On Thursday's new episode of Complex's original series Open Late, host Peter Rosenberg sat down with Bhad Bhabie to discuss her earliest musical influences and how she turned potentially fleeting viral popularity into a career.
"That's so weak, that's so wack," Bhabie said when Rosenberg mentioned her initial pop culture breakout moment on the Dr. Phil show. Asked to reveal the moment she realized she wanted to start taking music seriously, Bhabie recalled listening to an unnamed artist with a friend and apparently having an epiphany.
"I was in the car with someone and I don't remember who we were listening to but it was someone, one of these f*ckin' SoundCloud rappers," Bhabie said. "I was like, 'Are you f*cking kidding me? F*ck that! I'mma be a rapper.' Those were my exact words."
As far back as she can remember, Bhabie said, she's been surrounded by the sounds of prominent Florida artists. "I grew up in Florida," she said. "Like, there's no escaping music. That sh*t is everywhere." Plies, Trina, T-Pain, and Flo Rida—whose Mail on Sunday was the first album Bhabie owned—were among her earliest influences.
Bhabie also rated her musical abilities on a scale of one to 10, defended Post Malone, and gave her thoughts on critics who say she’s only using hip-hop to get rich. Catch the full Open Late up top. The Bhad Bhabie interview begins around the 14:05 mark.