Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
Natassia Gail Zolot (born September 24, 1989), better known by her stage name Kreayshawn, is an American rapper and music video director. Her stage name is a play on the word "creation". She is best known for her 2011 hit single "Gucci Gucci".
Biography
1989–2009: Early life and career beginnings
Natassia Gail Zolot on September 24, 1989 in San Francisco, California and moved to Oakland when she was ten years old. She is of Russian descent, and the daughter of Elka Zolot, a former member of the San Francisco garage punk band The Trashwomen. Zolot got her first video camera when she was ten years old, and started documenting her raps. When she was seventeen, she began exploring her interest in cinematography by shooting videos of friends and later music videos for local rappers such as Lil B. Her videos caught the attention of dean Patrick Kriwanekhe, and Zolot attended Berkeley Digital Film Institute with a full scholarship for two semesters. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue her music video career.
2010–present: Success with "Gucci Gucci" and Somethin' Bout Kreay
In 2010, Zolot released her first mixtape, Kittys x Choppas, as well as her first music video for the song "Bumpin Bumpin". On May 16, 2011, she released a music video for her single Gucci Gucci, which generated nearly three million views on YouTube in the first three weeks. The popularity of her Gucci Gucci video caught the attention of several record labels, and Zolot quickly signed a contract with Columbia Records. In June 2011, Zolot's management was contacted by the label representing the Red Hot Chili Peppers about directing a music video for the band's single, "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" (from the album, I'm with You). However, the band later opted to re-shoot the video and did not release the version directed by Zolot. In September 2011, Zolot was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist, but lost the category to Tyler, The Creator. She also hosted the Red Carpet event before the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. Kreayshawn's debut album will be released August 14, 2012.
Collaborations
Zolot performed as Kreayshawn in the musical group White Girl Mob. The group initially included her friends rapper Vanessa "V-Nasty" Reece and Jordan "Lil' Debbie" Capozzi. However, Capozzi and Zolot are no longer members as of November 2011 and April 2012, respectively. In 2012, it was announced that Zolot would appear as Kreayshawn on the remix album Mike E. Clark's Extra Pop Emporium, a bonus album from Insane Clown Posse's twelfth studio album, The Mighty Death Pop!
Controversy
Critics of Zolot's music cite cultural appropriation and "exploitation of black culture". West coast rapper Game released a diss track entitled, "Uncle Otis", containing lyrics criticizing Zolot for her alleged use of the word 'nigga'. Zolot sparked more controversy during a televised freestyle, wherein she insulted rapper Rick Ross by calling him "fake". She later retracted her statements and described it as a misunderstanding; however, a few days following her statement, Zolot continued making negative remarks about Ross's body weight, once again calling him "fake" and stating that "he can't rap." These remarks eventually led to an altercation between Zolot's manager and Rick Ross' entourage during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. The same night, while Zolot was attending the awards ceremony, her Twitter account was compromised by an anonymous hacktivist group who posted nude photos of Zolot. She claimed the photos were taken when she was underage, and they were removed from most websites.
