5 Things You Didn't Know About 'Gucci Gucci' Rapper Kreayshawn

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Many of the millions of viewers who tuned into the MTV Video Music Awards last night asked themselves one question—who was that walking Urban Outfitters ad?

It was Kreayshawn, a 21 year-old rapper from Oakland, California who hit the scene hard with her single, Gucci Gucci.

Rap songs were once about popping caps and surviving in the hood. But now? Now they’re about not wanting to wear designer clothes because everyone else does. Love or hate her, Kreayshawn is blowing up. So here are some facts you might not know about the rapper.

Her Mom Was a Punk Rocker: Kreayshawn’s mom was Elka Zolot of The Trashwomen. They were a surf/garage punk band from San Francisco and had a pretty big following locally, and even toured internationally. Elka played guitar in the band, and they described themselves as “the Queens of Tease Rock”. Their 1993 debut album, Spend The Night With the Trashwomen, was described by Allmusic as “a straight-up raw release of sleazy rock & Roll.

She Started a Feud with Rick Ross: Kreayshawn has taken quite a few shots at the rapper. During a freestyle, she said, “You tryna play me like a boss / But you're faker than Rick Ross/ I'll f-cking cut your dick off." Then, at the 2011 Video Music Awards, Kreayshawn’s people got into it with Rick Ross’ people. It was the most awkward thing I’ve seen in a while. The mini-rapper tried to make herself relevant in the argument, but both camps were basically ignoring her, proving that the whole feud was most likely a manufactured PR stunt at Ross’ expense.

She Started as a Video Director: Kreayshawn went to film school, but dropped out. She says of her directorial skills: “My mom dated a DJ so we had like, all kinds of recording equipment in the house. So I've always been playing around. I started directing, and then I see all these rappers in front of the camera, I want to be in front of the camera too, I can do this. It's fun. I can do this better than them, actually.” In June, it was announced that she would direct a music video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ album, I’m with You.

She Wrote a Song at Five Years Old: Kreayshawn says, “I recorded a song with [my mom] when I was five years old, and it was a song I wrote too, and I totally remembered it.

She’s friends with Snoop Dog: That’s right, he loves her. “Snoop Dogg called me up and he was like, ‘Man Kreayshawn, the shit you're rappin about on Gucci Gucci is my lifestyle, I fuck with you!’ I went to his house last night and he was just like hella talking to me like, ‘Oh my god, Kreayshawn you're it!’ It's so crazy, you know?”

It’s pretty cool when Snoop Dogg is a fan of yours. Unfortunately, he’s completely baked 95% of the time, so he probably likes everything.