Jennifer Jade Roberts (born March 4, 1991), known professionally as Maliibu Miitch, is an American rapper, songwriter, and entertainer of African American, Vietnamese, and Filipino descent. Born in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, and raised in

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

since the age of three, Roberts started rapping in 2009 and started releasing songs and freestyles throughout the following years. In 2013, she released her debut EP titled, ''Hood Foreign''. In 2014, she signed to Island Records and released two singles the following year: "Figure8", produced by

Mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...

and "Starin at It", produced by

Dem Jointz Dwayne Allen Abernathy Jr. (born July 17, 1976), better known by his stage name Dem Jointz, is an American record producer. He has produced tracks for numerous artists including Rihanna, Anderson .Paak, and NCT, among others. He also co-produ ...

. In 2017, she released a mixtape titled ''Maliibu Miitch Top 5''. In 2018, Roberts released her debut single titled "Give Her Some Money" under Atlantic Records that was produced by

Hitmaka Christian J. Ward (born September 9, 1985), professionally known as Hitmaka, is an American record producer and former rapper from Chicago, Illinois. Ward began his career as a rapper under the name Yung Berg, having released his debut album ''L ...

Early life

Maliibu's mother, Venessa White, was born in

and raised in

. It was there that she met Maliibu's father, Brett Roberts, who was an adopted refugee from Vietnam. When Maliibu was 3 years old, her mother left

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

to move to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

with her other two siblings. Maliibu began modeling at 17 years old but quickly picked up rapping. In 2011 Maliibu made it into

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide ...

Hustle In the Morning music video which fueled her desire to rap even more.

Career

In 2009, Maliibu Miitch picked up rapping, and started freestyling in ciphers around her neighborhood in the South Bronx. What started as a hobby for the then 18-year-old rapper ended up helping her land her first record deal in 2011 with

Ruff Ryders Ruff Ryders Entertainment is an American hip hop record label and management company founded by siblings and record executives Joaquin "Waah", Darin "Dee" and Chivon Dean. It operated as a subsidiary of Universal, and distributed by Fontana Dist ...

CEO Darin "Dee" Dean. The deal was co-signed by producer

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

. In 2013, at the age of 21, Maliibu Miitch went independent and started her own label and all-female cooperation. Later that year, she released her debut extended play through Empire, titled ''Hood Foreign'', after her company. In 2014, Maliibu Miitch signed her second deal, which would become her first major label deal at Island Records. There, she teamed up with a female singer, releasing two singles in 2015: "Figure8," produced by

DJ Mustard Dijon Isaiah McFarlane (born June 5, 1990), known professionally as Mustard (also known as DJ Mustard), is an American record producer and beatmaker. He is a frequent collaborator of fellow California-bred artists YG and Ty Dolla Sign; among var ...

, and "Starin At It," produced by

. After taking a two-year break from music, Roberts returned in 2017 with her EP, "Top 5," and singles "Gwapamole" and "4 AM". Within a couple of months, Maliibu Miitch once again landed another deal, this time with Atlantic Records. This was her second major recording deal, but her first-ever solo deal. She released the single, "Give Her Some Money," produced by

in 2018. She is currently working with Entertainment One Music to release her debut album.

Influences

Maliibu cites her mother, Lil' Kim,

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

, Rihanna, 50 Cent, Jay-Z,

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated Flow (rapping), flow in her rapping, alter e ...

, Foxy Brown and

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...

as her style and rap influences.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

As a featured artist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miitch, Maliibu Atlantic Records artists Living people Rappers from the Bronx 1991 births African-American women rappers American musicians of Vietnamese descent American rappers of Filipino descent 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women