City Girls | |
|---|---|
 City Girls in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Miami,Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2017–2024 |
| Labels | |
| Past members | |
| Website | 305citygirls |
City Girls were an Americanhip hop duo consisting ofYung Miami (Caresha Romeka Brownlee; born February 11, 1994)[1] andJT (Jatavia Shakara Johnson;[2][3] born December 3, 1992), both of whom originate fromMiami,Florida.[4] The duo signed withQuality Control Music, an imprint ofMotown andCapitol Records to release their debut mixtape,Period (2018). Two months later, they garnered mainstream attention following their guest performances onDrake's 2018 single, "In My Feelings", which peaked atop theBillboard Hot 100.[3]
Their debut studio album,Girl Code (2018) saw positive critical reception and was supported by the singles "Twerk" (featuringCardi B) and "Act Up"—both peaked within thetop 40 of theBillboard Hot 100 and receivedplatinum certifications by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Their second album,City on Lock (2020) was met with continued praise and moderate commercial response, while their third album,RAW (2023) trailed critically and commercially. Shortly after its release, the duo announced an indefinite hiatus to focus on their solo careers.
The group's name derives from the pair being fromOpa-locka andLiberty City, described byComplex magazine as "two of the roughest neighborhoods in Miami, Florida".[5]
The duo recorded their debut studio track, "Fuck Dat Nigga", which was adiss track towards their ex-boyfriends for not giving them money when they asked.[2] Yung Miami promoted it through social media and by paying DJs to play it in clubs. Soon the track, which features a prominent sample of fellow Florida rapperKhia's "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)", racked up hundreds of thousands of plays.[6] The official music video for the song came out in January 2018 and featured an appearance from rapperTrina. Later that year, the track was included inQuality Control's compilation album,Control the Streets, Volume 1.[2]
Shortly after the release of "Fuck Dat Nigga", JT was arrested and charged withaggravated identity theft, and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison. The judge eventually agreed to push back her surrender date.[7] JT began her prison term in July 2018 and was set to be released on March 1, 2020.[8] While JT wasincarcerated, Yung Miami continued to promote the group's music, by saying: "When she was in jail, I was going to strip clubs and I would pay a DJ 20 dollars to play the song. It started taking off."[6]
After signing toQuality Control Music, the duo were ranked as the most popular developing artists of the week, according to the measuring activity acrossBillboard chartsHot 100, theSocial 50, andBillboard 200.[9] In May 2018, the City Girls released their debut mixtape,Period, which reached No. 16 onHeatseekers Albums the same month.[9][10]Period also ranked 26th onRolling Stone's 30 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2018.[11] In July 2018, the duo were launched into mainstream recognition after an uncredited feature onDrake's "In My Feelings", with Yung Miami appearing in the music video.[12][13] In August 2018, they released the documentary,Point Blank Period.[14]
In November 2018, City Girls released their debut studio album,Girl Code, which features vocals fromCardi B,Lil Baby andJacquees.[15] The album debuted at no. 63 on theBillboard 200 chart issued December 1, 2018.[16] The two singles from the album, "Twerk", featuring fellow rapperCardi B, and "Act Up", peaked at no. 29 and no. 26 on theBillboard Hot 100, respectively.[17][18][19] JT was transferred to ahalfway house on October 8, 2019, 5 months before her scheduled release.
In September 2019, Yung Miami confirmed toEbro Darden onApple Music'sBeats 1 that the duo planned on recording a new album, expecting to release it early in 2020.[20] On June 19, 2020, City Girls' second studio album, titledCity on Lock, leaked in its entirety online.[21] JT announced hours later that the album would be released at midnight of the same day.[22][non-primary source needed] The album's first single, "Jobs", was released hours before the album alongside a music video.[23] The album includes guest appearances fromYo Gotti,Doja Cat,Lil Durk andLil Baby. In March 2021, their viral unreleased song "Twerkulator" amassed popularity on social media applicationTikTok, after 20-year-old dancer Layla Muhammad choreographed a dance for the song. The song had since been used over 1,100,000 times on the platform, withcreators such asCharli D'Amelio andMalu Trevejo performing the dance; however, despite this viral restore, the song remained unreleased as the basis contains a sample from "Planet Rock" byAfrika Bambaataa andSoulsonic Force, which was yet to be cleared.[24][25] On May 21, 2021, "Twerkulator" was officially released.[26]
On October 29, 2021, Yung Miami released her debut solo single, "Rap Freaks", alongside its music video. As a sex-positive track, it sees her reference various rappers, includingMegan Thee Stallion,Diddy, andMeek Mill. Miami explained that "the song is showing love to all the rappers right now, it's nothing personal. I [named] a bunch of the guys who are on top, that's hot, that's poppin. Nothing is personal, nothing is literal, I'm just having fun".[27] The song debuted and peaked at 81 on Billboard Hot 100, becoming Miami's first entry as a solo artist.[28] In 2021 she appeared onMigos &Quavo's "Strub Tha Ground". in March 2023, she appeared on rapperLola Brooke's "Don't Play With It" remix, alongside rapperLatto. In February 2024, she released her second solo single, "50/50", as the first apparent single from her "YAMS era". in April 2024, she released her song "CFWM" featuring Detroit rapper Skilla Baby.
JT continued to have an active solo career, with appearances on records such asSummer Walker’s “Ex for a Reason” (2021), the “Queen Mix” ofNicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl" (2022), andKali Uchis' "Muñekita" (2023), Stunna Girl's "Like Dat (Remix) (2023), andDoechii's "Alter Ego".[29][30] She also released a string of singles as a solo artist including "Sideways" and "Okay", the latter of which was a U.S.Billboard Hot 100 hit.[31][32]
The duo's third studio album,RAW, was released in October 2023. The album was regarded as a commercial failure.[33][34] The artists attribute its underperformance to "poor management", "bad timing" and the fact that they were based in different places at the time of the press run.[33][35] The two rappers began to drift apart, and the duo split shortly thereafter.[35] Yung Miami said in June 2024 that "it just wasn’t connecting, it just wasn’t working no more," and that they'd both agreed to focus on their solo careers.[36][37]
JT grew up in bothCarol City andLiberty City while Yung Miami grew up inOpa-locka. JT has said "my mother was an addict" and that "drugs ruined my childhood".[38] At 17, they were performing in strip clubs, night clubs and block parties.[3] Yung Miami said that she lovedtrap music from a young age, and toldRolling Stone, "My little boyfriend used to take me to school every day, so I grew up listening to a lot of trap music."[3] Before rapping, Yung Miami was anInstagram influencer who promoted her own fashion line selling clothes and other items.[39]
Yung Miami is the mother of a son born 2013 and daughter born 2019. Her son's father was fatally shot in 2020.[40][41] Her daughter's father is record producerSouthside.[42][43]
On August 6, 2019, Yung Miami was the victim of a drive-by shooting after leaving Circle House Studios in Miami. An unknown assailant inside a car with no lights on attempted to fire shots into her vehicle, striking her redMercedes-Benz G-Class in thespare tire. She was not injured.[44]
Shortly after the release of their 2017 debut single, "Fuck Dat Nigga", JT was arrested and convicted of aggravatedidentity theft onfraudulent credit card charges, and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison. Following a pushback of her surrender date, JT turned herself in to the authorities on June 29, 2018, and began serving her sentence while being held atFCI Tallahassee in July 2018.[8] She was slated to be released March 21, 2020.[8] As she awaited her release, JT was transferred from FCI Tallahassee to ahalfway house inAtlanta on October 8.[45] During her stay in the halfway house, she was able to leave the house during the day to work and visit family and friends.[45] To celebrate her release, JT released a track titled "JT First Day Out".[20] On the song, she shouts out Yung Miami, rapping,
"I been a real bitch way before the fed case / Yung Miami held me down, that's a bitch ace / And if a bitch try her, it's a cold case".[20]
A few celebrities showed to be displeased with the incarceration of the artist : Houston-based rapperMegan Thee Stallion shouted out "Free JT" on her song Realer,[46]Trina wore a T-shirt that had "Free JT" written on it.[8] JT was officially released from federal custody on March 7, 2020.[47]
In 2013, Yung Miami stated that she would not want one of her sons to be gay and would beat him if she found out that he was.[48] In August 2018, Yung Miami was among several rappers who faced criticism after the circulation oftweets she had written in the past that containedhomophobic remarks.[49] Following the resurfacing of her statements, Yung Miami publicly issued a formal apology through anInstagram post.[48]
Though she apologized, Yung Miami found herself embroiled in controversy once more on November 13 when she doubled down on her homophobic statements in an appearance onPower 105.1's radio showThe Breakfast Club.[48] During the interview, she was questioned by radio hostCharlamagne tha God in regard to her controversial tweet that claimed what she would do if she found out that her son was gay. Yung Miami replied that her previous tweet had nothing to do with the LGBTQ community and was specifically about her son. She said, "I was just talking about my son. I just said that if I saw anything gay in my son, that I would beat him".[48] The rapper attempted to provide clarity for what she had actually meant. She elaborated, "But that's just like when your mama be like, 'If you break my table I'm gonna beat the shit out of you.' That don't mean she's gonna beat the shit out of you, she's just saying it."[50] While she stood by her comment that as a mother she does not want a gay son, Yung Miami insisted that she does not harbor any resentment towards gay people. She explained that she spends much time around many gay people, including her cousin andhairstylist.[50]
Commentators throughout social media immediately decried the rapper, saying that her very line of reasoning was homophobic and the comments she made onThe Breakfast Club were hateful andanti-LGBTQ.[48] It was also emphasized that suchcorporal punishment is still in practice among some parents who condemn their children's sexual orientation.[51]
At the time he amended his sex abuse lawsuit againstSean "Diddy" Combs on March 26, 2024, Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones stated that Yung Miami accepted payment to be a sex worker for Combs.[52]
| Award | Year[A] | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BET Awards | 2019 | Themselves | Best New Artist | Nominated | [53] |
| Best Group | Nominated | ||||
| 2020 | Nominated | [54] | |||
| 2021 | Nominated | [55] | |||
| 2022 | Nominated | [56] | |||
| 2023 | Nominated | [57] | |||
| BET Hip Hop Awards | 2019 | "Twerk"(featuringCardi B) | Best Hip-Hop Video | Nominated | [58] |
| "Act Up" | Single of the Year | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Themselves | Best Duo/Group | Nominated | [59] | |
| 2021 | Nominated | [60] | |||
| 2022 | "Good Love"(featuringUsher) | Best Hip Hop Video | Nominated | [61] | |
| Best Collaboration | Nominated | ||||
| 2023 | Themselves | Best Duo/Group | Nominated | [62] | |
| BET Social Awards | 2019 | Themselves | Issa Wave | Won | [63] |
| Billboard Music Awards | 2019 | Themselves | Top Rap Female Artist | Nominated | [64] |
| 2020 | Nominated | [65] | |||
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | 2020 | Themselves | Favorite Breakout Artist | Nominated | [66] |
| Variety's Hitmakers Awards | 2021 | Themselves | The Future is Female Award | Won | [67] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
