Photos shot by skc girmai (@skcvisuals on Instagram)
At Elevator, we have the illustrious ability to break emerging artists and scout for talent in today’s era of music. However, with new musicians taking off almost every day, we tend to forget about the artist who had all eyes a few months ago, or maybe even a few years back. Regardless of the time frame, Most Wanted highlights artists who hands-down have the ability to get the crowd hype or leave everyone anticipating their next move.
With hip-hop’s latest generation of women reshaping the sound of music, female artists such as Cardi B and Kash Doll are leading the way for more emcees to breach the industry. In particular, Miami rap duo City Girls had a breakout moment unlike any other. Whether it be their feature on Drake’s 2018 smash hit “In My Feelings” or the viral triumph of “Act Up,” these girls are not here to play. The same year they began racking up millions of plays, wretchedness broke when J.T. turned herself in to the authorities for petty crimes committed in the past. Fear nonetheless, her companion Yung Miami is holding it down effortlessly.
Firstly, let’s take a step back to where their timely success began. City Girls proved themselves to be the modern-day Salt-N-Pepa with their explicit single, “Take Yo Man,” which has garnered over 20 million Youtube views since its release. The track flips the 1986 song of the same name performed by the legendary rap duo Salt-N-Pepa so well that you wouldn’t even notice the interpolation of the hook. “Take Yo Man” definitely serves as a standout, but it’s only a glimpse of their no skip debut, PERIOD. Releases like “Where The Bag At” and “Fuck Dat Nigga” are undeniably hit records that dropped around that same circa; no wonder Quality Control picked the duo up.
Fast forward to their 2018 debut album, Girl Code, the duet remind us that they run shit. The 13-track effort contained fan favorites like “Twerk,” featuring Cardi B and “Season,” featuring label mate Lil Baby. Ultimately, the one track that stood out was the EarlOnTheBeat-produced breakout record “Act Up.” The internet picks and chooses what song or snippet goes viral and in this case, this was the song. Thousands of teenagers (Generation Z) propelled the song to new heights with the #ActUpChallenge. This was months removed from J.T.’s incarceration and when it came to capitalizing off the record, there’s really only one person who could keep it going. At this point, do you wait patiently or continue to push the legacy on behalf of the entire duo? That’s when the pressure falls on Yung Miami to push the duo to become icons.
In part, Yung Miamis feature streak played a major role in the City Girl’s long-lasting relevance. As early as late-2018, Miami featured on 21 Savage‘s “a&t,” which collectively gathered over half-a-million streams. However, her guest appearances weren’t exclusive to only rap tracks. At the top of the year, Miami was featured on Lloyd‘s “Caramel” remix and made a cameo in the music video for it as well. Over the course of being solo, Yung Mami worked with Saweetie (“My Type” remix), Cousin Stizz (“Perfect”), A$AP Ferg (“Wigs”), and Trouble (“She A Winner”) to name a few.
On the internet or face-to-face, Miami is the person in real life. Her performances set the standards, from thousands of fans chanting her lyrics to back up dancers. “One time for all my city girls in this bitch,” she shouts on stage. The 2019 BET Awards and Rolling Loud serve as highlight moments of her on-stage performances. No wonder why everyone wants to book City Girls, Miami can get the crowd hype in a matter minutes of one or two singles.
Yung Miami has held it down on her own for a while now, but not anymore. A few months back, Miami announced that she would be giving birth to her first child with 808 Mafia’s Southside. Not to mention, her partner in crime is finally home. On October 8, 2019, J.T. finally came home after a year after being behind bars. Similar to Tee Grizzley and Gucci Mane, she offered a spectacular “First Day Out” release that put her detractors in check. Welcome home, J.T.!
Malcolm is an 18-year-old writer from Carolina, follow him on Instagram @malcglobal.