Saucy Santana Interviewed by Caresha!
Saucy Santana, Hip-Hop’s busiest act, sits down with Friend, Collaborator, and Fellow Artist – Caresha! the Two Bff’s discuss their Solid Friendship, Saucy’s new single “Whole Family” and more! We’re so excited to Celebrate Pride Month with Saucy – The Unapologetic Rap Star who blew to stardom by simply being himself. Read the full Interview below!
Featured Interview:
Caresha: What have you been up to today?
Saucy Santana: I’ve just been up getting ready for my content shoots I’m doing this week and preparing for my shows this weekend. During the week I just be ugly, and getting glam and stuff day-by-day to be a bad bitch for the weekend when I gotta go to work.
C: Exactly. 1-800-Bad-Bitch!
S: [Laughs] Caresha, please!
C: So I’m gonna start the interview with Pride Month, since it is Pride Month and your cover is in light of Pride Month. So how will you be celebrating this year?
S: This year for Pride, I’m working and celebrating with my fans and the LGBT community. I’m headlining a lot of festivals, I’m putting out new music, and I’m just celebrating Pride and being prideful with my people.
C: Great, I love that. Great answer. In light of the recent rise in anti-LGBTQ protests and hate, do you feel it’s more important now to be visible and vocal during Pride Month?
S: Yeah. I feel I’m visible and vocal all year, but especially during Pride. This is the month of pride. This is a month that revolves around the LGBT community, you know, so I definitely feel like we should be loud and proud, especially in this month that we have just for us.
C: What are some things that you do to be vocal? How do you express the importance of it and use your voice?
S: I include my community in everything. Whenever I’m doing video shoots, whenever I’m doing glam, I stay grounded in my culture. I feel like I’m always including us. That’s the reason, you know, why I started rapping, is just to bring awareness more to the gay community. Almost everything I do, I do with pride. So, I’m vocal about being me as a person and about my community.
C: What was your experience coming out, and how old were you?
S: When I came out, I was 17. Initially, I had tried to play like I’m bisexual thinking that would
make everybody get the hint. But girls were still trying to talk to me, so I just ended up telling
everybody like, “ok, I’m gay.” I started dressing real cunt, like when started I doing my makeup
and stuff like that, I felt good. When I came out, I felt free. I just felt like I wanted to do what I
wanted to do, like, and just live out loud. Like in school, in the streets, you would see me.
C: So, what made you say, “fuck it, I’m gonna come out.” And did you tell your parents’ first?
S: I think I posted it on Facebook first just to put it out there. You know, when you’re living in the
closet, it’s like you’re in jail. There’s no better feeling than being free. Waking up every day,
being yourself. You just get to a certain age, you know, where it is what it is.
C: Mm-hmm. So, what would be your advice to the people who are celebrating their first Pride this year?
S: Stay true to yourself. Take time in your transition because you’re gonna grow as a person.
You’re gonna grow within the community, so just be you. Stay true to yourself and take your
time. Listen and learn.
C: Mm-hmm. So how does it feel to be a gay rapper?
S: It’s a proud moment. This wasn’t really, you know, a thing in hip-hop. You never really had
gay rappers that, you know, are having the success that I’m having and the recognition and
breaking the barriers that I have. So, I’m always proud of it because I feel like nobody saw this
coming. I remember growing up as a child, this wasn’t even a thing. And so, you know, for me to
fast forward and be a part of history, I’m proud.
C: Yeah, me too. I’m proud of you doing your first feature with a guy that wasn’t afraid of asking
for a feature, so I’m very proud of you for that. I’m very proud of how you carry yourself. You
know, how you always rep for community, for being open. Not being the first gay rapper, ‘cause
you got Lil Nas X, but you know, standing your ground, being comfortable and true to yourself.
I’m very, very proud of you. Will you be participating in any Pride events this year?
S: Yeah, I already did some. I just left Indianapolis, I’m going to Toronto, San Diego. I’ve been
working Pride since June started. And for us, June is like the main Pride month, but Pride
carries on through the year. Almost every state, different cities. You have Atlanta Pride, you got
Kentucky Pride. Every state has Pride.
C: What city would you say is your favorite city for Pride? I remember when we did Pride in I think DC, and when I saw DC, it was turned up on like a whole ‘nother level. Which one would you say has been your favorite?
S: Thinking off the top of my head, I really just had a lot of fun in Indiana. Like the crowd was lit. I could feel their energy and they could feel my energy, they knew everything word for word. Like I could’ve cut the music off, and it was just a crazy feeling. I think maybe cause it’s fresh and I just did it, but Indiana is like the one for me right now.
C: Okay, cool. So we gonna jump into your project. I wanna talk about your new music. Recently you collaborated with Flo Milli on your new single “Whole Family.” How did that collaboration come about and how was it working with Flo Milli?
S: I always wanted to do a song with Flo Milli. I feel like Flo Milli has a specific voice, like Flo Milli got that cute Barbie girl teenage girl voice, so I was like, “I gotta find a perfect song to put Flo on.” And after I did “Whole Family,” I played it a couple of times and I was like, “I can hear Flo Milli on this song.” Originally Flo Milli had the last verse, but I felt like she ate down, that I had to put her in the middle. I love working with Flo. You know, me and Flo always been cool even before I signed with RCA, I always showed her love. She’s from Mobile, Alabama. I spent some of my time in high school there. So, I love Flo. It was cool. She was already one of my girls, so it was just fun to have us finally collaborating.
C: What was the inspiration behind “Whole Family”?
S: Summertime. Like, summertime, family reunion, hood barbecue, like, you know, we just having fun. Cutting up and being ratchet. You know, I’m a Florida girl, so that’s what we do.
C: Is there an artist that you would love to collaborate with that you haven’t collaborated with yet?
S: Yes. Gucci Mane. That’s my favorite rapper.
C: Okay! Is that something that you’re working towards? Are you planning on reaching out, or having your label reach out?
S: I’m a go with the flow person. I’m about energy, vibes. I haven’t met him yet, so I just really would just rather meet him you know, and I feel like I could speak to him like, what’s up? Like, you know, “you were my favorite rapper since I was a kid, if you with it, I’m with it.” I just like energy, I don’t wanna go through the label, you know? Like I want him to, you know, see me in person and get his own perspective and vibe of Santana, versus it being through a third party.
C: Okay. Love that, Gucci Mane. I think it’ll be dope. You know, like I can see that, I could see
that happening.
S: Gucci Mane, I feel like that’s for the culture! You know Gucci my favorite rapper. You know I know all the Gucci songs and then just like how I just did this with IDK, like, I just think for the culture, just showing people. You know firsthand a lot of rappers and a lot of male rappers that I don’t have a song with, but they fuck with Santana.
C: Right.
S: So, I just think that would be something raw. Gucci’s a street legend, you know? So, I feel like that that would just be dope and that would just open another door and set the standard. I think like getting a stamp from Gucci would be like, “okay, he really sanctioned you.” I’m solidified, I’m valid.
C: Yeah, I can see that. So, what can fans expect from you in terms of new music?
S: There’s tons of new music. It’s summertime, and I wanna give my fans what they fell in love with. Just like “Whole Family,” that’s just a fun record. I’m just ready to bring Santana back and give people the fun, you know? Ratchet music. It’s the summertime, it’s hot out. It’s time to, you know, put on your coochie cutters, drop the top, and bring the titties out. [laughs]
C: Period. When can we be expecting that? Are we getting an EP or an album or mixtape? What are your plans musically?
S: That’s what I’m working toward now. So, you know, I’m signed to a major label so, you know, we just come to mutual terms on what we think will be a good release. Working together on putting out the best records. So, you know, that’s just what we in the process of now. I’m dropping singles, you know, we’re building my momentum, ‘cause I plan on touring when my project comes out. I’m really gearing up everything for the summertime. I feel like this is our time. You know, even you and your music, I feel like this is our season. Like we from Florida, y’all from Miami. You’re from South Florida, I’m from North Florida, we’re outside girls. We ‘gon be in the club, coochie cutters on, strutting around, it’s time. That’s what I’m gearing up for right now.
C: Exactly. Period. I love that. I definitely feel that for summertime to like, really bring that Florida girl music for the Florida girls, you know what I’m saying? I feel like Florida Girls are different. People always say there’s something in the Florida water, so I definitely agree ‘cause we talk different out here, our slang’s different, our music’s different, our culture’s different. I feel like that’s what the people want and that’s what they look for from people like us. Like when it comes to Santana and the City Girls, like look for us to put our slang, our culture, our attitude and our life in our music. So, I’m excited about the music that’s coming out, I’m excited about “Whole Family” with Flo Milli, everything you said about it, it’s one hundred percent. Like she got that young, teenager, fun girl voice and I love her musically. So, I’m very excited about the single. Did you do a video for the song?
S: Yeah, we shot a video in LA. We shot a video in a hair salon and then I’m gonna do another content piece in Atlanta. I wanna give the fans two versions. I feel like the video in LA is like the high class, like, I was giving rich hoocie in that video. Then I wanna do a barbecue in Atlanta and have like the uncles playing Spades, you know you got your grown cousins in the corner, they breaking it down. You got your uncle on the grill, he flipping the hamburgers with the barbecue sandals on, I just wanna give that real Florida, Santana vibe, you know? So, we’re gonna have a lot of content rolling out with that song. It’s gonna be fun, it’s gonna be a fun summer.
C: Right. So I’m gonna ask you some fun questions. How did our friendship start and how long
have we known each other?
S: We met in 2018. I’m best friends with Tyrus, which is Caresha’s cousin. I was best friends with Tyrus and then over time as me and Tyrus were hanging out, the City Girls had blew up. And so, I started doing y’all makeup when y’all would come to North Florida. Like Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Tampa, I would come and do y’all make up and I just think we grew, you know, just like when you’re working with people as far as like hairstylists, makeup artists, you grow relationship. That’s like you and Michelle. You know, you grow a relationship with people so I think we just clicked. We always just clicked, and it was kind funny cause you and Tyrus always remind me so much of each other and that’s how me and Tyrus became best friends. We just clicked, and we been besties ever since.
C: Yeah, ‘cause I always said you’re me in a gay form. Like, if I was gay or if I was a boy, I would be you. You know what I’m trying to say? I definitely think you the girl version of me, and I’m the girl version of you.
S: We laugh the same, like we don’t even gotta talk. Like, I can look at her and be like “girl.” My mama like that too. Like Caresha can be like, “yep” and I can be like, “mm-hmm” and we’ll know everything that we’re talking about.
C: Yeah, that’s our personality. I could just be like, “Santana, for real” and you’d be like, “ho, bitch!” [laughs] It’s like, “girl, how do you even know what I’m talking about?! How do you even know? I’m deadass, like Santana let me at least tell you the story first!”
S: Mm-hmm.
C: What attracted me to you is, like I said, I felt like you was me in a gay form. Like I’ve been around gay people my whole life. Like you said, my cousin [Tyrus], which is your best friend, he’s gay. I have another gay cousin. So, what attracted me to you was like, you were just funny. You were just an open book. I see a lot of similarities in you and me. So that’s what attracted me to you.
S: [Laughs] I think that’s our story. We’re just literally the same people. Like when I first met you, I was like, “man this girl, like, she’s so pretty but she’s ghetto, she’s fun, like, she laughs, we ‘gon dance, she ‘gon be on the phone like, ‘dis ho?’” and we just brought the same energy to each other that I think even as our friendship grew, we watched each other grow, we watched each other mature. Like, we watched each other be serious cause we don’t take nothing seriously. So, I feel like even as our friendship has grown, I still see more similarities every day.
C: What’s the best part of our friendship?
S: I think the best part of our friendship, I would say the openness. Like you’re a very private person, and I am guarded from being betrayed in a lot of friendships, and I feel like me and you, it’s like the type of best friends that we call each other. We tell each other everything, Caresha, down to the naked, down to the most embarrassing shit that you just, you know, wouldn’t tell nobody. Or like you just wouldn’t even feel comfortable, like, saying to certain friends, we tell each other everything. And I feel like that’s just so important in a friendship that you feel safe with me, I feel safe with you. Like we call each other and can tell each other anything, even if we don’t like for each other or whatever. We’re judgmental on each other, but like, if you like it, I love it. You know what I’m saying? Like, we still rocking it. That don’t ever stop. I love that about our friendship.
C: Yeah, that’s the best part of our friendship. I feel like it could be something so serious, we’re gonna find the laughter in it, we’re gonna find the bright side, and like we keep each other grounded.
S: Mm-hmm.
C: We keep each other grounded and happy. Like it could be a tough time. I know there is some shit that I probably should never did, but you ‘gon laugh and you ‘gon have my back. You’re gonna be like, “Caresha, it ain’t even that bad” and I’m like, “ok well bitch, it is, but if you say it ain’t” I think that’s the best part. Having a person that you can always call for everything, and you’re always gonna find the light in the darkness of a friendship because I feel like that’s what friends are for. They are to pick you up when you down and you should be able to tell a person everything without them being judgmental or you know, feeling like you have to hold everything in. I feel like that’s why a lot of people are depressed, or for many gay people, they don’t always have people they could open up to because people have judged them. People have counted them out.
S: Yeah.
C: So, I think it’s very, very important to just have like a gay best friend that they can openly come to you about anything and everything, which is, even if it’s the most embarrassing thing, it’s like having that shoulder to lean on or an ear to listen to, and having a real, genuine friend. Do we ever get into disagreements or arguments, and if so, how do each of us deal with it?
S: [Laughs] I don’t think that we have like real, hard arguments. I think we’ve only been into maybe like one or two. We’re always kinda on the same page, so we don’t really argue. We debate about everything, but I feel like that’s all friendships, but we don’t argue. And when we do argue and it’s bad, we just don’t talk to each other. But I feel like you would have to be around us to catch the tea because we ain’t gonna never let nobody else know that. We just gonna go quiet. Like you ain’t gonna talk to me, I ain’t gonna talk to you, but it ain’t no shade. Ain’t no, “oh, fuck that bitch.” We don’t give that. Like, we just give, “okay, you go your way and I’m gonna go mine ‘cause I’m mad and you mad too, so.”
C: I’ll just be like, “Santana, what the fuck you talking about, bitch?” And you’d be like, “girl, this is how I feel.” You know, we have like plenty of disagreements, but we don’t have arguments.
S: Yeah.
C: If we was mad, I would just let you be mad for a couple of days and then call you and be like, “Santana, whatchu doing?”
S: Yeah.
C: I’d be like, “girl, whatchu mad for? Whatchu mad at me for?”
S: [Laughs] It’d be so miserable. I’d be like, “I need to call her.”
C: I don’t get mad, but if you was mad at me or if I was mad, I’d probably let three days go by and be like, “Santana for real, I gotta tell you something bitch and I need your advice.”
S: Uh-huh!
C: So, that’s just how it is. Like you said, most of the time we are on the same page. We do have like disagreements ‘cause we don’t agree with everything, but it’d be like, “ok you can disagree, and that’s how you feel, but girl, I don’t care.”
S: Yeah.
C: What would each of us say it is about our friendship that has kept it so strong?
S: I think trust. I feel like with me being your friend at first, when we first became friends, it was like, “ok you tell me a little of this, I tell you a little of that.” It wasn’t where we’re at now, and that came through us gaining trust, gaining loyalty, us being friends, us going through things with each other, us going through things together. And I feel like as we grew, we have a trust, a bond that’s just set in stone. Like that’s my family, that’s my friend, regardless of what it is.
C: Yeah. I also agree, I think what keeps our relationship like you said is being genuine, being honest truthful friends, and like you said, being somebody that you could trust. I think that when you’re genuine with someone and you genuinely want to see that person win, or you genuinely care about somebody, and your energy is just synced, I think that’s what make something strong. Like when something is genuine, you always wanna be around what’s genuine, you always wanna do what feels genuine. So, I think us genuinely being friends, genuinely wanting to see each other win, genuinely supporting each other and just being genuine, I think that what make our friendship so strong.
C: So that concludes the interview, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to let me
interview you for Galore magazine. Congratulations on getting your cover, and just being you,
being real. Repping for the LGBTQ community, and I’m so proud of you.
S: Period. Thank you, best friend, I’m so proud of you.
Team Credits:
Photography: Lawrence Murray
@smashineatatl catering service
@atlanta_visuals videographer for fashion reels
@laurenalysesmith Interviewer: correspondent
Make-up artist: @2gifted.hands
Hair Stylist: @iamhairphysician
@assadtyler Wardrobe Stylist / Creative Direction
Galore Art Director: Perrin Johnson @editsbyperry
Editor-in-chief: Prince Chenoa @princechenoastudio
Wardrobe:
ANT/DOTE – @antidotestyle
Supplied Clothing and Location in Atlanta, Georgia
ANT/DOTE is located at 525 Bishop Street NW in Atlanta, Georgia
For more information or to shop online, visit antidotestyle.com and stay connected on Instagram at @antidotestyle.
