Saweetie’s meteoric rise to fame was marked by singles like 2017’s “ICY GRL” and 2019’s “My Type.” However, according to the California native, the tracks’ rapid ascent made it difficult for her to develop as an artist behind the scenes.

Today (Feb. 29), Saweetie covered Allure’s latest issue, where she opened up about her struggles with being respected as a rapper, going on a hiatus, and her long-awaited debut album, which is seemingly no longer titled Pretty B**ch Music.

“‘ICY GRL’ and ‘My Type’ blew up so quick, I was on the market almost immediately, so I didn't have time to develop,” Saweetie told the publication. She also recalled a record label exec giving her sexist advice that caused self-doubt in her career. The “Best Friend” hitmaker explained, “I was told I should twerk more on my Instagram. I was told that my voice was very boring. I was told that I rapped too monotone and needed more energy. I was told that I needed to share more of my life on the internet.”

She continued, “I'm going to twerk when I want to. That's not going to be my marketing. And if that's what you truly love to do, then empower yourself through that, but that's not innate to me. If I get caught at a party or if I'm turning up, okay, cool. But I'm not finna do that because you guys think I should. That's lazy marketing.”

Her remarks highlighted the tired notion that women in Hip Hop can only be successful by sacrificing their autonomy and depending entirely on their sexuality. Saweetie also pointed out the genre’s apparent obsession with going viral and doing numbers over the actual art itself.

Elsewhere in her conversation with Allure, Saweetie gave an update on her debut LP and why it’s taking so long to come out. She cited the constant scrutiny of her singles and previous projects, namely Single Life. “To me, music is sacred. It's coming from your spirit. You can't just go finish an album in a week,” the rapper said. “I don't mean to dampen the mood, but this is, realistically, how my career has been. We were constantly criticized for every drop. I was just very insecure. I'm a confident woman, but I was a very insecure artist.”