Entertainment | December 4th, 2023
Sexxy Red Juggles Maternity and Success in the World of Hip Hop
By: Jalynn McDuffey
The “Hood’s Hottest Princess,” Janae Wherry, AKA Sexxy Red, has captured public attention for many reasons.
Over the past few months, the public has gravitated toward Sexxy Red’s ‘can’t-tell-me-anything’ attitude and how unapologetic and unashamed she is. She’s not a people pleaser, but they love it.
Others feel that her sexual lyrics and tendencies while performing promote terrible behavior, but it’s nothing new. Many people dislike the City Girls for advocating wealth over love and Megan the Stallion for her provocative dancing. The bold energy they exude has caused a lot of recurring controversies.
As the newest internet fixation, the artist has had to face the rise to fame and the hate it brings.
“I love Sexxy Red,” second-year pre-cardiopulmonary Science major Brooke Mason said. “I never understood the hate towards her. There are plenty more male artists that are more provocative as she is, and no one says anything”.
The rapper has become an up-and-coming ‘icon’ because she collaborated with artist Nicki Minaj, and her song “Skee-Yee,” which went viral on TikTok and added to her hype and popularity.
The love for her music by those in Tallahassee was evident from every corner of Potbelly’s during Sexxy Red’s performance on Nov. 7. The sold-out concert featured opening act Tay Money, who performed songs many fans knew from TikTok as well.
Doors opened at 7 p.m. with a line of people spilling down the street. With the growing crowd pressing against one another, the tension was noticeably high. While waiting for the sight of the rapper’s black-rimmed glasses and long red hair, the fans were also eager to see the latest signature accessory Sexxy Red was flaunting.
To much surprise, the grand statement the artist displayed was her pregnant belly.
Rapper Sexxy Red and Grammy Award-Winning Singer SZA for Sexxy Red’s Pregnancy Announcement || photo courtesy: Sexxy Red on Instagram
After announcing her pregnancy on Instagram, with her belly in the hands of Grammy-winning artist SZA, many fans were surprised to see Sexxy Red pregnant with her second child.
This news followed the leaking of a sex tape, and controversy ensued questioning her motherhood due to her raunchy lyrics and the not-so-forgotten scandal.
Florida A&M University students went to X, previously Twitter, to share their reactions before the artist’s Potbelly concert earlier this month.
Some even said they would sell their tickets because they did not want to see her pregnant.
“I think FAMU students reselling their tickets due to Sexxy Red’s pregnancy is misogynistic in a way, “ Mason said. “It hints at the fact that women aren’t capable of performing or doing things at their full potential during pregnancy, which is untrue. Women are more than capable of doing what they love to do, whether they are pregnant or not”.
Despite the criticism Sexxy Red faced for her pregnancy announcement, fans came to her defense.
Billionaire businesswoman and performer Rihanna delivered the most-watched Super Bowl Halftime show of all time with a pregnant belly. So why is Sexxy Red different?
Broadcast journalism student Nina Shortt is an admiring fan of Sexxy Red. She says her determination to make it only grows with her belly.
“I think it just shows how driven she is,” Shortt said. “She really hustles for the money, and I can respect that. I feel that people want her to sit down or take a break, but she’s her own boss. She rules her own life.”
Whether you adore or despise her, Sexxy Red is confident in her body, glasses, and low-income background.
The rapper publicly flaunts all the characteristics Black girls have been taught to hide or be ashamed of. Having been critically named the “hood rat” and ‘Hot Cheeto Girl,’ she’s become everything Black girls were told not to be times ten. The culture is living for Sexxy Red’s ability to push boundaries; regardless of how many feel, she may be here to stay.
