Vanessa Renee Reece (born November 11, 1990), better known by her stage name V-Nasty, is an American
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
from
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
. She is best known for being part of the group White Girl Mob with
Kreayshawn
Natassia Gail Zolot (born September 24, 1989), better known by her stage name Kreayshawn, is an American rapper, singer, and music video director from Oakland, California. In 2011, while serving as a member of a rap group with her friends, she ...
and
Lil Debbie
Jordan Mary Capozzi (born February 2, 1990), better known by her stage name Lil Debbie, is an American rapper, model and fashion designer. Debbie started her career in 2011 as part of the now-defunct group The White Girl Mob, with rappers Kreaysh ...
, and for collaborating with
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
rapper
Gucci Mane
Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...
.
Reece released her debut studio album with Gucci Mane titled ''
BAYTL
''BAYTL'' is a collaboration album between rappers Gucci Mane and V-Nasty, produced by Zaytoven and Tha Bizness. The album was released on December 13, 2011, through 1017 Brick Squad Records, Vice Records, Asylum Records and Warner Bros. Records ...
'' in 2011 through
1017 Records and
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
. In 2013, she signed a record deal with independent label Pinnacle Records and started working on her second album, as well as a reality TV show.
In 2014, V-Nasty released a
Mixtape
A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...
titled "11Lem"
along with a new single titled "Tweekin".
Biography
Reece grew up on the 35th block of
East Oakland
East Oakland is a geographical region of Oakland, California, United States, that stretches between Lake Merritt in the northwest and San Leandro in the southeast. As the southeastern portion of the city, East Oakland takes up the largest portio ...
in a neighborhood known for dealing drugs and a high crime rate.
She was born to a
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
mother and a
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
father.
Reece had a rough childhood – she was skipping classes, stealing alcohol, and was in and out of jail. She attended
Skyline High School before dropping out of ninth grade. While in sixth grade, both of her parents were arrested. During her teen years, Reece has had various jobs, including working in a chocolate factory called Grand Avenue Chocolates.
At 15, she gave birth to the first of her two children.
Reece was inspired by her cousin and her child's father to start rapping. She started
freestyling
Freestyle is a style of improvisation, with or without instrumental beats (Mystrodamus), in which lyrics are recited with no particular subject or structure and with no prior memorization.Kevin Fitzgerald (director), '' Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme' ...
around 2009, and later, after gaining some popularity, realized she could pursue a career in music.
In January 2010, Reece was caught committing a robbery at a
Pick-n-Pull
Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. is a steel manufacturing and scrap metal recycling company headquartered in Portland, Oregon.
History
Schnitzer Steel was founded by Russian immigrant Sam Schnitzer in 1906 as a one-person scrap metal recycler. ...
store. During a chase with the police, her car's transmission broke and would only go in reverse. She was arrested on robbery charges. She was released after a short prison sentence, but was arrested again after committing another robbery in July.
She was then sentenced to serve six months in
Alameda County
Alameda County ( ) is a List of counties in California, county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and List ...
Santa Rita Jail
Santa Rita Jail is a county jail located in Dublin, Alameda County, California, and operated by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office. With a design capacity of 3489, Santa Rita is one of the largest prisons in the United States and larger than man ...
. Reece was released from jail in December 2010, while remaining on probation.
Reece met rapper
Kreayshawn
Natassia Gail Zolot (born September 24, 1989), better known by her stage name Kreayshawn, is an American rapper, singer, and music video director from Oakland, California. In 2011, while serving as a member of a rap group with her friends, she ...
, after confronting her following rumors that she had made Reece's cousin start taking drugs. After the rumors turned out to be false, the two became friends and started performing together. They created the group White Girl Mob, together with
Lil Debbie
Jordan Mary Capozzi (born February 2, 1990), better known by her stage name Lil Debbie, is an American rapper, model and fashion designer. Debbie started her career in 2011 as part of the now-defunct group The White Girl Mob, with rappers Kreaysh ...
. In April 2011, Reece released her debut mixtape, ''Don't Bite, Just Taste,'' recorded in one day and consisting entirely of freestyles.
Reece was arrested again later in 2011. Shortly after, Kreayshawn started a campaign "Free V-Nasty" in support of her fellow rapper.
When Kreayshawn's video for "
Gucci Gucci
"Gucci Gucci" is a song by American hip hop music, hip hop recording artist Kreayshawn. The song serves as the lead single from her debut studio album, ''Somethin' 'Bout Kreay'' (2012). It was released on June 14, 2011, by Columbia Records. By ...
" became popular, Reece's alias V-Nasty gained fame, because of the lines: "I'm yelling 'Free V-Nasty' 'til my throat is raspy."
In 2011, Reece was contacted by Atlanta rapper
Gucci Mane
Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...
who offered her to collaborate on an album. Before the release of the project, she was approached by several record labels, who offered to sign her, but she declined, feeling not ready for a major deal at the time.
Her debut studio album with Gucci Mane, titled ''
BAYTL
''BAYTL'' is a collaboration album between rappers Gucci Mane and V-Nasty, produced by Zaytoven and Tha Bizness. The album was released on December 13, 2011, through 1017 Brick Squad Records, Vice Records, Asylum Records and Warner Bros. Records ...
'', was released on December 13, 2011, through
Vice Records
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tr ...
and
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
. ''BAYTL'' was produced almost entirely by Gucci Mane's frequent collaborator
Zaytoven
Xavier Lamar Dotson (born January 12, 1980), professionally known as Zaytoven, is an American trap music record producer, disc jockey, and keyboardist from Atlanta, Georgia. He has released collaborative projects with artists including Gucci Ma ...
and features guest appearances by
Mistah F.A.B.,
Berner and Slim Dunkin among others.
Gucci Mane called it "by far ... my most controversial mixtape to date" and commented that many people would be surprised by it. The album was preceded by the single "Whip Appeal", which premiered on November 2, 2011, and was released officially on November 18. On December 16, Reece was in Atlanta, shooting a video for the song "Push Ups" with Gucci Mane and Slim Dunkin. The latter got in an altercation with
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
Young Vito and a fight broke out, resulting in Dunkin being shot dead. The video shoot was cancelled and Vito was arrested on murder charges. He was later acquitted of murder, but convicted of aggravated assault and gun possession charges and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
On March 2, 2012, Reece released her second mixtape ''Doin' Number$'', featuring guest appearances from Mistah F.A.B., Roach Gigz and Erk Tha Jerk.
In March 2013, Reece performed at the
South by Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...
(SXSW) Festival. In April, after parting ways with Kreayshawn, she signed to
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
-based independent label Pinnacle Records in a highly publicized $750,000 deal. She also started working with ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' host
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and '' ...
on her reality TV show.
On her 24th birthday, she released a new
Mixtape
A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...
titled "11Lem", along with a new single titled "Tweekin". On February 16, 2015, she posted a short clip of the music video which has yet to be released.
Personal life and influence
Reece has stated she is influenced by
Too $hort
Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by the stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper and record producer. He became famous in the West Coast hip hop scene in the late 1980s, with lyrics often based on ...
,
3X Krazy,
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...
,
Gucci Mane
Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...
,
Webbie
Webster Gradney, Jr. (born September 6, 1985) who performs under the mononym Webbie, is an American rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He's been signed to the independent Trill Entertainment label since 2003. In 2005 he came into the hip hop s ...
,
Lil Boosie
Torence Ivy Hatch (born November 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie (formerly Lil Boosie), is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the hip hop collective Concentration Camp, ev ...
and
Mac Dre
Andre Louis Hicks (July 5, 1970 – November 1, 2004), known by his stage name Mac Dre, was an American rapper from Vallejo, California. He was an instrumental figure in the emergence of hyphy
The term hyphy ( ) is Oakland slang meaning "h ...
, and listens to a lot of
Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
music.
Producer
Zaytoven
Xavier Lamar Dotson (born January 12, 1980), professionally known as Zaytoven, is an American trap music record producer, disc jockey, and keyboardist from Atlanta, Georgia. He has released collaborative projects with artists including Gucci Ma ...
compared her style to that of
Gucci Mane
Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...
, saying "she'll get in trouble, she don't care about what she say, she just bein' free."
Controversy
Reece has been criticized for the use of the word "
nigga
''Nigga'' () is a colloquial and vulgar term used in African-American Vernacular English that began as a dialect form of the word ''nigger'', an ethnic slur against black people. The word is commonly associated with hip hop music and Afri ...
" in her songs, although she defended it as being used in a friendly way and part of her city's culture.
Rapper
David Banner
Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor.
Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Ban ...
released a song condemning her actions,
while
Mistah F.A.B. came to her defense, stating that Oakland has a culture of its own and claimed Reece and her group White Girl Mob are a product of that environment.
Rapper
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...
also defended her, stating that "if rappers use the word, and rap music is for everyone, then it's misguided to lash out members of other races who pick up on it" and claiming that the word is not viewed as racist nowadays.
In November 2012, Reece accused
Soulja Boy
DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence, after his self published debut single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" peake ...
of being a "fake ass industry rapper" and compared him unfavorably to his girlfriend
Diamond
Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...
of
Crime Mob
Crime Mob is an American hip hop group from Atlanta consisting of six members: M.I.G., Cyco Black, Princess, Lil' Jay, Diamond, and Killa C. The group is best known for their songs "Knuck If You Buck" and " Rock Yo Hips". After an arrest in 2003, ...
. Soulja Boy refused to engage in a
beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus'').
In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...
commenting: "What would I look like fighting with a girl?"
Her ongoing feud with her alleged ex-boyfriend Magneto Dayo seemed to have been over when they collaborated on a song entitled "Hate u" (the breakup) but the fire was once again lit when she threatened him in an interview saying "I'll kick his ass" and denying ever lying about the paternity of her child. Magneto Dayo retaliated with a song called "OJ Simpson" in which he claimed she turned her back on him and others that were there for her before her fame.
Discography
Collaborative albums
Extended plays
* 2013 – ''The Words I Wrote''
Mixtapes
* 2011 – ''Don't Bite Just Taste''
* 2012 – ''Doin' Number$''
* 2014 – ''11 Lem''
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Guest appearances
Music videos
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:V-Nasty
1990 births
American people of Vietnamese descent
American rappers of Asian descent
American women rappers
Living people
Rappers from Oakland, California
West Coast hip hop musicians
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American women musicians
21st-century women rappers