Meet Saucy Santana: 7 Things To Know About the Material Gworl

Saucy Santana is rap's latest rising talent!

Slowly—too slowly—musicians who identify as part of the LGBTQ community are making inroads in the rap and hip-hop genres, which have historically been ruled by straight men. With each passing year, artists who don’t fit that description are charting hits, winning awards and proving that anyone with talent deserves to be heard.

One of the most exciting new names in hip-hop is Saucy Santana, who doesn’t look or sound like a “typical” rapper, and that’s partly why he’s become so successful so quickly. He only began rapping in 2019, but he’s already earning praise from Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, playing huge festivals and going viral with seemingly everything he releases…and he’s doing it all in a pair of heels and false eyelashes.

Here are seven things you should know about Saucy Santana.

Photography by Brandon Nwanze

1. He Calls Florida Home

Santana was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but he is much more closely associated with Florida, where he moved when he was 10. Since traveling south with his mother Teresa Harris, he made a name for himself as a makeup artist (more on that in a minute), musician and even a reality TV star.

In a conversation with UrbanBridgez, Santana admitted that while he is inspired by hip-hop talents like Gucci Mane and Nicki Minaj, “it’s artists like Tampa Tony who make me embrace my Florida music and culture.” He even ended up as a recurring character on a season of VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: Miami.

2. He Came Out to His Friend and Family When He Was 17

Santana came out to those around him when he was 17, but according to him, he had already been expressing an interest in things usually deemed “effeminate” by the time he opened up and shared his truth. In an interview with Billboard, the musician explained that he “was getting my nails done, I was wearing girl clothes, purses, and makeup.” He went on to say, “I had to already have the mindset that I don’t give a fuck and I’m doing me regardless of how a person feels.” He added that he wants to “show everybody that they can be how they want to be.”

While he now identifies as gay, that’s not how his coming out journey began. “I first came out as bisexual to just like break the ice,” Santana admitted in an interview with Fly Guy DC. He jokingly went on to add, “But girls was still trying to talk to me so I was like ‘girl I’m gay, leave me lone.’”

3. He Got His Start in the Industry as a Makeup Artist for the City Girls

Before he began writing and recording raps, Santana was already connected to the music industry. He started off by working as a makeup artist for the Florida-based rap duo City Girls. “Initially, I was a makeup artist just in general,” the musician explained to Nylon. “I had my own boutique. I used to do makeup, sell hair extensions, sell girl clothes and accessories and things like that in Perry, Florida.” After a while, he moved to Tallahassee, as it was a “bigger market,” according to him, and he continued to do the makeup for City Girls when they had shows in the area.

4. He Only Started Rapping So His Podcast Had a Theme Song

While he may now be making a name for himself as one of the hottest rising talents in the rap world, that wasn’t Santana’s intention when he first entered a recording studio. In a video interview with Genius, he explained how he got his start as a rapper. 

“Me and my friends had a podcast that we used to do on Facebook, and we was like, ‘We need to do an intro song so that when we do the podcast, the little song plays in the beginning.’ Out of everybody that had a verse, my verse hit the strongest. So people start coming at me like, ‘Damn, when you start rapping?’”

5. He's the King of Going Viral

After releasing his single “Walk” toward the end of 2020, the song quickly gained traction on TikTok thanks to the incredibly popular walk challenge, which countless users began taking part in with the hashtags #walkchallenge and #letmeseeyouwalk. The smash went viral, and it became so big that Santana re-released the song with Grammy winner Fatman Scoop in tow.

Before “Walk” came “Walk Like a Dog,” as apparently Santana is all about walking (more like strutting). That tune reportedly racked up one million streams in just the first week it was out. 

Currently, Santana counts 2.6 million followers on TikTok and nearly three-quarters of a million on Instagram, so it’s not difficult to understand how his songs continue to reach massive audiences online.

6. Cardi B, Nicki, and Chance the Rapper Are All Fans

Santana may just be getting started when it comes to his takeover of the rap genre, but already some of the biggest names in the field have made it clear that they’re fans. Among all celebs who love him and what he does, Nicki Minaj is perhaps the most famous and the most ardent of his supporters. The two first chatted properly during a lengthy IG live, but before that, the “Anaconda” star had connected with him across social media, publicly applauding him. She even went out of her way to congratulate him on dropping a new project on Instagram, which was clearly a big deal for him.

In an interview with Forbes, Santana also pointed out that fellow femcee Cardi B reached out via social media. “Cardi B DM’d me yesterday and she was just like, ‘Santana, this year is yours; I think this is about to be your super mainstream year.’ And I was freaking the fuck out.”

In the same chat, he told the story of when he met Grammy champion Chance The Rapper. “The other day I was in the mall in Atlanta and Chance the Rapper came up to me and was like, ‘Santana! I’m a fan!’ and I was like, ‘You talking to me? Am I being punk’d right now?’”

7. He Has a Ton of Major Performances Coming Up

With co-signs from some of the most successful names in hip-hop, a sizable and always-expanding fan base and a number of viral hits to his credit, 2022 is shaping up to be the year Santana takes his talent offline and brings it to the stage. The rapper is about to join Latto (formerly known as Mulatto) on her spring tour, which travels to two dozen cities across the U.S.

He’s also featured on the bill for the upcoming Rolling Loud festival in Miami, FL. He’s currently scheduled to perform on Saturday, July 23, sharing the day with stars like Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna and his early influence Gucci Mane, to name just a few of the biggest acts.