Monaleo Talks Conversation-Sparking ‘Sexy Soulaan’ Video & Upcoming ‘Who Did the Body’ Mixtape: ‘I’m Just Here to Represent Me’

Exactly 1 week aft marrying North Carolina rapper Stunna 4 Vegas successful an all-pink wedding and dominating societal media successful the process, Houston rapper Monaleo unleashed 1 of hip-hop’s astir politically potent songs of the year. If her nuptials were ocular impervious of the value of maintaining taste traditions — she and Stunna virtually jumped the broom unneurotic — past her caller single, “Sexy Soulaan,” is simply a philharmonic encapsulation of Black American culture, pridefulness and unity.

Although the caller opus has been lauded for its authenticity and uplifting of Black Americans, “Sexy Soulaan” has besides drawn disapproval from assorted corners of the Internet. Some accused her of promoting “black supremacy,” others felt she was “misrepresenting [the] Black American Heritage flag,” and an wholly antithetic radical utilized the opus to interrogate the arguable roots of the “Soulaan” term. 

Coined successful a 2020 TikTok video by Maroc Horus, T-Roy Parks & Dwayne Coleman, the word “Soulaan” is an ethnonym for Black Americans. “We recognize that we are from the soil,” Horus tells Billboard. “We recognize that we are radical who went done chattel slavery successful America, but we besides recognize that we were present earlier that arsenic well. We privation to admit the sovereignty that stands wrong the soil.”  

Of the assertion that Black radical lived successful North America earlier the transatlantic enslaved trade, helium notes, “I don’t beryllium anymore due to the fact that erstwhile you [do], radical volition effort to invert [and debate] your information arsenic if it is an opinion.” The word besides stands for Soul Autochthonous American. Notably, indie D.C. rapper G. Pryor often utilized the word crossed his 2024 Summer ‘95 LP — but Monaelo’s way fundamentally serves arsenic its instauration to the mainstream hip-hop lexicon.

“Sexy Soulaan” finds Monaleo fashioning slick wordplay retired of Black American proverbs, and the Pitt tha Kidd- and Romano-crafted bushed feels specifically engineered to item her Southern rap cadence. “I request my reparations, b—h, you gotta bring maine my s—t/ These b—es my kids, I been dreaming ′bout fish,” she spits, earlier hilariously declaring, “You ne'er expected to enactment your purse connected the ground/ But I’m slamming this coin purse connected the concrete!” 

Directed by Evil Twins (George and Frederick Buford), the accompanying music video employs a comedic code to cull the played-out societal media conception of inviting “allies” to the proverbial cookout. With a peculiar accent connected Black American manner (ornate nails, meticulously arranged braids and sparkly grills), the euphony video besides features notably Pan-Africanist vigor — with Leo, draped successful a elephantine Black American Heritage flag, posing successful beforehand of a quilt of flags of predominantly Black countries. 

“[I wanted] to beforehand Black unity, Black assemblage and Black love,” Monaleo tells Billboard portion en way to the studio. “And that’s ever been my idiosyncratic goal, particularly nether the umbrella of achromatic supremacy.” 

Interestingly, Horus — who has penned op-eds decrying caller manifestations of Pan-Africanism — interpreted that country arsenic Monaleo simply “showing we besides person emotion and enactment for our allies.” “At the extremity of the day, she’s an artist,” helium says. “And I support saying this, due to the fact that radical are looking to her for [answers] astir Soulaan. I understood the language, and, successful totality, that was Soulaan.” 

On Friday (Oct. 17), Monaleo volition merchandise her caller Who Did the Body mixtape up of launching her headlining circuit of the aforesaid sanction connected Nov. 30 astatine Chicago’s Avondale Music Hall. Coming connected the heels of buzzy singles similar “Putting Ya Dine” and “We connected Dat...