Cupcakke

Elizabeth Eden Harris (born May 31, 1997), known professionally as Cupcakke (often stylized as cupcakKe), is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. She is known for her hyper-sexualized, brazen, and often comical persona and music,[3][4] and has also included themes such as LGBT and female empowerment in her music.[5]

Not to be confused with Cupcake.

Cupcakke
CupcakKe in 2018
Background information
Birth nameElizabeth Eden Harris[1]
Born (1997-05-31) May 31, 1997
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2012–present
Associated acts

Cupcakke began her career as a rapper by releasing material online in late 2012. In 2015, two of her songs, "Deepthroat" and "Vagina", went viral on video-sharing platforms. The songs were later included on her debut mixtape, Cum Cake (2016), which was included on Rolling Stone's list of the Best Rap Albums of 2016 at number 23.[6] Her second mixtape, S.T.D (Shelters to Deltas), was released in 2016 and preceded the studio albums Audacious (2016), Queen Elizabitch (2017), Ephorize (2018) and Eden (2018).

Early life

Harris was born on May 31, 1997,[7] in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised on King Drive, near Parkway Gardens. Harris was raised by a single mother and spent nearly four years in Chicago's homeless shelters starting at age seven.[8] She grew up and went to school with other established Chicago rappers such as Lil Reese and Chief Keef. She got an early start into music and poetry at the age of 10 by her involvement in her local church. It was also there that she got her start in performing, where she would perform for her local pastors by reciting poetry about her Christianity and faith.[9]

When she was 13, she met a fellow church-goer who encouraged her to turn the poetry into rap music, and she became infatuated with the art form. She cites 50 Cent, Lil' Kim, and Da Brat as early influences to her musical style.[10][9]

Career

2012–2014: Early output

Harris released her first music video, "Gold Digger" onto her official YouTube channel in August 2012. She was only 15 at the time of its release—the original video has since been deleted.[4] Over the next few years, she continued to release original music, as well as freestyles using beats from other artists through her YouTube channel, where she has amassed over 500,000 subscribers.[11]

2015–2016: Cum Cake, S.T.D (Shelters to Deltas), and Audacious

In October 2015, the official music video for her song "Vagina" was released on YouTube via YMCFilmz. According to Cupcakke, she wrote the song because she was inspired by Khia's song "My Neck, My Back".[12] One month later, Harris released "Deepthroat" on her own channel. Within weeks, the two videos went viral on YouTube, Worldstar, and Facebook due to their overt sexual nature and raunchiness. The songs later became singles for Harris' debut mixtape, Cum Cake, which was released in February 2016. Its release was also supported by further singles such as "Juicy Coochie", "Tit for Tat", and "Pedophile". A writer for Pitchfork, which included it on "9 Rap Mixtapes You Might Have Missed This Year," called the mixtape a "well rounded introduction to a skilled writer" and said it used songs "about love, loss, and hardship with its more explicit tracks to create a full profile of the up-and-coming Chicago rapper".[13] "Pedophile" was also specifically noted for its "blunt commentary" on sexual assault.[4]

In June 2016, Harris released her second mixtape, S.T.D (Shelters to Deltas). It was preceded by the single "Best Dick Sucker". Other tracks, such as "Doggy Style" and "Motherlands", were also later released as singles. The mixtape was listed among Rolling Stone's "Best Rap Albums of 2016 So Far".[6]

In October 2016, Harris released her debut studio album, Audacious.[14] The album was preceded by the single "Picking Cotton", which was described by MTV News as "a protest song about racist cops".[9] Other tracks on the album such as "Spider-Man Dick" and "LGBT" were accompanied by music videos. In an interview Harris stated that she made the song "LGBT" "...strictly for the gay community to know that they are loved and don’t need to feel judged." [15]

2017–2018: Queen Elizabitch, Ephorize and Eden

In February 2017, Harris released "Cumshot", which served as the lead single to her second studio album. On March 7, English singer-songwriter Charli XCX premiered her song "Lipgloss", which featured Harris. The song was later included on XCX's mixtape, Number 1 Angel, which was released on March 10.[16]

Her second studio album, titled Queen Elizabitch, was released on March 31, 2017.[17] The Fader described it as "the type of nasty rap that made her a viral sensation, alongside all-out pop bangers like "33rd" and the confessional a cappella freestyle "Reality, Pt. 4."[18] Stereogum also noted that the album "sees CupcakKe engaging with the current political climate and radio trends in a way that could help her cross over to a more mainstream audience".[19][20]

On April 7, 2017, Queen Elizabitch was removed from online streaming services and digital music stores due to an illegal backing track that Harris had purchased from what she described as a "shady producer". She soon announced on Twitter that Queen Elizabitch would be re-released on April 16.[21] She then released the singles "Exit" and "Cartoons" in November 2017.[22][23]

Her third studio album, Ephorize, was released on January 5, 2018.[24] Exclaim! called it "her most polished work to date" and noted that "she still slides in plenty of deliciously dirty one-liners throughout the new record."[25] HotNewHipHop commented that "Ephorize might be one of the most introspective bodies of work she's dropped off to date."[26] Pitchfork called it Cupcakke's "best album yet, with terrific production and a barrage of raps that reveal Elizabeth Harris to be far more than her hilarious and absurdly raunchy one-liners."[27] She released music videos for the songs "Duck Duck Goose" and "Fullest".[28] The former features her "showing off an extensive collection of dildos as well as a souvenir Statue of Liberty."[29]

On November 9, 2018, Harris released her fourth studio album, Eden. She released music videos for the lead single "Quiz", and for the following singles "Hot Pockets" and "Blackjack".

2019–present: Hiatus and standalone singles
Cupcakke at Primavera Sound in 2019

On January 8, 2019, Harris was reportedly taken to a hospital in Chicago after tweeting that she was going to commit suicide.[30] In a tweet posted the next day, Harris wrote "I've been fighting with depression for the longest. Sorry that I did it public last night but I'm ok. I went to the hospital & I'm finally getting the help that I need to get through, be happy, & deliver great music. Thanks for all the prayers but please don't worry bout me."[31]

On January 11, 2019, the single "Squidward Nose" was released,[32] and on February 21, a music video for the song featuring John Early premiered.[33] On April 17, 2019, Harris released a remix of Lil Nas X's song "Old Town Road" titled "Old Town Hoe" on her YouTube channel,[34] and its music video the following day.[35]

In September 2019 Harris made several posts on social media criticizing several artists, for which she was accused of racism from K-pop artist Chungha's fans for making fun of the singer's name, followed by her retirement announcement in an Instagram live video. She stated, "This live is going to be the last video that y'all [will] see of me. I am completely done with music". She said that she would no longer be releasing music to the public and that she would be removing her music from all streaming platforms.[36] She stated that she was disturbed to see children in videos and young people at her shows singing along to her explicit songs, felt she was "corrupting the youth" with her raunchy songs.[37][38] Harris also told fans that she has a "very bad gambling addiction" and that she had lost $700,000 at a casino in September 2018.[38][39] Harris' Instagram and Twitter accounts were deactivated after the livestream ended.[38] Her music remained available on streaming platforms.[39]

On November 7, 2019, CupcakKe came out of retirement after a 40-day absence on all social media platforms with a tweet; "Jesus fasted for 40 days & so did I...... Nov 16th".[40] On March 6, 2020, CupcakKe released a new single, "Lawd Jesus."[41] CupcakKe uploaded her first video to YouTube since her previous deletion of all videos on her channel the previous year, with the double video for singles "Grilling Niggas" and "Lawd Jesus", released on May 13, 2020.[42]

On June 1, 2020, CupcakKe released the single "Lemon Pepper"[43] with half of the proceeds going towards the Minnesota Bail fund.[44] Another single, "Discounts" was released on June 26.[45] The song peaked at number 78 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart and number 80 on the UK Singles Sales Chart, becoming her first single to do so.[46][47]

Discography

Studio albums
List of albums, with selected chart positions, sales, and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
Heat
[48]		 US
Indie
[49]		 NZ
Heat
[50]
Audacious ———
Queen Elizabitch
  • Released: March 31, 2017
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 ———
Ephorize
  • Released: January 5, 2018
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 2186
Eden
  • Released: November 9, 2018
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download
 ———

Mixtapes
List of albums, with selected chart positions, sales, and certifications
Title Album details
Cum Cake
  • Released: February 9, 2016
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: CD, digital download
S.T.D (Shelters to Deltas)
  • Released: June 19, 2016
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: CD, digital download

As lead artist
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
Dig.
[51]		 US
R&B/HH
Dig.
[52]		 SCO
[53]		 UK
Down.
[54]
"Vagina" 2015 — ——— Cum Cake
"Deepthroat" — ———
"Juicy Coochie" 2016 — ———
"Best Dick Sucker" — ——— S.T.D (Shelters to Deltas)
"Panda (Remix)" — ———
"Picking Cotton" — ——— Audacious
"Cumshot" 2017 — ——— Queen Elizabitch
"Biggie Smalls" — ———
"Exit" — ——— Ephorize
"Cartoons" — ———
"Quiz" 2018 — ——— Eden
"Hot Pockets" — ——— Non-album single
"Blackjack"[55] — ——— Eden
"Squidward Nose" 2019 — ——— Non-album singles
"Bird Box"[56] — ———
"Ayesha"[57] — ———
"Whoregasm"[58] — ———
"Grilling Niggas"[59] — ———
"Lawd Jesus"[60] 2020 — ———
"Lemon Pepper"[43] — ———
"Discounts" 1067078
"Elephant"[61] ————
"Gum" — ———
"How to Rob (Remix)"[62] — ———
"The Gag Is" ——— —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Title Year Album
"Man Pussy"
(M.A.N. II featuring Cupcakke)		 2016 204ever
"Cabbage (Remix) (Ladies and Fellas)"
(ETSWHORE featuring Cupcakke)		 Non-album single
"Pu$y Market"
(Gumball Machine featuring Cupcakke)		 Professional Fame
"PÜ$Y (RemiXXX)"
(George G featuring Cupcakke)		 Non-album singles
"2 Bad Azz Bitches"
(Brian Castle featuring Cupcakke)
"Situation"
(Xavi Got Bars featuring Cupcakke)
"Trouble in Hollywood!"
(Mise Darling featuring Cupcakke)		 Plastic Love
"Boy"
(K.I.D. featuring Cupcakke)		 2017 Poster Child
"Get Ya Shine On"
(So Drove featuring Cupcakke, Kreayshawn and TT The Artist)		 Non-album singles
"Loverboy"
(Nico Raimont featuring Cupcakke)
"Queens of the Streets"
(Petey Plastic featuring Cupcakke)
"Lick You"
(Dante Dcasso featuring Cupcakke)
"Party Like a Pornstar"
(Jamez Hunter featuring Cupcakke)
"Like a Snapback"
(Benzo Fly featuring Cupcakke)		 2018 Different Mind State
"Drip"
(Keiston featuring Osha So Gutta and Cupcakke)		 Elevated
"Falling Fast"
(Tucker William featuring Cupcakke)		 Falling Fast – The Remixes
"Ass & Titties"
(Kazzie featuring Cupcakke)		 Non-album singles
"School Night"
(Greer featuring Cupcakke)
"No Fats, No Femmes"
(Big Momma featuring Cupcakke)		 MILF
"Bitter Chocolate"
(Sage Charmaine featuring Cupcakke)		 Non-album single
"Ripe"
(Banoffee featuring Cupcakke)		 2020 Look at Us Now Dad
"Shake Sum"
(Kidd Kenn featuring Cupcakke)		 Child's Play

Guest appearances
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Lipgloss" 2017 Charli XCX Number 1 Angel
"I Got It" Charli XCX, Brooke Candy, Pabllo Vittar Pop 2
"Iced Out Dick" 2018 Mathew Meyer God Hates Mr. Meyer
"LMK (What's Really Good)" Kelela, Princess Nokia, Junglepussy, Ms. Boogie Take Me a_Part, the Remixes
"Safari Zone" 2019 Aja BOX Office
"Shake It" Charli XCX, Big Freedia, Brooke Candy, Pabllo Vittar Charli

Tours
  • The Marilyn Monhoe Tour (2017)[63]
  • The Ephorize Tour (2018)[64]
  • The Eden Tour (2018–2019)[65]

See also

References
  1. Simpson, Paul. "CupcakKe - Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  2. "cupcakKe on Apple Music". Apple Music.
  3. Breihan, Tom (October 26, 2016). "On the Triumphant Nastiness of CupcakKe". Stereogum. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  4. Song, Sandra (February 12, 2016). "Listen To Raunchy Chicago Rapper CupcakKe's Anti-Predatory Anthem "Pedophile"". Paper. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  5. Weiss, Alexandra (December 6, 2017). "Meet Cupcakke, the Sex-Positive Rapper Preaching Self Love". Teen Vogue. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  6. "40 Best Rap Albums of 2016". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  7. Harris, Elizabeth [@CupcakKe_rapper] (May 4, 2017). "Yes I am 19 turning 20 on May 31" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017 – via Twitter.
  8. Downing, Andy. "Concert preview: Chicago rapper Cupcakke brings her "Vagina" monologue to MINT". columbusalive.com. Columbus Alive. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  9. Carvey, Meghan (November 24, 2016). "The True, Freaky Originality of CupcakKe – MTV". Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  10. Drake, David (April 7, 2016). "A Conversation With CupcakKe, Whose Explicit Sex Raps Are Just the Tip of the Iceberg". Complex.com. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  11. "cupcakKe – YouTube". Youtube. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  12. Zane, Zachary (March 30, 2017). "A Kiki with CupcakKe: The Audacious Rapper Is a Queer Icon in the Making". Out. Here Media Inc. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  13. Pearce, Sheldon. "9 Great Rap Mixtapes You Might Have Missed This Year". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  14. "CupcakKe Announces New Album "Audacious"". Fader.com. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  15. Nast, Condé. "Meet Cupcakke, the Sex-Positive Rapper Preaching Self Love". Teen Vogue. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  16. "Charli XCX Announced Number 1 Angel Mixtape, Shared Three New Songs". The FADER. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  17. Elizabeth Harris [@CupcakKe_rapper] (March 24, 2017). "NEW ALBUM QUEEN ELIZABITCH OUT NOW ON iTUNES 8:30 PM on 03/31/17" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. "Listen To CupcakKe's New Album Queen Elizabitch". The FADER. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  19. "Stream CupcaKke Queen Elizabitch". Stereogum. March 31, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  20. Jenkins, Craig. "Ephorize Is CupcakKe's Major Breakthrough". Vulture. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  21. Lee, Christina (April 8, 2017). "Cupcakke's 'Queen Elizabitch' Taken Down From Streaming Services". Idolator. Archived from the original on June 25, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  22. "XIT (@cupcakkeafreakk)". Instagram. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  23. "Exit – Single by cupcakKe on Apple Music". Apple Inc. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  24. MonHOE, Marilyn (December 20, 2017). "New album "Ephorize" 1/5/18pic.twitter.com/pLnZHvVM63". @CupcakKe_rapper. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  25. Murphy, Sarah (January 5, 2018). "Cupcakke 'Ephorize' (album stream)". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  26. "cupcakKe Drops Off Her Latest Project Ephorize by HotNewHipHop". HotNewHipHop. January 5, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  27. Lobenfield, Claire (January 9, 2018). "CupcakKe: Ephorize Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  28. "CupcakKe's 'Fullest' Video Is the February Beach Party We Need".
  29. "Watch CupcakKe's extremely NSFW 'Duck Duck Goose' video".
  30. O'Connor, Roisin. "Cupcakke: Rapper confirmed as safe by Chicago police after troubling tweet and Instagram post". Independent. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  31. Holmes, Charles (January 8, 2019). "CupcakKe Reportedly Safe After Hospitalization, Suicidal Tweet". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  32. Hosken, Patrick (January 11, 2019). "Surprise! CupcakKe's New Song 'Squidward Nose' Is Actually About Sex". MTV News. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  33. Alston, Trey (February 21, 2019). "CupcakKe Drops On The Deck And Flops Like A Fish In 'Squidward Nose' Video". MTV News. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  34. "cupcakKe". YouTube. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  35. cupcakKe (May 11, 2019), CupcakKe - Old Town Hoe (Old Town Road Remix) Official Music Video, retrieved May 12, 2019
  36. Breihan, Tom (September 23, 2019). "CupcakKe Tearfully Announces That She Is Retiring & Removing Music From Streaming Platforms". Stereogum. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  37. C, Noah (September 23, 2019). "Cupcakke Announces Retirement On Instagram Live". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  38. Daly, Rhian (September 23, 2019). "CupcakKe announces she's quitting music: "I feel like I'm corrupting the youth"". NME. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  39. Moorwood, Victoria (September 23, 2019). "CupcakKe Has Social Media Meltdown That Results In Her Retirement Announcement". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  40. Denton, Jack (November 6, 2019). "CupcakKe teases a return from retirement". The Fader. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  41. "CupcakKe Returns With New Song "Lawd Jesus"". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  42. CupcakKe - Grilling N****S | Lawd Jesus (Official Music Video), retrieved May 20, 2020
  43. "Lemon Pepper - Single by cupcakKe". Apple Music. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  44. "Listen to rapper CupcakKe's fierce new track, 'Discounts'". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  45. "Discounts - Single by cupcakKe". Apple Music. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  46. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100 | Official Charts on October 9th, 2020, CupcakKe released the single "Elephant" Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  47. "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  48. "Heatseekers Albums". Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  49. "Independent Albums". Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  50. "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  51. "CupcakKe Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  52. "CupcakKe Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  53. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 – Date: 03 July 2020 - 09 July 2020". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  54. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100 – Date: 03 July 2020 - 09 July 2020". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  55. "8/3/18". Instagram. July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  56. "Friday". March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019 – via Twitter.
  57. @CupcakKe_rapper (June 29, 2019). "7/5/19" (Tweet). Retrieved June 30, 2019 – via Twitter.
  58. @CupcakKe_rapper (August 1, 2019). ""Whoregasm" 8/8/19" (Tweet). Retrieved August 2, 2019 – via Twitter.
  59. "Grilling Niggas by cupcakKe on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  60. @CupcakKe_rapper (March 1, 2020). "3/6/2020" (Tweet). Retrieved March 2, 2020 – via Twitter.
  61. @CupcakKe_rapper (October 3, 2020). ""Elephant" 10/9 ..." (Tweet). Retrieved October 3, 2020 – via Twitter. Invalid |number= parameter (help)
  62. Marie, Erika (December 16, 2020). "CupcakKe Drops "How To Rob (Remix)" Diss Track Targeting Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, Lil Kim". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  63. McNeilage, Ross (April 4, 2017). "CupcakKe Announces North American Dates For "Marilyn Monhoe Tour"". BreatheHeavy.com. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  64. "Marilyn MonHOE on Twitter announcing The Ephorize Tour".
  65. @CuppcakKe_rapper (November 6, 2018). ""The Eden Tour" Get you Dickets now !!!!" (Tweet). Retrieved November 6, 2018 – via Twitter.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.