With “Grady Baby,” Anycia is the first Atlanta female rapper to have DJ Drama project

Rapper Anycia has been listening to DJ Drama’s mixtapes for most of her life.

“Since I was a child, I’ve been hearing DJ Drama yelling on music,” Anycia said in a recent Zoom interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in a tone that was as candid as it was hilarious.

It was her response when asked about her favorite Gangsta Grillz project, the DJ Drama-trademarked mixtape series that he hosts like a loud and ardent tour guide. There are too many tapes for Anycia to choose from. Or, as she puts it, “DJ Drama is everywhere.”

ExploreAtlanta rapper Anycia is ‘back outside’ but with more boundaries

Indeed, over the past two decades, the Atlanta-based rap legend’s boisterous voice helped turn Gangsta Grillz from an underground staple to a Grammy-winning cultural phenomenon. T.I., Jeezy, Lil Wayne and Tyler, the Creator are among artists with a Gangsta Grillz mixtape.

Credit: Courtesy of Hidji World

Credit: Courtesy of Hidji World

Now, Anycia can add herself to the esteemed list. With “Grady Baby,” the 27-year-old is the first Atlanta female rapper to achieve such a feat.

“I’m ready to see how people receive it,” she told the AJC. “Any new milestone in my career is very exciting to me. I feel like any creative person is a little anxious whenever they’re presenting their craft to the world, but overall, I’m really, really excited.”

The 12-track project, out today, accentuates Anycia’s love of her hometown and a brazen rap delivery that’s etched in authenticity. Its inception often became a test of her creativity, but Anycia was eventually able to bring her full artistic vision coming to life.

For the rollout, she conceived of and released a four-part short film, each scene depicting what she describes as “relatable things that go on in Atlanta.” The videos feature cameos from Atlanta music royalty: Waka Flocka Flame, Nivea, The OMG Girlz and, of course, DJ Drama.

In one scene, shot at Smyrna’s Atlanta Beauty Depot, Anycia plays a distracted employee at a busy beauty supply shop where she almost gets into a fight with a customer. Another video reveals her getting frustrated that her mixtape is being sold outside a gas station without her knowledge.

All four skits were shot in three days. Most were improvised.

“It’s just a day in the life of a girl in Atlanta, for real,” Anycia shared. “(In one video), I got me some wings and made a very obnoxious order. (In another), my car was breaking down. There’s been plenty of times where my little Chevy Malibu was overheating or something, and me and my homegirl had to pull over and put some oil in the car before we go to the function.”

Consequently, the videos elucidate Anycia’s witty charisma, and make it clear that acting is a natural fit for her. Her hilarious personality often belies her nonchalant rap style. But Anycia remains blunt on and off the mic.

“I feel like people are put in a box to just being an artist, and people don’t really see much more from that, and I try my best to just show my audience, and people that even aren’t my audience, that there’s more to me than just music.”

‘Nene a Grady Baby’

Credit: Hidji World

After having a breakout run in 2023 (thanks to viral single “BRB”), Anycia has collaborated with fellow female rappers Latto and Flo Milli. She dropped her debut album “Princess Pop That” last spring.

Although Anycia grew up in several neighborhoods in Atlanta (and yes, she was born at Grady Memorial Hospital), she was primarily raised on the southside, attending Riverdale High School in Clayton County. Last fall, while touring with R&B singer Kehlani, she realized she wanted to honor her Atlanta roots with her next project. But she didn’t know what that would look like.

“The ideas and the concept of everything changed about twice. Then, I was talking to my mom, and she was like, ‘Girl, why don’t you just name it ‘Grady Baby?’ Because, overall, I wanted my tape to be nostalgic, and I wanted to have something to do with where I’m from, and include a lot of samples and songs that are nostalgic for me.”

She wanted that “old Atlanta vibe,” she said, and who better to deliver that than DJ Drama? Anycia shared that the producer and executive was an early supporter of her career, initially meeting him at Means Street Studios in Midtown.

ExploreDJ Drama doesn’t want you to forget about his legacy in hip-hop

In a statement shared with the AJC, DJ Drama said Anycia seamlessly fits within the storied lineage of Gangsta Grillz.

“I’ve always put the Gangsta Grillz stamp on projects that I felt represented the culture, either current or future,” he said. “Anycia is one of the brightest upcoming female rappers who I feel confident can deliver another timeless Gangsta Grillz project.”

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

“Grady Baby” boasts features from Tink, Quavo, Monaleo, GloRilla and Karrahbooo. JetsonMade, Bankroll Got It and Tony Shhnow are among the producers.

On “ATW,” the project’s opener, Anycia adds her signature effortless, cocky flow to a sample of Jeezy’s 2005 classic “And Then What.” The Tink-assisted “So Fine,” is a standout for sounding as simpering and assertive as its namesake. It samples “Nothings Free” by Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, a song that Anycia says she plays on a regular basis.

Then, there‘s the lead single: “Never Need,” featuring GloRilla and Karrahbooo. The track, released in March, doubles down on the cocky, don’t-need-a-man attitude that made her a star.

But she felt the song didn’t initially align with the world she wanted to create for “Grady Baby.”

“Of course, I love the video. The video is amazing. I love the features. I love the song itself. But I just had a certain plan for how I wanted things to go. I felt like I didn’t really have creative control whenever it came down to how things were going to drop, or the way that things are going to be shot.”

Since the slight hiccup, Anycia has been adamant about inserting her voice and vision, as seen in the skits she produced for the project.

“(This tape) is really girly,” she said. “It’s cutesy and a confidence booster. Ain’t nothing on there that I don’t know. I just feel like it’s great. I’m ready to see what the future holds.”

Anycia is looking forward to expanding her brand with fashion deals and acting gigs. But her fans remain a priority. She plans on creating more intimate experiences with her supporters.

“Because for me, that’s what this is about — giving my audience an experience."