Tierra Whack | still from video
Watch Tierra Whack perform “Only Child” and “Hungry Hippo” on Jimmy Kimmel Live, listen to her new single “Gloria”
“1…2…3…Whack!”
On Monday night, rising hip-hop star and Philly’s own Tierra Whack performed two singles on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Whack is known for her imaginative aesthetic and short but powerful singles. Her debut album, Whack World, was made up of fifteen songs in fifteen minutes. You heard that right. Each song is a mere one-minute long but don’t let their brevity fool you. They are dense songs that are as clever as they are short.
For her Kimmel performance, Whack wore a fire-engine red two piece adorned with stuffed animals and a pair of graphic eyeball earrings. For “Only Child”, the stage was converted into a hazy, dystopian playground and Whack crossed the stage pushing a blue slime monster-baby in a stroller. “You must be an only child,” she accused, “Because you’re so stingy.” “Only Child” was a staggering four-minute long performance, and was followed up with “Hungry Hippos,” a song about a man who likes Whack for her “diamonds and pearls.” A video of the Hungry, Hungry Hippos board game was projected behind her with a women’s head in place of the hippo head. The distorted visual seemed only right for Whack, who frequently embraces audiovisual performances. This song stuck by the one-minute rule of Whack World and felt like it was gone too quick. Still, the economy of her lyrics is down-right impressive and proves the age-old argument of quality over quantity.
If slaying the Kimmel stage weren’t enough for one day, Whack also released another new single, “Gloria”, today. This is her third single release in a month. It begins with beat like an alien transition. Whack embraces a mumble rap sound while reminding us that “mostly all men are garbage.” While there is no announcement of a new album from Whack, this stack of singles should keep fans sated until the next release.
Check out Tierra Whack’s performance on Kimmel below, as well as her new single “Gloria.”