby, Tyler, The Creator, Kodak Black and more, it’s clear she has made a lot of new friends during her short time in the spotlight.
Shuts Down High School Assembly
One of the earliest viral moments involving Sexyy Red happened when she was supposed to appear as a guest speaker at a local high school in early July.
The St. Louis native did make a brief appearance at a small high school gymnasium in an effort to do some charity work, but many of her eager teenage fans got too excited just by the mere sight of her. Video of the event shows dozens of teenagers abandoning their seats on the bleachers and descending on Sexyy Red, while a man on the microphone demands that everyone be seated. He then said the event would be canceled entirely because of the chaos.
The video was a viral moment in and of itself, but many people on X, formerly known as Twitter, criticized the rapper’s appearance, saying her music is too sexual for kids. She also threw up gang signs and the middle finger when she entered the auditorium, but Sexyy denied any wrongdoing.
“Y’all do know I went there to give the boys money for they haircuts and girls bundles for prom week cause I remember when I needed help with my prom stuff,” she tweeted.
Drake Calls Sexyy Red His “Rightful Wife”
No one could have predicted how cozy Drake and Sexyy Red would become this summer, but Drizzy made his feelings known on Instagram back in July. The pair linked up backstage following Drake’s It’s All A Blur Tour stop performance at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Their meet-up nearly broke the internet after the 6 God was seen smooching Sexyy Red. Drizzy has remained her number one fan ever since.
“I’m yo favorite rapper favorite rapper,” Sexyy captioned the viral post.
Travis Scott Brings Out Sexyy Red at 2023 Wireless Festival
With Travis Scott’s Utopia looming large and set to come out in a few weeks, his headlining set during Wireless Festival’s second day was pegged as one of the most highly anticipated shows of the summer. That’s why it was even a bigger deal when La Flame chose to share the stage with Sexyy Red, who performed “Pound Town” and “SkeeYee” in front of thousands of hyped-up Travis fans. Sexyy’s cameo was definitely a major moment for her career, not to mention she nailed a split in Tims.
Walks Men Like Dogs During Debut Rolling Loud Performance
Sexyy Red made numerous headlines after she entered her 2023 Rolling Loud Miami performance by walking out two men on chain leashes. The men had ski masks over their heads, and walked out on all fours as Sexyy Red rapped her song “Female Gucci Mane.”
Soon after the show, the 25-year-old rapper received backlash for the antic from conservative pundits like Joey Mannarino. Mannarino criticized her on Instagram for “emasculating Black men,” but Sexyy Red clapped back in the most Sexyy Red way possible.
“I’m freaky shut up,” she commented on Mannarino’s post.
Joins Drake On It’s All A Blur Tour
Possibly one of the biggest moments of Sexyy Red’s career so far happened thanks to the 6 God. Drizzy clearly liked Sexyy enough following their legendary link up, and in one fell swoop it seemed, she was asked to join Drake on a few dates of his It’s All A Blur Tour with 21 Savage.
Sexyy hopped out to open for Drake at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Aug. 15, and will stay on the road with Drizzy until the end of his tour at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio on Oct. 9.
Announces First Headlining Tour
As Sexyy Red’s music began to make the rounds online, the St. Louis rapper capitalized on the excitement surrounding her June project Hood Hottest Princess by announcing her first-ever headlining tour. The announcement came shortly after Sexyy Red was picked as an opener for Drake’s It’s All A Blur Tour, where she’ll continue to open for Drizzy for the remainder of the tour.
The 20-city tour kicks off on Oct. 16 at The Paradise Rock Club in Boston. Sexyy Red will then head through other cities like Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and others before she wraps in San Francisco on Nov. 20.
Goes No. 1 on TikTok Billboard Top 50
The TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart launched on Sept. 14, and moving forward will serve as a new weekly chart comprised solely of the most popular songs seen on the video-sharing app. What was perhaps more exciting was that Sexyy Redd made history as the first-ever No. 1 artist on the chart with her smash hit “SkeeYee.” Her songs “Looking For The Hoes (Ain’t My Fault)” and “Mad At Me” also debuted at No. 19 and No. 50, respectively, confirming that it’s been the summer of Sexyy Red.
“SkeeYee” Debuts on the Billboard Hot 100
While Sexyy Red was already riding high all summer long following the success of her debut single “Pound Town” and its coinciding remix with Nicki Minaj, “SkeeYee” proved to be just as massive a track. The song not only dominated TikTok all summer long, but on Sept. 11 debuted on the Billboard Hot 100. “SkeeYee” entered the chart at No. 67, and has moved up to No. 66 in the two weeks since its debut.
Will Launch Lip Gloss Line
In an interview on Sept. 7, Sexyy Red confirmed that she is developing a line of lip gloss with sexually explicit flavors. While Sexyy didn’t confirm when fans could expect the line to hit store shelves, she claimed she’s already figured out which flavors to go with.
“I got a lip gloss line dropping soon, y’all better shop with your girl,” Sexyy Red said. “I got all different flavors: C***hie Juice, Bootyhole Brown, C***hie Pink, Sex on My Period, Gonorrhea, Yellow Discharge and Nut.”
