East Atlanta’s own Bunna B dominated the summer—and she’s just getting started. With her infectious charisma and sharp, playful bars, the rising fem-cee is reintroducing joy and originality to Atlanta’s rap scene.
Her breakout single “Bunna Summa” quickly became a seasonal anthem, earning over 4.1 million weekly global streams and securing a spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. She’s kept the momentum going with buzzy follow-ups like “Mad Again” and “Innit” featuring fellow ATL native YK Niece. And her debut mixtape Bunna Summa (Ice Cream Summer Deluxe)? The cherry on top.
Backed by a strong support system—both her family and her new team at Artist Partner Group—Bunna B is leveling up in ways she once thought were out of reach.
“I feel like this is way better. I get to do whatever I want to do,” Bunna B tells ESSENCE Girls United. “I [have] a good manager, and I think that’s going to make me come out on top.”
But “on top” doesn’t just mean accolades and chart placements for the rapper. For her, it’s about making music that matters to the people who listen. She stays rooted in her purpose: making music fun again and bringing the city together through her sound.
That same grounded energy is what guides her offline too. As a mother, a partner, and the behind-the-scenes operator of her own daycare business, Bunna is balancing real-life responsibilities while carving her own lane in music.
Ahead of her newest single “Fine Shyt” and her first-ever live run, The Ice Cream Girl Road Trip, Bunna B sat down with ESSENCE GU to talk about adjusting to fame, her vision for Atlanta rap, and what it means to win—on her own terms.
In your raps and your interviews, and even now, you’ve always been very raw and bold. On TikTok you always show up as your most authentic self. What makes you confident? What’s your advice to young girls who are trying to find that within themselves?
I just really am who I am. You can’t care about what other people got going on because everybody has a different situation. I don’t feel I have to, just because I’m an artist, be perfect every second. I’m still a human being. That’s what I be telling them, I ain’t gotta be perfect every second. My advice for the younger girls is just be you and don’t care what people say about you. They’ll get over it.
How do you plan to maintain that authenticity?
I think my supporters will keep me in control. I’m not trying to change, I’m just trying to keep it fun and regular.
You recently sold out Center Stage, so it’s clear popularity isn’t something that’s new for you. How have you really been adjusting to the fame? How does it feel watching your music go viral?
When I’m with my manager, or my friend or my hairstylist — they’d be like I don’t feel it yet. I don’t know why I don’t feel it yet, but they keep telling me ‘you can’t move like this.’ They ask me ‘do you know who you are?’ They want me to do things different because I’m an artist, but I don’t feel like I’m an artist until I go in the mall and notice people looking at me
So what do you hope to bring to the Atlanta music scene with your music overall? I know you’re just getting back into it, do you have any goals?
Right now, my goal is just to keep the music fun and I’m just trying to make music to bring Atlanta back together. You know, music [has] a big impact so what you say in your songs — people really listen. When people rap about drill, drill and kill, kill — that’s what they’re city is on. So I’m trying to keep it fun and let my music bring the city back to being calm and being friends again.
I know you just performed at Birthday Bash this summer, along with a bunch of other shows. How was that experience for you as an Atlanta native?
Birthday Bash was the best night, I had fun. I didn’t even know I was going to do Birthday Bash, but when I did it I was really scared. But I was still like ‘okay let me do it.” I was scared the whole day, but I’ve been having fun performing.
So you also brought out YK Niece at Birthday Bash. Tell me how your friendship developed with her and what it was like collaborating on your viral single “Innit.”
We went to the same high school together. Once I dropped “No Drought” I went live and Shaniece and Pluto joined my live. They were like ‘we wanna get you on this song’ and it was “Whim Whammie.” I was like ‘girl I didn’t know you rapped’ but the song was hard. After they dropped the song, she DM’d me and said we had to get on a song together. I was already at the studio [so] I told her to pull up. We went in there and did that song in like 30 minutes.
Speaking of other Atlanta rappers, I know you’re also in a relationship with another Atlanta rapper. I won’t name him because I’ve seen in previous interviews where you like to be more lowkey about your love life and I completely respect that. But I do want to know, what is it like? Does being with another Atlanta artist motivate you musically, if at all?
I say it motivated me because I used to rap but when I met him I wasn’t rapping and he was rapping so he motivated me to rap again. I was looking at his lifestyle and I would love what he was doing but I didn’t want to like, I ain’t gonna say I wanted to rap, I just did it because he was rapping. He had something to do everyday, so I was just like, let me drop a song.
Do you think you would ever hop on a track with him?
Yes, me and him [are going to] do something real soon, we’re [going to] drop real soon.
What has your experience been like juggling your music career, being a mom, being in a relationship and being a business owner?
It’s crazy but that’s why I [have] a support system at home. They help with the daycare and my mom helps with my daughter. My baby loves her grandma either way. So yeah, it’s hard because I’ll be in my feelings sometimes but I gotta do it.
You’re about to go on your “Ice Cream Girl Road Trip.” What are you most excited for?
I’m most excited to see fans in different cities, see how much they know the music and how much they like the Ice Cream Girl.
We had a Bunna Summa, what can fans expect from you after your live run? Are we going to have a Bunna Fall too?
Y’all having a Bunna Year. Y’all can expect just raw music, my road trip and more music coming out for the people, not for me.
Anything else? Is there anything else you think readers should know about you, your music, your road trip or otherwise?
I just think y’all should listen to me, because when you listen to me I brighten your day and y’all need to go get “Ice Cream Summer Deluxe” out right now.
Editor’s note: This article was edited for accuracy and comprehension.