Maliibu Miitch has been working a long time to finally get the recognition she is starting to get. Having started rapping 8 years ago and having signed two failed record deals to this point, Mali has been grinding for a long time to get what is hers. She hails from the Bronx and has that no-nonsense in your face mentality that rappers from New York typically have. She initially got notoriety as a member of the hip hop duo Maliibu and Helene, but that group did not work out. In 2017, she released a slew of singles that garnered her national notoriety and were featured in major publications like The Fader and Pitchfork. Since these singles, she has been on the rise, and I think she is one of the next big female rappers to watch. She is too talented and unique to not be a major hip hop star soon.
Maliibu Miitch was born in North Carolina but grew up in the Bronx. She has stated that she really did not even start listening to rap until she was in middle school, and the first rappers she got into were 50 Cent and the rest of G-Unit. I think the influence of early 2000s New York rappers like 50 Cent is very easy to hear in Mali’s music. I would say that I can hear a lot of influence from The Diplomats(that is Cam’ron and Jim Jones for the uneducated) as well. That in your face and blunt mentality that these rappers always portrayed in their music is very noticeable in Mali’s as well. Maliibu Miitch got into gang life at a very young age, and she ended up dropping out of high school to pursue this lifestyle. Around this time, she got into modeling as a way to make money as well. At 19, she recorded a rap for fun in her friend’s home studio and was so gassed up for how good it was that she decided to start rapping for real. She still really did not take rap that seriously(other than as a way to get money quick by doing features and such) until she got signed to Def Jam as a member of the group Maliibu and Helene at 23 years old. This deal ultimately did not work out, but it did motivate her to pursue music as a career, and she has been on her way up ever since.
2017 is the year when Maliibu Mitch really started to see the fruits of her labor, with a series of singles that popped off and gave her national attention. Around this time, Mali had made a conscious decision to change the way she sounds as a rapper. To this point, she had been rapping in more of a high pitched voice that came more natural to her. She didn’t think this sound would be taken seriously by male hip hop listeners and decided to start rapping in a deeper and more intense sounding voice. It is almost like this decision was the catalyst for her career to start booming. “4AM” is the first of these singles released using her new style. This track is a dark and creepy sounding trap banger, with Mali rapping about these haters that are all up in her grill. The chorus of this track is sung in with an auto crooner trap vibe, but the verses are rapped in an in your face style that reminds me so much of Jim Jones. This blunt attitude and old school New York sound has continued to become very prevalent in her music. Her next single “Gwapamole,” almost has an old school Atlanta 2-step sounding instrumental. It is definitely not modern trap; it reminds me of mid-2000s rap artists like D4L. Her rapping style in this song still reminds me of those old New York rappers like The Diplomats or even Lil Kim. The third of these 2017 singles, “The Count,” is my favorite of the three. This song definitely seems like it is inspired by the Biggie Smalls song “10 Crack Commandments,” with Mali giving advice to someone trying to be like her. The instrumental is very reminiscent of late 90s hip hop. My favorite of her rules is probably 3, which is “curve a n****a, leave him in a wreck. You playing chess, not checkers bitch, leave him with a check.” I agree Mali, fuck that dude, and get that money from him girl.
In 2018, Mali released two more hard hittings singles that helped solidify her as one of the best rising EmCees in New York. The first of these is the bad bitch anthem “Give Her Some Money,” which features a heavy bass driven instrumental and a hard-hitting hook, in which Mali states that you better give her some money if you think her coochie is good! The second of these two songs is the banger “Bum Bitch.” This track has more of a chopped and screwed style trap beat. Mali is talking about her competition with a lot of disdain on this song, rapping in the first verse “I’m a star athlete, you play the bench. You’re like a broke down car and I’m the ranch. I’m a spicy chicken tender dipped in ranch. You’re just an overcooked bird without a chance.” I love the cockiness in which she raps with on this track; it is such a hard song. At the beginning of 2019, Mali dropped her remix of the Tommy Genesis banger “Rainbow.” This cut has a violin-driven trap beat and features Tommy sing-rapping about how she is looking for the gold at the end of the rainbow. Mali adds a verse about how she and Tommy are the ones getting the paper now, and now they are the ones balling. My favorite line in this verse is “Poppin bottles, looking like some models. Getting fetty, n****s know the motto. Cuz we livin like we won the lotto. Trendsetters, n****s love to follow.” Once again, I love the confidence that she raps with. I hope Mali and Tommy make music together in the near future! The softer and creepy tone of Tommy goes very well with the low voice and gruffness that Mali raps with.
When asked how she wants to be remembered as an artist, Maliibu Mitch has said she wants to be thought of like Lauryn Hill. She knows she is not perfect and does not want to be a role model. I respect this attitude. Just enjoy her art and stop caring about how she is as a person. We really should think this way of every artist, because art itself is subjective. I believe Mali has true star power, and she will be a household name in hip hop very soon. She has a unique sound and style that is modern and also classic, being reminiscent of early 2000s New York rappers like Jim Jones or 50 Cent. I believe she has true star power, and I can’t wait to see what she does next! If you want to listen to Maliibu Miitch’s music, her Spotify is linked below!
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5J1JcdYCPj44YKz6kVA5wx?si=bSg_uKAfT0ittrG1-xWlow
Sources: https://www.vice.com/amp/en_us/article/qvxmyd/maliibu-miitch-is-the-bronxs-next-big-rapper
https://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/12/maliibu-miitch-interview-the-break/
Photo credit: https://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/12/maliibu-miitch-interview-the-break/
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