On the heels of what is arguably her biggest release yet, Anycia is on her way to get her hair done for New York Fashion Week when we speak over Zoom about how her life has changed since taking her music career seriously. “I love going to visit New York,” Anycia tells GU. “I like playing dress up. I’ll be at a few fashion shows, and they want to style me for shows.”
Anycia couldn’t disclose which brands fans could expect to see her in, but her attendance directly indicates that her visibility in mainstream media is growing. The Atlanta native and born hustler is no stranger to trying new things. Still, when Anycia began making music, her perfectionist ways motivated her to work toward seeing whether her music could really take off.
“It’s [been] a learning experience,” she says. “It all built character, and it made me become comfortable with myself and helped me figure out who I really want to be.”
While Anycia says she’s grown tired of hearing her 2023 EP Extra as she creates more music, the Southside rapper admits that the release was just a snippet of the projects she aims to release in the future. Her favorite track Big Body, features chill bars about bossing up and living life in ways authentic to her over a fun drum-heavy production.
Amid studio sessions where the rapper recorded songs like “Big Body” and “BRB,” she unknowingly created her unique and catchy adlib ‘huhh’ that can be heard in most of her songs, furthering her individuality as an artist. “I have a certain cadence that makes me –– me,” she says. “That’s my thing.”
According to the “Back Outside” rapper, despite Extra feeling like a random release, her cohesive vision will bring her longevity in the rap game. However, even as her chill flows and rowdy lyricism progress with experience, she wants her message to fans to remain the same: just relax. “I just want everybody to chill out,” she tells GU. “That’s all I want. Whatever you need to calm down, just do it.”
Despite Anycia being a poised person who intentionally works to maintain an unbothered persona, her latest single, “Back Outside,” featuring Latto, was anything but. The single has gathered over one million views on YouTube and is sure to reign supreme during the summer season. When asked about the inspiration behind the song, the rapper confirmed her bars were triggered by a partner making her mad, saying, “He knows exactly who he is.”
Diss track aside, in the age of rap, this song was made out of sheer love and respect between two artists coming out of Atlanta. Fellow Southside rapper Latto contacted Anycia to show her love for her music, and the pair clicked immediately. After a quick discussion, the “Put It On Da Floor” rapper hopped on the track. “We hit it off when we met,” Anycia says. “She’s super genuine [and] super nice. That’s my twin for sure, and everything went very naturally.”
The rollout for the song was received well by most, but a few fans questioned Latto’s decision to work with Anycia. In a tweet directed at Latto, one fan retweeted a video previewing the duo’s upcoming single, saying the value of her features was decreasing because she collaborates with ‘unknown’ artists. Latto’s response shut the conversation down immediately. “Y’all be getting besides y’all self. Shawty from the south side & she hard af Idc bout [all that],” Latto’s response read. “I was an “unknown artist” before, and [artists] acted too big for me. Stream when we drop.”
To Anycia, interactions similar to these are the least of her worries as she’s learning to navigate living the life of a celebrity. Parasocial social relationships have created a lose-lose outcome for most celebrities, and Anycia knows she’s not exempt. The reality is that fans who are unhappy about the collaboration would have pitted the two rappers against one another if given the chance. “No matter what I do, they’re going to have something to say,” she says. “That means I’m doing something right.”
Style is another thing Anycia has done right consistently since entering the limelight. Aside from her musical style, her unique personal style consists of stitch braids, gold grills and fashion pieces that wouldn’t be seen just anywhere. “Of course, I like trendy stuff, but I’ve always been into making things my own,” Anycia says.
The femcee credits her mother for contributing to her fashions, saying that parts of her personal style come from watching how her mother dressed in the early 1990s and 2000s. The rapper’s mother is one of many branches of her growing support system as she transitions from civilian status to stardom. “I had a lot of different styles and upbringings that pour into what I am,” she says.
As a perfectionist, sometimes creating music and visuals has overwhelmed her in the past, but the return on her emotional investment is the success she’s stepping into. Despite the visibility, views, and co-signs from other artists, the Southern Belle says the success still hasn’t hit her and suspects that it won’t until she has no worries. “I just need a lot of patience right now because I am going through a transition,” she says. “Whatever it takes to make me safe and happy, I have no complaints. Whatever I need gets done.”