Feature: Rye Rye

While a lot of artists have gotten their start at a young age, not many have managed to intelligently manage their career and make sure they don't fall victim to the dark side of the industry. Rapper Rye Rye is one of those cases that has successfully kept her career going, while still making sure she's an amazing mother to her daughter.

The Baltimore native got her start in the industry at the age of 16 when she teamed up with Blaqstarr and released with the wildly popular club banger "Shake It to the Ground". As the song began to get more and more attention, Rye Rye caught the eye of music genius M.I.A. and the rest is history. Rye was the first artist signed to M.I.A.'s record label N.E.E.T. (with Interscope Records) and went on the KALA tour with M.I.A.

After gaining some experience on what the industry and tour life was like, Rye Rye continued working on her debut album and found out some unexpected news: she was pregnant. She went back and forth about what she was going to do, and ultimately decided to keep the baby. She gave birth to her daughter when she was 18 and took time off to raise her.
After her brief hiatus, Rye Rye jumped back into the swing of things, headed back to the studio to work, and was ready to get her album out to her fans. After the delays, her debut album, Go! Pop! Bang!, was released May 15th of last year to positive reviews and great sales. Rye Rye continued to tour and perform as she joined Azealia Banks for her Mermaid Ball and then joined fellow female rappers Kreayshawn, Chippy Nonstop, and Honey Cocaine for Kreay's Group Hug Tour (I went to the Philly show thanks to Rye, and it was hella fun).
Rye Rye also made her big screen acting debut when she was cast to be in 2012's 21 Jump Street alongside Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. She had one of the most quoted lines in the movie (check the :27 sec mark of the video below) that fans still tweet and reference daily. 

Recently, Rye was been nominated for a BET Award for Best Female Hip Hop Artist, in addition to releasing a fun club track earlier this year called "After Party". Rye Rye is unshakably focused on making more music for fans and making sure she provides her daughter with the best life possible. She has a new project in the works that she's keeping under wraps, but I can't wait until we finally get to hear it. Check out some of Rye Rye's videos below and be sure to keep up with her on Twitter.