Key takeaways:
- Lizzo introduces her rap alter ego, Lizzo Wayne, on the mixtape MY FACE HURTS FROM SMILING.
- Created in just four days, the project is an unedited journey into her mind before releasing the forthcoming album Love in Real Life.
Lizzo is introducing the world to her rap persona on MY FACE HURTS FROM SMILING. The 34-minute mixtape dropped on Friday (June 27) and reminds music fanatics that the Detroit native is a creative who cannot be confined by genre or outside expectations.
The project features guest appearances from Doja Cat, SZA, and a host of Lizzo’s lyrical personalities. There is the one who just wants to make some new mistakes, the ratchet version who’s twerking in "YITTY ON YO TITTIES (FREESTYLE),” and the “CRASHOUT,” just to name a few. Globally, the classically trained flutist is known for being the pop star behind hits like “Good As Hell” and “Truth Hurts,” so for some fans, hearing her declare, “It’s a Lizzo summer, b**ch,” may be the first that they are learning about this side of her — but it has always been there.
According to Lizzo, one of her biggest records, “About Damn Time,” started as a freestyle before its final iteration landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “I think that’s how I start with everything. It’s like a freestyle, and it’s typically kind of rappity, and then I add melodies. Then, I go in and adjust the lyrics like, ‘Can I say this? Can you say this in pop music?’ With this project, I’m like, ‘Man. The first thing that comes out my mouth, I’m gonna say it. I’m not gonna edit myself,’” she told Billboard.
Before her pop stardom, Lizzo was part of the rap group Cornrow Clique. On MY FACE HURTS FROM SMILING, she returns to that foundation, flowing over Houston-inspired beats with witty rhymes, and leaning into the magic of some of Hip Hop’s most influential artists.
“I remember I kept saying Lil Wayne was the person I wanna be. I wanna be like Mixtape Wayne when I do this, but I always have a little bit of Missy Elliott in me — at all times. She’s just a part of me. So, I definitely tapped into Missy,” the four-time Grammy Award recipient shared. She even admitted, “I was calling myself Lizzo Wayne.”
MY FACE HURTS FROM SMILING is a reset before the release of Love in Real Life
Lizzo revealed the uncensored project came together in four days, rivaling the endless months that her past albums required. Next up, though, is Love in Real Life. “What I learned from this mixtape I’m going to put into Love in Real Life," she explained. Adding, "Really, what I learned from this is trust your vision, trust your instinct. Your first instinct is always right, and double down on whatever it is you like.”
Moreover, the "Watch Out for the Big Grrrls" star shared, "I'm gonna have to go back in and re-record some stuff. Because there’s some songs that I love, but — for instance… 'Still Bad' is an amazing, well-constructed pop song. The demo of it, the ‘Animal Style’ demo, I liked the way that feels. So, I have a lot of demo versions of songs that I might switch and swap, or even put both on. Who knows? I’m feeling crazy these days.”
The mixtape is a reminder that even with pop charts success and viral hits, Lizzo is a multifaceted artist with something to say. Because genre defines category the message or the messenger.