On the basketball court, Atlanta-based rapper Big Homie Ty.Ni may have been eyeing an open teammate or swishing in a fade-away jumper. Ty.Ni started playing basketball at 5 and kept it up her whole life through high school. “I lost my dribble, but I still know how to shoot. It’s my favorite sport,” she says.
However, her basketball prowess actually fine-tuned Ty.Ni’s skills for a future endeavor. Ty.Ni spent time as an entertainer at gentlemen’s clubs before her musical breakout and says her basketball life “helped with my rhythm, bobbin’ and weaving” on the stage as a dancer. Ty.Ni flaunts those moves in the video for her aptly titled track “Jelly.”
ED Magazine caught up with Big Homie Ty.Ni, courtesy of Bob Chiappardi and StripJointsMusic.com, to ask about her musical influences, her stage fright(!?) and, of course, her single “Jelly.”
ED: You’ve been asked this question a million times, here’s the 1,000,001st time—how tall are you?
TY.NI: I’ve been asked that a million times a day, I’m 5’2”.
ED: Who are some of your musical influences? How are you carrying the mantle of Atlanta rappers?
TY.NI: I love Nicki Minaj, I love Cardi B. I love Rico Nasty. Male-wise, I love 21 Savage, Young Nudy, Drake. I’m carrying the Atlanta mantle by staying true to myself, my city. I’m keeping my little country voice (laughs) or whatever they call it. A lot of people want you to switch up, your voice and how you sound—I’m not doing that.
ED: How did you overcome your stage freight—you were terrified of a microphone?
TY.NI: I still am. As soon as the song comes on, you just click out of it. Stage fright just gets me, I can’t even drink.
My experience as an entertainer—definitely made a good amount of money but it helped me with my dance moves on stage. It helped me familiarize myself with where the cameras are and all that. That and being a video vixen helped me with camera movement and how to work the crowd. — Big Homie Ty.Ni
ED: Are there any tricks you use to get you out of that fear or just plow ahead?
TY.NI: I just imagine myself in a strip club.
ED: Perfect segue, can you talk about how you took your experience as an entertainer at gentlemen’s clubs to mold your music career?
TY.NI: My experience as an entertainer—definitely made a good amount of money but it helped me with my dance moves on stage. It helped me familiarize myself with where the cameras are and all that. That and being a video vixen helped me with camera movement and how to work the crowd.
ED: What clubs did you work at?
TY.NI: I worked, all in Atlanta: Club Babe’s, Follies, Pin Ups, and Flashers.
ED: What can you share about your upcoming EP?
TY.NI: I just recently found out I’m allowed to release more songs so that’s exciting, some big features: Erica Banks, Uncle Luke and other major, major artists.
ED: You experienced some serious lows earlier in your life but you persevered, you “focused on getting to a better place”—what would you tell those people who may be in the dumps now about turning their prospects around?
TY.NI: I would say take a walk and find a happy place you can just go to and sit sometimes, once a day, twice a day and meditate. Think about how many good things in life you have and not about the bad because good overweighs the bad. You’re still alive so you’re still doing good!
ED: StripJoints services DJs at gentlemen’s clubs nationwide, so tell us why “Jelly” would be a good choice to play at a gentlemen’s club?
TY.NI: Because it’s for all body types, all races—it’s for anybody! You can have the biggest titties, no ass, a big ass and no titties—just watch the whole body shake like jelly.
