A lesson on getting what you want, how you want it.
By: Nandi Howard | Photography By: Zee Nunes
“My thing is, I didn’t know she was bringing her whole crew,” JT exclaims, remembering when Natalie Nunn from the controversial franchise Baddies joined her on stage recently. We’re on set in New York City for this digital cover shoot; the Miami-born rap star is eating comfort food from Sweet Chick as we take a break in her glam corner—days after her first mixtape, City Cinderella, was released. It’s her first solo project; JT was part of the rap group City Girls but is now on a path to individual self-discovery.
This isn’t my first time speaking to JT; we’d seen each other a few weeks before, at the 2024 ESSENCE Festival of the Culture in New Orleans. JT spoke with content creator Simi Moonlight on the Beautycon stage, at an afternoon panel that I moderated. The day before, she’d taken the Coca-Cola stage, in a performance that included a group of unexpected guests: Nunn and her crew from Baddies, which airs on Zeus Network. “You could see how I distracted I was,” JT says now, referencing a clip of the show that later circulated on Twitter. (“So this is your new demographic, ESSENCE? The Baddies?” one user commented.)
“They don’t see we have eight other stages, where people are talking about politics and wage discrimination,” I point out. “We posted that clip because we support all Black women.” JT responds quickly: “There shouldn’t be any boundary on successful Black women. And people loved it.”
ESSENCE Festival was a career highlight for the rapper, who appeared on the largest stage in the Convention Center. Her show was produced by the festival’s longest-standing partner, Coca-Cola—a brand that cares about representation, given its mass appeal. Still, JT, the bubbly rap girl with the complicated past pushed the envelope a bit.
Maybe there were hiccups (she slipped up on a few cuss words, and the “Baddies” wore colors that JT had been advised to avoid due to branding issues), but she felt proud to be in the room. “When I got off the stage, they were so nice,” she says. “They were like, ‘No, we get it.’ Because I was apologizing. I was like, ‘That was not my intention.’”
Amid the ups and downs of her career, JT has danced with controversy and redemption, improving and learning at each step. As we talk, she allows herself to be vulnerable and open about the ramifications of past choices. At the same time, she has faith in a bright future—and she’s reaping the benefits of her continuing development as an artist. Like the lyrics that she raps over a somber beat in her song “Intro (Hope)” on City Cinderella— “Young, Black and lost, but never lost hope”—she exudes possibility. Here, JT reflects on identity, reestablishing her personal style and maintaining authenticity in her new era.
ESSENCE: When you were first starting out, did you feel like you had to conform to trends?
JT: At the time, I don’t think the industry really had a particular fashion sense. In 2017 and 2018, everybody was very authentic. Everyone was doing their thing—even the biggest stars.
ESSENCE: With you being in a group, did you feel like you had to portray an image or that you could just be you?
JT: No, that was just us. Very stylish girls—always had it! Always gave on-trend. If Jordans were in style, I’d have on Jordans. If a designer was in style, I’d have on that designer. My first Chanel purse was a boy bag. I always had stuff. Everybody in Miami is very designer-conscious. We grew up listening to music about designers. That’s what kind of makes you an It girl there: designer clothes. So we’re very materialistic down there. Very. I don’t feel like when I entered the industry my style changed at all.
ESSENCE: Walk me through when your style started evolving to avant-garde. Do you remember your first time experimenting in those labels?
JT: In 2019, for my birthday, I wore Rick Owens from head to toe in black. I also wore a blue Chanel puffy bag. When I first started out and met my partner, he was like, “You need to wear Chrome Heart and Rick.”
ESSENCE: Nobody was wearing it.
JT: No. Nobody was. I’m not going to lie—I was like, “What?” Because I’m from down South. We don’t have those stores. I think they just put Rick in Miami recently. We are very much Chanel, Gucci, Prada girls. Then I stepped it up when my partner put me in runway, and it was very uncomfortable. I’m a street bitch! Then I said, Okay, I like this, and this can be my identity. This can elevate me.
ESSENCE: What’s your new aesthetic?
JT: I’m in a new era. Everybody has their f—ed-up moments. Like, Oh when I wasn’t that fly—you know?
ESSENCE: Yeah. You’ve got to go through those growing pains a little.
JT: And you’ve got to learn who you are. You’ll be okay.
ESSENCE: Did you feel like the fashion industry accepted you when you first started experimenting with your style?
JT: When I first started, I wouldn’t say I wasn’t accepted. [But] I don’t think they thought I was serious. You have to be consistent for people to know that you’re serious. When I first started, it was like, Okay, you can get an outfit or two—but are you really committing to this lifestyle? So I never stopped. Then, as years passed, I created moments on my own—for people to see me in another light.
ESSENCE: I saw a TikTok of this girl saying you’re inspiring brown-skinned girls.
JT: When I saw that TikTok, it gave me chills. I don’t put any money into making anybody like me. I always want people to just like me for me. When I saw it, I first thought she was about to bash me—because I’m so used to seeing people talking sh*t. I listened to it again, and she said, “We haven’t had a dark-skinned girl killing it in fashion since Foxy Brown.” It gave me the chills. It makes so much sense. It’s no shade to nobody else.
ESSENCE: One thing that I really liked about this project rollout is that you gave us a short film, looks and a real mixtape.
JT: This is my thing. The most regrettable era of my career was me just pretending to be. I have been to prison, and to be able to represent my people in the best light as a second chance is so real. And I said some sh-t. But it’s like, I’m now being able to be that girl and keep it clean. I haven’t fully got to that stage yet—but they’re going to see how we can present ourselves like anybody else and earn the respect. I’m like, “Oh my God, I’m viral for being pretty.”
ESSENCE: Being cool and being an inspiration.
JT: Exactly.
ESSENCE: What is the best thing to go viral for?
JT: I used to go viral for saying crazy sh-t. Now I can keep my mouth closed and just show my face.
ESSENCE: You’ve gotten a lot better at Twitter. You may say small things, but you are not going on your rants as much. What happened?
JT: I have never had an argument that served a purpose. It’s a waste of time, and I’m growing up.
ESSENCE: How do you ignore it?
JT: I vent about it to people I talk to, or just breathe. They don’t know me, so whatever. Let it roll off.
ESSENCE: I’m a Sagittarius. So I feel like I get you sometimes.
JT: Oh my God, girl. We walk around with fire in us. We are fire! We have to release it in some way. Sometimes you’ve got to step out of your zodiac sign.
ESSENCE: Brands are seeing that growth, too, because those things do come up. When we at ESSENCE talk to brands about artists, they’ll say, “They just went off on Twitter last week.”
JT: I remember a while ago—it was probably two years ago—it was like, “The thing with ESSENCE is, they ain’t going to give you no cover.” I was like, Dang. Look at us two years later!
ESSENCE: It’s full circle. What would you tell young girls who are hoping to beat the odds?
JT: Be new, and be you. You have to be both. I hear people telling people all the time, “All you’ve got to do is be yourself.” But in this market, you have to stand out. What’s so special about you, that makes you deserving of people’s attention? And when you get in that position, you’ve got to fight to stay in that position. You’ve got to come in with your head on strong. You can’t look around and see that it’s working for her, so you’re going to go, and you’re going to do what she’s doing. And—whether they like it or not. People might hate something, but if that’s you, they’re going to be able to identify it. [Still], just being yourself isn’t enough in this industry—because there are so many of us, and it’s so oversaturated. You’ve got to be authentic and new. Invent yourself in a way that takes your authenticity and mixes it with something that’s going to make you stand out, no matter what it is. Then you apply your talent to that, and create your brand.
This interview was edited for clarity.
Photographed by Zee Nunes
Styled by Ron Hartleben
Hair: Tevin Washington using Hair So Fab
Makeup: Eden Lattanzio using MAC Cosmetics
Nails: Tiana “Tiny” Hardy
Set Design: Jenny Correa at Walter Schupfer Management Tailor: Matthew Neff at Carol Ai Studio
Photography Assistants: Fernando Freire & Andy Beardsworth Fashion Assistant: Ashley Weiler
Post Production: Bruno Rezende
Production Coordinator: Georgia Ford
Location: Splashlight Studios
Production: The Morrison Group
