Saweetie Says She’s Been Studying JAY-Z’s Albums As She Preps To Drop New Music

Of her debut, she said, “I really just want the world to get to know Saweetie better.”

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Saweetie has been working tirelessly on her debut album and has resorted to studying one of the greats to get the job done.

The Bay Area native revealed to PEOPLE that she’s been sourcing JAY-Z‘s discography to help improve her own skills.

“The other day, I was listening to a whole bunch of JAY-Z albums. No, really. I remember when I would write my freestyle car raps, I would listen to a whole bunch of JAY-Z. My favorite album [of his] is probably The Blueprint. What I loved about it is, beyond the bars, you were able to get to know the man from New York, who made it from the block to the businessman,” she explained.

The two-time Grammy nominee also confessed that she still gets “jitters” when releasing new music.

“I get nervous with every release. I can’t help it,” Saweetie shared. “I get the jitters, I can’t sleep at night and I just feel like I’m sharing such an intimate piece of me because it is created in the studio, and then you eventually share it out into the world.”

When speaking about her debut album, which was initially supposed to be out in 2021, the 31-year-old noted, “That first album sets the tone for your career. I’ve really taken my time with this piece of art because it is delicate, it’s sensitive and it means a lot to me.”

Adding, “I think it is our duty [as artists] to take this art serious […] I have so much time to sit with myself and learn myself as a human, as a woman, as a artist, I just feel like I’m ready to share those stories. I have a lot of stories to tell. I just feel like I’ve been through so much, and I’m trying to figure out a way to tell that story throughout this album. In the beginning, I was so private, like, ‘Let me not share too much.’ But when I’m listening to these great albums, like The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, The Blueprint, [Kanye West’s] Graduation, you were able to really get to know these people. I really just want the world to get to know Saweetie better.”

Her debut album, Pretty B.I.T.C.H. Music, is expected to drop before the end of 2024.

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