Da Brat is bringing a message to a new generation of Chicago rappers as she prepares to return home this month. She’s joining The Hip Hop Nutcracker with advice for artists still trying to turn neighborhood recognition into something bigger.
“I just wanted to be a star outside of Chicago,” Da Brat told the Chicago Defender in a new interview. She remembers watching performers around the city before her own records reached listeners far beyond home.
That jump arrived with Funkdafied in 1994, when she became the first solo female rapper to earn a platinum album. Working with Jermaine Dupri and So So Def helped turn that ambition into a career that still brings her onto new stages…