Junglepussy

Junglepussy
Birth nameShayna McHayle
Born (1991-10-31) October 31, 1991 (age 33)
New York City, NY, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • actress
Years active2010–present
Websitejunglepussy.nyc

Shayna McHayle[1] (born October 31, 1991),[1] known professionally by her stage name Junglepussy, is an American rapper and actress from New York City. Her first mixtape Satisfaction Guaranteed was released in 2014.[1] She has received recognition from different artists such as Erykah Badu and Lil' Kim.[2]

Early life

[edit]

Shayna McHayle was born in East New York, Brooklyn on October 31, 1991,[1] to a Jamaican father and a Trinidadian mother.[3] After her parents divorced, she was raised by her mother.[4] Her mother encouraged her to be creative, allowing her to dye her hair as a form of self-expression, and encouraged McHayle and her sisters to practice self-love.[4]

She started rapping in high school with a group of friends called Primp,[5] until graduation at 16.[1] After graduating she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology,[1] until getting a job in retail and starting a YouTube channel as a pastime.[6]

Career

[edit]

In 2012, she released her first track as Junglepussy, "Cream Team" on YouTube, followed by "Stitches".[6] In 2013, she performed alongside rapper Lil' Kim at Westway.[7]

In January 2014, Erykah Badu posted "Cream Team" on her Facebook and Twitter.[8][9][10] On June 10, 2014, Junglepussy released her debut mixtape Satisfaction Guaranteed. The self-released 11 track compilation debuted on the Vice website.[11] Junglepussy later released videos for the songs "Nah" and "Me" on her official YouTube channel.[12]

On August 20, 2015, she announced her next album would be titled Pregnant with Success, based on a lyric from "You Don't Know".[13] On the same day, Junglepussy released a video for the assumed first single from the album, "Now or Later".[14] The album was released on November 17, 2015.[15] It was included on year-end lists by publications such as Fact,[16] Spin,[17] and Rolling Stone.[18]

On May 11, 2018, she released an album, JP3, which features guest appearances from Rico Love, Gangsta Boo, Wiki, and Quin.[19] The album was leaked a day before its release.[4] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, JP3 received an average score of 83, based on 6 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[20] Vibe included it on the "25 Hip-Hop Albums by Bomb Womxn of 2018" list.[21] It was nominated by the American Association of Independent Music for its 2019 indie music-celebrating Libera Awards in the category of Best Hip-Hop/Rap Album.[22]

She made her acting debut in the comedy film Support the Girls (2018).[23]

In 2020, Junglepussy released JP4, her fourth studio album, which Guardian described as "a moody blend of nu-metal, alt-rock and funk".[24] NME described the record as "stunning", praising McHayle for uniting "a multitude of sounds" and "scoping multiple genres" while still producing a cohesive and enduring record".[25]

The album features appearances from Gangsta Boo and Ian Isiah.

In 2022, Junglepussy released the 5 track "JP5000" project to high acclaim from publications such as Pitchfork, Metacritic, and more.

Artistry

[edit]

Musical style and influences

[edit]

In a 2014 interview with Interview, Junglepussy cited she has taken inspiration from musicians such as Erykah Badu, Missy Elliott, Lady Saw, Kelis, Busta Rhymes, Vybz Kartel, Mavado, The Veronicas, Metric, Gossip, and Soulja Boy.[9]

Public image

[edit]

Junglepussy explained that as a young woman she was mostly influenced by the television show Moesha, starring singer/actress Brandy. She said in Paper: "Growing up, I would see Brandy on Moesha and see her keeping in her cornrows and her braids, but still flourish in her art and music, looking fly. I loved Moesha as a child, but now I take away something more special from it. Just because you're a black girl, it doesn't mean you need to only care about hair and makeup. Brandy cared about books, culture and where she was going — you can do both."[8]

Personal life

[edit]

Junglepussy is autistic.[26][27] She identifies as asexual.[28][29]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]

Mixtapes

[edit]
  • Satisfaction Guaranteed (2014)
  • JP5000 (2022)[30]

Singles

[edit]
  • "You Don't Know" (2015)[31]
  • "Now or Later" (2015)[32]
  • "State of the Union" (2018)[33]
  • "Showers" (2018)[34]
  • "Trader Joe" (2018)[35]
  • "They Know" (2018)[36]
  • "Spiders" (2019)[37]
  • "Main Attraction" (2020)[38]
  • "Arugula" (2020)[39]

Guest appearances

[edit]
  • Dai Burger – "Titty Attack" from Raw Burger (2011)
  • Le1f – "Oils" from Tree House (2013)
  • Rome Fortune – "Payin' for It" from Drive, Thighs & Lies (2014)
  • Scooter Island – "#NOTYOURS" from Broad City (Original Series Soundtrack) (2015)
  • Shy Girls – "Always the Same" from 4WZ (2015)
  • Le1f – "Swirl" from Riot Boi (2015)
  • Lion Babe – "Still in Love" from Sun Joint (2016)
  • Brenmar – "Like a Hoe" from High End Times (2016)
  • Nick Hook – "Dive for You" from Relationships (2016)
  • Nadia Rose – "Breathe Slow" (2017)
  • Gabriel Garzón-Montano – "The Game Remix" (2018)
  • TXS – "Don't Tempt Me" from Everything Is Bigger (2018)
  • Pussy Riot – "Hangers" (2019)

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]

Television

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f Madrid, Isis (September 22, 2014). "'Loving Yourself': The Philosophy of Junglepussy (page 1 of 2)". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  2. ^ Weiss, Dan (March 17, 2016). "Junglepussy: The Rapper Sliding Into Your DMs". Spin. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  3. ^ Rosenzweig, Mathias (October 20, 2014). "Scrapbook: Junglepussy Flips Through Her Old Photo Albums". Noisey. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Douze, Khalila (May 24, 2018). "Junglepussy is here for you". The Fader. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  5. ^ "Junglepussy: "I'm Supposed to Have This Unique Story of Imperfection"". Noisey. December 8, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Junglepussy". YouTube. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  7. ^ Junglepussy (June 2, 2013). "IM OPENING FOR LIL KIM TUESDAY @ WESTWAY". Twitter. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Moran, Justin (June 20, 2014). "Why Junglepussy Is One of Rap's Brightest New Stars". Paper. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Chapman, Alex (June 10, 2014). "The Real Junglepussy". Interview. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  10. ^ Erykah Badu (January 10, 2014). "Oooh .. JUNGLEPUSSY – Cream Team." Twitter. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  11. ^ Schwartzberg, Lauren (June 10, 2014). "Stream Junglepussy's Debut 'Satisfaction Guaranteed'". Vice. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  12. ^ "JUNGLEPUSSY". YouTube. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  13. ^ Nostro, Lauren (August 21, 2015). "Premiere: Junglepussy Shares "Now or Later" Video Off of Her Forthcoming Album, 'Pregnant With Success'". Complex. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  14. ^ Junglepussy (20 August 2015). "Junglepussy – Now or Later". YouTube. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  15. ^ Thompson, Paul (November 17, 2015). "Stream Junglepussy's New Album". XXL. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  16. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Fact. December 9, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  17. ^ "The 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015 (page 2 of 2)". Spin. December 16, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  18. ^ "40 Best Rap Albums of 2015 – 37. Junglepussy, 'Pregnant With Success'". Rolling Stone. December 23, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  19. ^ Ortiz, Edwin (April 27, 2018). "Junglepussy Shares New Song "Trader Joe" and Reveals Release Date for 'JP3'". Complex. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  20. ^ "JP3 by JunglePussy". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  21. ^ Turner-Williams, Jaelani (December 14, 2018). "25 Hip-Hop Albums By Bomb Womxn Of 2018 – Junglepussy, 'JP3'". Vibe. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  22. ^ Cirisano, Tatiana (March 28, 2019). "A2IM Reveals 2019 Libera Awards Nominees: Mitski, Bad Bunny, Snail Mail & More". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  23. ^ Parker, Mitch (June 29, 2018). "junglepussy makes her acting debut in 'support the girls' trailer". Vice. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  24. ^ "Junglepussy: 'I don't like the narrative that women have to be superheroes'". the Guardian. 2020-11-10. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  25. ^ "Junglepussy – 'JP4' review: as wild as her moniker suggests". NME. 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  26. ^ McHayle, Shayna (28 April 2022). "proud #autizzy #blacktuallyautistic #autismawarenessmonth 💙". Instagram. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  27. ^ McHayle, Shayna [@JUNGLEPUSSY] (6 May 2022). "I MADE THIS TOP FOR MYSELF #AUTIZZY WAS COINED BY @THEYTHEMPLURAL BIG UP EVERY BLACK AUTISTIC PERSON" (Tweet). Retrieved 3 March 2024 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ McHayle, Shayna (22 February 2019). "i rly think i'm asexual🤹🏾‍♀️". Instagram. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  29. ^ McHayle, Shayna [@JUNGLEPUSSY] (17 November 2019). "MAYBE WHEN I COME TO TERMS WITH BEING AN ASEXUAL "SEX SYMBOL" ILL GET PAST FEELING LIKE THE SPRITE CAN MUST DISAPPEAR IN MY MOUTH & BEGIN TO GROW DEEPLY ROOTED BONDS OF TENDERNESS I SO DESIRE" (Tweet). Retrieved 3 March 2024 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ Green, Dylan (February 8, 2022). "Junglepussy: JP5000 Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  31. ^ "You Don't Know". Spotify. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  32. ^ "Now or Later". Spotify. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  33. ^ "State of the Union". Spotify. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  34. ^ "Showers". Spotify. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  35. ^ "Trader Joe". Spotify. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  36. ^ "They Know". Spotify. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  37. ^ Darville, Jordan (October 29, 2019). "Junglepussy spits venom in the creepy "Spiders" video". The Fader. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  38. ^ "Junglepussy shares "Main Attraction" and announces new album Jp4". Thefader.com. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  39. ^ "Junglepussy's Love Is as Long as a Tangerine Dream Song on "Arugula"". Pastemagazine.com. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  40. ^ Kim, Kristen Yoonsoo (February 22, 2019). "Junglepussy on the Role That Should Have Nabbed Her an Oscar Nomination". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  41. ^ Marine, Brooke (December 21, 2018). "5 Under-the-Radar TV Shows You May Have Missed in 2018". W. Retrieved November 10, 2019.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]