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In honor of the first anniversary of Junglepussy‘s debut album, Satisfaction Guaranteed, we’re giving you the lowdown on the artist being hailed as “New York’s most exciting new rapper.” If you don’t already know JP, you should.

The 23-year-old Brooklyn native released her first single, “Cream Team,” over two years ago and has been rapping about sex, self-love, and style ever since. She also is a fascinating interview subject. Here, we’ve pieced together information from several different JP interviews to depict the lovely eccentricities that make her music and persona both interesting and rare.

One aspect of enlightenment that JP (real name Shayna McHayle) promotes, both through song and social media, is a healthful diet. JP attributes this to an island lifestyle, as her diet naturally reflects the influences of her Trinidadian mother and Jamaican father. Her Instagram bio even includes the line “2Tropical4America” affixed between two palm tree emojis. JP once remarked that she never had a proper American breakfast, having only been introduced to pancakes on the night of her senior prom.

From “Nah” by Junglepussy:

“I seen you eating Mickey D’s knew you didn’t love yourself / I’m up in Trader Joe’s shopping cart full of health”

Though she promotes what works for her, don’t cast Junglepussy as a hater of those who don’t ascribe to her lifestyle.

From The Village Voice:

“I just wanted to promote healthier options. I’m not trying to brainwash people and shame people to eat certain things, but I just want people to be conscious of the things that they are putting in their body and know that you need to put things in your body to give you life and not kill you.”

Though JP’s style is new and fresh, she’s received a shout out from neo-soul pioneer Erykah Badu—could you make up a better testament to her realness? Badu, who JP called “an angel to this earth,” posted “Cream Team” to her Facebook and Twitter accounts, an act that evoked tears from JP. “I didn’t expect her to know I existed, let alone respect what I’m doing enough to post it,” Junglepussy said to PAPER Magazine.

Junglepussy’s latest single, “You Don’t Know,” checks people who think they have an astute understanding of her lifestyle but are only informed by her social media presence (which is candid and hilarious–see here and here) and current releases.

From The Village Voice:

She has qualms with how people have perceived her persona and name on the internet. She doesn’t give her fans or haters much, but they certainly run with the little they’re offered. Sure, you could view the name Junglepussy as implicitly sexual — or you could take it on its surface as two words innocently strung together by a young girl who digs the jungle and animal prints. Das it.

“[My sophomore album] is helping me peel those layers back, and with my music, not on fucking Twitter,” she says.

When VICE asked JP to clarify the meaning of her debut album title, she had the best response:

VICE: With this album, what satisfaction are you guaranteeing?

Junglepussy: The satisfaction of your own individuality. The satisfaction of your own uniqueness. The satisfaction of being you, expressing, learning, and growing. People are so hard to satisfy nowadays. It’s hard, but I try.

We’ll be waiting hard on JP’s sophomore effort, but in the meantime, enjoy her music video for “Nah” (below).

SOURCE: The FADER, The Village Voice, PAPER Magazine, VICE | PHOTO CREDIT: Instagram | VIDEO: YouTube

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