Over the past few years, we’ve seen the music industry open up to including more women in rap. From Cardi B, to Megan Thee Stallion to the City Girls, there’s now a new wave of rappers who have the music industry on its toes—and they’re all women. “It’s an experience for me, seeing how far I’ve came and all my hard work pay off,” Destiny “Dess Dior” Bailey tells Girls United. The 22-year-old performer began releasing music last year and she has since become one to watch.
Originally from Savannah, Georgia, Dess relocated to Atlanta to jumpstart her career. “Atlanta influenced my music,” she says. “It made me want to grow more as an artist. Seeing the hustle and drive everyone had around me, I had no choice but to go harder.”
During that transition, she was able to garner a sizable social media presence due to her buzzy friend group and style posts. When scrolling through her feed, you can catch the performer in archived fashion looks paying homage to past runway moments in correlation to her hard-to-find flexes like Birkin bags, AP watches, and Chanel snags. The artist stated that her favorite designers are “Chanel, Maison Margiela, Prada, Dior, and Louis Vuitton.”
For a new artist, growth could come as a concern due to in-person activities being postponed because of COVID-19 concerns. However, Dess has managed to perform at digital events for Rolling Loud and Revolt TV, while increasing her social following to over one million supporters and bringing her monthly Spotify listens to nearly 50,000. “At times, it’s a lot, but it’s nothing I can’t handle,” she says of her path. “You have supporters and haters, overall I love the journey.”
Earlier this year, the rapper put out a EP titled “Definition of Dess,” which features the stand out track, “Talk To Me.” Her latest single, “Rich Bitch,” was released a few weeks and and Dess told Essence that she is just getting started. “You can expect some dope visuals and music from me to end out the year,” she said. “I’m opening up first quarter [with] a tape. “I’m super excited to show the world what I’ve been working on these past couple months,” she concluded.
Listen to “Rich Bitch” below.