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If you follow any teens on their native platforms then you might have seen âAll my bitches look like models/Drinking Henny out the bottleâŠâ captioning quite a few pics of girls with their squads. Those lines come from Brooklyn/Lower East Side rapper Leafâs new track âNadaâ which features rapâs rambunctious eccentric, Lil Yachty. Much like the Atlanta rapper, Leaf has the eccentricity and priorities that are a love letter to the ideals of Generation Z and could score her a spot on next yearâs Dazed 100 list. A fangirl of self-sufficient women, anime, and Scarface, Leaf embodies, in both aesthetic and attitude, a new-age reimagining of a Tarantino vixen.
You know something is better than good when Foolâs Gold Records calls you. This is exactly what happened to Leaf in 2015. She was signed after A-Trakâs brother Dave 1 of Chromeo found her on Instagram. A very modern tale that happens to almost no one. Following her 2015 debut EP Magnet Bitch on Foolâs Gold, Leaf cut through the SoundCloud clutter in 2016 with singles âMoney,â âPlateâ and âNada.â Each one features Leaf as a defender of the principles sheâs lived by that put her on the fast track. As Leaf told me âIâve always wanted to be an action figure. Like this badass girl whoâs super hot, takes out her gun, she kills seven people and is then like âOh my bad.â What they donât teach you in school is how to fend for yourself, but Leaf taught herself as all strong women do.
Coat by Adrienne Landau, Feather Shawl + Bodysuit + Pants + Necklace by Screaming Mimiâs Vintage, Earrings by Chrishabana, Bracelet by Alexis Bittar
As an artist, Leaf has climbed rung by rung to the top. Surviving on a daily meal of chickpeas and grapefruit juice and breaking up with your boyfriend in order to focus on your career is not for the faint of heart, but it is how you stop scrolling through other peopleâs Insta lives and create your own. Now that sheâs landed a campaign with Calvin Klein and is about to put out her full length debut Trinity, has Leaf had a moment to catch her breath and let her progress sink in? âIâm such a perfectionist and overachiever, so I donât really think itâs going to sink in for me until Iâve won ten Grammys or something. If you ask anyone around me, Iâm always looking for better things. I just did a big fashion campaign, and literally right after I walked off the set I was like âIâm really upset right now.â The people I was with asked me whatâs wrong and I was like âI donât have any emails in my Gmail right now, and I just feel like Iâm not doing anything.â ⊠I donât know how to stop working. I love working. Itâs my passion.â
I asked, hustler to hustler, do you ever get burnt out? Leaf was clear with me and said, âI mellow out every night. I have to make sure that I keep myself in check. I love bubble baths. I love to watch anime⊠I work hard and I play hard. I think itâs important to keep that balance.â As Leaf is telling me this she sounds like a pedagogue with nothing to gain from trendy millennial self-help content in her newsfeed. She tells me âItâs a process. I think as working women we never realize how much we need to pamper ourselves. Doing small things like getting your nails done, going to get your hair done, sitting in a sauna, or getting a massage are things we need to do to maintain our sense of mental stability.â She continues, âI was never one of those girls where I wanted to be all pretty and pampered, but now getting my nails and toes done is like luxury. Iâm so happy I get to sit in a chair for 30 minutes and not think about anything. You got to give yourself those moments. We, as women, overwork ourselves and then we ask âWhy do we feel like this?â and itâs because you havenât done your hair in like seven days and youâve been sitting behind a computer for a week. Get your act together.â
With her new found fame, whatâs been the biggest adjustment for Leaf? âHonestly? Partying less. I use to party so much when I was younger. Now being a young adult I have a small handful of friends, and I go out when I can. I party for work, so when Iâm not partying for work I try to stay inside. When I was young, Iâd want to be out all the time doing things. Iâve had to adjust my life and my sleep patterns, but itâs been a good adjustment. Iâm happy about it.â
Money. Itâs definitely a big topic on Trinity and itâs a topic thatâs essential in any productive conversation about womenâs empowerment. On âPlateâ Leaf claims âAll my girls thick like we eatinâ good/All my girls breaded like fried chicken would/All my girls makinâ what they fuckinâ should/From the east to the west, we gettinâ out the hood.â No side eye, but this is a much different dialogue than the flaunting of multiple mansions, personal jets, and a me, me, me and mine mentality that Iâve become jaded by. From Leafâs point of view, âYoung people look at money like it âmakes you.â You have to be real about who you are. If you donât have money just be like âI donât have money.â More importantly though, in rap songs itâs always about taking someoneâs bitch or having the most expensive shit, but that doesnât make you cool. Why are you trying to be somebody youâre not? Talk about who you truly are. Donât talk about what you donât have.â
Vest by Adrienne Landau, Bra by Zana Bayne, Pants by Namilia, Top necklace Leafâs Own, Earrings + Bangles + Necklace by Ashley Pittman, Big Bangles by Alexis Bittar
As she quickly approaches the tricky responsibility of influencing impressionable tweens and teens, I was curious to know what Leaf would want young women to see in her. She told me, âI want young women to view me as someone who just appreciates being myself. I want young girls to see me and be like âWow, Leaf is so cool because she just loves being herself.â Thatâs why I preach self-love so much with my songs. Iâm constantly trying to empower women. Itâs important that young girls just love being them. Thereâs so many outlets telling you to be like this and be like that, and I think girls need to be a little more rebellious and be like, âFuck it. This is who the fuck I am,â and keep it moving.â
After our time on the phone together, itâs clear Leaf deserves more than just the buzz phrase ârap queenâ attributed to her. She projects an entrepreneurial mystique thatâs so singular, itâs endearing. The catalyst of her superhuman work ethic? âI think for me the fear of never becoming an artist, and never being able to perform at Madison Square Garden is so vivid for me. Iâm so afraid that Iâll never accomplish my goals, but I work so hard to get there. Every single moment of the day, Iâm thinking âOh my god, why am I not there yet? Why am I not at Madison Square Garden?â I know people listen to me and I know people love me, but itâs just not good enough for me yet, and I think itâs that fear that drives me more than anything.â
I would love for Leaf to start a podcast, or a vlog or, hell, a mentorship program. Maybe in time. This year we will be gifted with her debut album Trinity, and it will be your soundtrack for venturing out and getting that m-o-n-e-y.
Coat by Adrienne Landau, Head-peice + Top by Screaming Mimiâs Vintage, Dress by Mimi Prober, Boots Stylistâs Own, Rings + earring by Chrishabana x Gypsy Sport
CONNECT WITH LEAF:Â
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