Cupcakke

Elizabeth Eden Harris (born May 31, 1997),[1] known professionally by her stage name CupcakKe (often stylized as cupcakKe), is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois.

Harris began her career as a rapper by releasing material through the internet in late 2012. In 2015, two of her songs, "Deepthroat" and "Vagina", went viral on video sharing websites such as YouTube and WorldStarHipHop.[2] The songs were later included on her debut mixtape Cum Cake, which was released in February 2016 and placed at #23 in Rolling Stone 's "Best Rap Albums of 2016" list[3] and received attention from Pitchfork.[4] Her hyper-sexualized and often comical lyrical content has gained her songs notoriety across the internet, and she has since developed a strong online fanbase whom she nicknamed "slurpers".[5][2]

Her second mixtape, S.T.D. (Shelters to Deltas), was released in 2016 and was included in Rolling Stone 's June 2016 list of the "Best Rap Albums of 2016 So Far".[6] She has also received attention from music publications Complex[7] and The Fader.[8]

Following the release of her mixtapes, Harris' debut album Audacious was announced via her Twitter page on October 1, 2016 and subsequently released via digital channels two weeks after, on October 14, 2016.

On November 5, 2016, Harris reported via Twitter that the stepson of Dr. Dre offered her a two million dollar record deal that she later turned down.[9]

Harris garnered press when she offered to help a fan in need who was "kicked out of his home because he's gay."[10]

Her sophomore studio album Queen Elizabitch was released on March 31, 2017.

Early life
Harris was born on May 31, 1997,[1] in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised on King Drive, near Parkway Gardens. Being raised by a single mother, Harris spent nearly four years in Chicago’s homeless shelters starting at age seven.[11] 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.[12]

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 new art form. She cites 50 Cent, Lil Kim, & Da Brat as early influences to her musical style.[13][12]

2012–2014: Early output
Harris released her first music video, "Gold Digger" onto her official YouTube channel in August 2012, which went viral on the internet. She was only 14 at the time of its release—the original video has since been deleted.[14] 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 100,000 subscribers.[15]

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".[16] 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 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".[4] "Pedophile" was also specifically noted for its powerful lyrics and blunt commentary on sexual assault.[17]

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".[18]

In October 2016, Harris released her debut studio album, Audacious.[19] The album was preceded by the single "Picking Cotton", which was described by MTV News as "a protest song about racist cops".[20] Other tracks on the album such as "Spider-Man Dick" and "LGBT" were accompanied by music videos.

2017–present: Queen Elizabitch
In February 2017, Harris released "Cumshot", which served as the lead single to her second studio album.[21] On March 7, English singer-songwriter Charli XCX premiered her song "Lipgloss" which features CupcakKe. The song was later included on XCX's mixtape, Number 1 Angel, which was released on March 10.[22]

On March 24, 2017, Harris officially announced her second studio album, titled Queen Elizabitch, which was released on March 31, 2017.[23] 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."[24] 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".[25]

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 will be re-released on April 16, 2017.[26][27][28]

Mixtapes

 * Cum Cake (2016)
 * S.T.D. (Shelters to Deltas) (2016)

Studio albums

 * Audacious (2016)
 * Queen Elizabitch (2017)

Tours

 * The Marilyn Monhoe Tour (2017)[29