HoodCelebrityy (b. Tina Pinnock) combined trap music and reggae/dancehall for her new single “The Takeover,” a single from her debut mixtape Can’t Believe It’s Just A Girl due out later this spring.
Known for her spitfire lyrics, and ability to merge her hustler persona and her Jamaican background, Hood created a “new wave” that she has hand-crafted to call “Trap Reggae.” “Trap Reggae is rap infused with Jamaican urban culture. I am a huge fan of hip-hop, so I wanted to create a sound that incorporates the witty flows and gangsta beats, with a dance hall edge,” she mentions.
“The Takeover” will definitely make you bob your head, her interpolation of 50 Cent’s “Many Men” takes the hook, and her patois flow fills the rest over the banging track.
Stream below:
Hood spent her early childhood in the hills of St. Catherine and Port More, Jamaica. At the curve of becoming a teenager, HoodCelebrityy relocated to the states. HoodCelebrityy landed in New York City, The Bronx, to be exact. “At the age of 14, I chose to focus on dancing and music”, states HoodCelebrityy.”
The thought provoking question, why the name HoodCelebrityy arises amongst many inquiring minds. HoodCelebrityy explains, “I’m a hustler at heart, and I’ve done it all. I worked in one of the most popular urban clothing stores in the Bronx on Fordham Road, to running around in these crazy streets with my family trying to trap a dollar. Whether it was clothing, music, or street sh*t, I could move it. At my store I was the girl that would get you right,” says Hood. “All the customers looked towards me to put together that special outfit for the weekend. While at work, I would upload quick 15-second video freestyles that started to go viral. My Instagram page started to become very popular at the same time, so was building a reputation on the streets as the girl not to be played with, thus the name HoodCelebrityy,” she adds.
It was the summer of 2015 that HoodCelebrityy’s long time friend and confidant, social media phenomenon and recording artist, Cardi B called her up. Cardi exclaimed with the question, “I didn’t’ know you did music? Your sh*t is fire!” “From there, Cardi posted my video, and the rest is history. I went from 2,000 followers to 12,000 overnight. From Cardi’s post, I got so much love and recognition”, states HoodCelebrityy. The next day, I recorded my first single, “Wine Pon It” and shot the video. That too went viral, and from there, it was no turning back. I had to give the people more of me, and I wanted to”.
“The reason for my mixtape’s title Can’t Believe It’s Just A Girl is because people hear my music, look me up, and then they say, “I can’t believe it’s just a girl” smiles HoodCelebrityy. They go on to say, “She is too dope to be a girl.” “I don’t try to do what females regularly do, but whatever I put my mind to, I know that I can do it.”
HoodCelebrityy has opened for multi-platinum artist, Shaggy, Barrington Levy and most recently Cardi B.
