#atl #atlanta #fineshyt #bankrollni #imsoatl #fy#fyp
However, for the song’s Atlanta-born creator, 25-year-old Aniya Culpepper, also known as Bankroll Ni, the sudden breakthrough is long overdue after ten years of arduous labor.
Not to mention an unwavering affection for her homeland.
The rapper told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at a meeting at Jermaine Dupri’s Southside Studios in Brookhaven this month that the song was just meant to represent the city. This city is mine. I adore my city. No one can take me out of my city.”
Growing up mostly on Atlanta’s east side, Bankroll Ni was a member of the cheer squad at Booker T. Washington High School. She remembers writing raps in her notebook and hanging out with friends.
She made the decision to share footage of them online when she was 15. However, it wasn’t until the release of her debut single, Big Mad, in 2020 that she began rapping professionally.
She took several breaks from her music as a mother of two girls, ages one and three, but she never gave up. As she pursued her passion, she worked at Foot Locker, McDonald’s, and a nearby daycare.
She is currently working as hard as she can to record music, mostly at Astro Studios in Midtown, for her upcoming September release of her debut EP, Who Is Bankroll Ni? She acknowledges that juggling the demands of being a young mother and an artist may be extremely taxing, but she makes an effort to create new songs each week.
Credit: (Bankroll Ni’s permission)
Credit: (Bankroll Ni’s permission)
Bankroll Ni signed with Columbia Records following the success of I’m So ATL, and two months ago, after listening to the song, Dupri agreed to serve as her manager.
He stated that he wants to assist her in navigating the industry because he recognizes that she has the potential to be greater than she likely thinks.
Funding The first musician under Dupri’s So So Def management umbrella is Ni. She appears on Dupri’s most recent single, Magic City Money, which also includes Sean Paul, BunnaB, and J Money.
Dupri told the AJC about hearing I’m So ATL, which I thought was creative. As the creator of the most popular rap song about Atlanta (Welcome to Atlanta), I found it amusing to hear someone else’s interpretation of an Atlanta song. She is a true rapper.
The AJC spoke with Bankroll Ni about prepping for her debut EP, juggling parenthood and a music career, and creating a popular song.
For clarity, this interview has been shortened and modified.
Q: When you created I’m So ATL, what were you doing?
A: At the time, I was working from home. It had been a long time since I visited the studio. I was just checking TikTok to see how Atlanta was trending at the time. On TikTok, we were trending because people were producing funny videos about the snow day in Atlanta. The “Hol Up” dance, which was influenced by the 2012 song of the same name by Atlanta rapper J Money, was also popular at the time. I thought it would be logical to write a song that also said, “I’m So ATL.” I didn’t have a beat for anything, though. I simply knew that I wanted a song that said, “I’m so ATL.”
Credit: (Bankroll Ni’s permission)
Credit: (Bankroll Ni’s permission)
When the song got viral, how did you feel?
A: Since no one is actually representing the city, I figured it would gain some traction even though I didn’t realize it would go that insane. Additionally, it will make you want to dance. I knew it would do something because it was already trending. I was excited. It was about time, I thought.
Did you always aspire to be a rapper as a child?
A: I once dreamed of becoming a lawyer. I’ve always known this day would arrive. I simply had no idea when it would happen. I would consistently pause and return to my rapping every time.
It began to be pushed back once more because I was working, cheering, and attending school. That’s why it was always intermittent; one minute I was doing it, and the next minute life began.
Q: Yes, raising kids at such a young age while juggling all of that is unthinkable. How do you manage to juggle parenting and work?
A: My mother, my guy (the children’s father), and his parents make up a solid support network for me. Thus, we are aware that they are available if we need them. I am really grateful to God for it.
Q: Rapper Pluto appears in your most recent single, Mrs. P. Seeing how many up-and-coming female rappers, including you, Pluto, BunnaB, and YKNiece, are currently becoming well-known is encouraging. Are any of them close to you?
A: I was with Bunna for the Magic City Money filming, but I don’t really have a relationship with anyone. She appears so lively and nice. Hopefully, we’ll have something in the works soon because YK is cool. Everyone feels good about them when I mess with them.
What was the origin of Magic City Money?
A: I was contacted by Jermaine Dupri, who stated he wanted me on the song. I recorded my verse after hearing the song and thinking it was fire.
I felt included, which made me pleased at the time. Since it’s Jermaine Dupri, I will definitely do it.
Credit: credit Cindy Lucas-Stone
Credit: credit Cindy Lucas-Stone
Q: He s also your manager now. How did you feel about bringing him on? Growing up in Atlanta, what are your earliest memories of Jermaine Dupri?
A:I didn t have no problems with it because I feel he could help in a lot of places and bring more to the table, so I was cool with it. And growing up, I remember listening to Bow Wow (whose career Dupri helped shape). It s crazy because I listened to a lot of songs not knowing that he played a part in them. I also watched (Dupri s former competition series) The Rap Game.
Q: Beyonc , Ciara and Lizzo are among stars who ve participated in the viral I m So ATL dance. What does that recognition mean to you?
A:I m glad people like the song. I m just happy that it happened because I ve been doing it for a minute. There were people listening to me before I m So ATL, so to see, like, people that I was listening to, people of bigger statuses, dancing to it, you re just like, OK, finally.
Q: What can people expect from your new EP, Who is Bankroll Ni?
A:It s just gonna be real, raw and uncut. It s gonna be me, Bankroll Ni, and different versions of me.
Q: Who is Bankroll Ni to you?
A:I would say she is like an alter ego of the regular self, Aniya. Bankroll Ni is real raw, uncut. Don t care what she says. She just there to have a good time. We re not with the drama, but if you want that, we re gonna give it to you. Whereas, the regular me is just chill and laid-back. Like, I d rather be at home.
