A new bounce sound in hip hop has been emerging from the East Coast for some time. A frontrunner of this rising genre is Lay Bankz, a multitalented artist whose singing and rhyme skills make her a Next Up artist of tomorrow’s generation.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lay Bankz has always loved the arts. “I’ve been singing since three years old,”said Bankz on Talk of The Town, “before I could really put words together.” Although a self-proclaimed, diehard R&B fan, her musical influences are blended with Destiny’s Child, Michael Jackson, Lil Baby, Aaliyah, Bruno Mars, The Notorious BIG, and 2Pac.
Lay Bankz’s talent first came to light through TikTok with the release of songs and dance videos. In an interview with On the Radar Radio, she references the positives of social media,“I love to know that I really got people out there listening to me, and people really feel something when they’re listening to my music.”The musical breakthrough came when the Philly rapper featured bars on 5Star’s “Cmonnn.” The music video shows Bankz’s trendy dance moves, but the mic skills blossom on the dance track with slick lines like “Met a white girl, think her name was Molly.” Follow-up songs “Boyfriend N.2” and “Left Cheek (Doo Doo Blick)” showed her ability to sing, rap, and make catchy tunes with a bounce sound.
But Bankz needed more than internet popularity on social media; the young upstart wanted to be viewed as a serious solo artist. “Starting from the ground up as an independent lady artist,” said Bankz on Talk of the Town, “I feel as though I didn’t want my brand to be a bunch of features. I wanted it to be ‘Oh Lay Bankz built this from the ground up.’” Her skills and passion for the craft of rap is highlighted in her freestyles on Hot 97 and DJ Cosmic Kev, where she raps, “Boy, I’m badder than all your decisions. / I’m the blueprint for all of them b!tches.”
Lay Bankz’s magic exists within her versatility and performing with a variety of bounce-beat production. Songs like “Girls Just Wanna”, “Ick”, and “Sloppy Seconds” display a swing-like energy of singing and rhyming. Despite no hint at collaboration for the upcoming album, Bankz has openly admired fellow artists Coi Leray and Queen Naija. But whether it is with star power support or not, an album will show Bankz’s drive for a long-awaited dream. “I used to have sleepless nights praying about this sh!t,” said Bankz, “Praying that God will deliver me peace. That I would find my way to my dream. Because this is all I ever wanted my whole life.”
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