The first time I met Sunshine Benzi actually occurred prior to this interview. It was a night out during the Super Bowl for NYC’s fashion freaks: New York Fashion Week. After a long day of feasting our spent, sunglass-shaden eyes upon sewn shapes strutting down narrow runways, it was time to let loose. I headed to the Jane Wade afterparty at the PUBLIC Hotel with some friends, where we danced and drank vodka sodas until visions of my pillow subsequently started to dance in my head. We began to depart from the nightclub, but as I stepped into the elevator I realized my friends weren’t behind me. Before the doors closed I heard the voice of one of my girls, excitedly stating, “Sunshine!”
I retraced my steps to find my friends standing and chatting with the emerging rapper, whose red-velvet tresses cascaded across a leather trench coat — one of her signature looks. We asked her about her New York City show, which she had popped up for a few weeks prior on January 8th, just under two months after the artist dropped her debut single, “Trump the Bill.” Not only was the room packed, but the videos had made their way to all of our algorithms — and the energy seeped out of the screens. She said she was genuinely surprised everyone knew all of her lyrics. I laughed to myself because I’d been singing them for weeks.
I retraced my steps to find my friends standing and chatting with the emerging rapper, whose red-velvet tresses cascaded across a leather trench coat — one of her signature looks. We asked her about her New York City show, which she had popped up for a few weeks prior on January 8th, just under two months after the artist dropped her debut single, “Trump the Bill.” Not only was the room packed, but the videos had made their way to all of our algorithms — and the energy seeped out of the screens. She said she was genuinely surprised everyone knew all of her lyrics. I laughed to myself because I’d been singing them for weeks.
“I WAS RAPPING ABOUT DRIVING BENZIS AND LAND ROVERS TWO YEARS AGO. NOW IT REALLY IS REAL LIFE.”
Authenticity shines through naturally for those in tune with the rhythm of their truest selves. But for Sunshine Benzi, authenticity radiates. It’s no wonder her parents named her Sunny. The first thing I noticed about Sunshine was the way she carried herself. She could light up a whole room, but by no means were we made to feel smaller in her presence.
“Do you think Sunshine Benzi is an alter ego?” I asked her. “I do see it as an alter ego, but I’m also always led by my heart,” she shared, “Sunshine Benzi is still me, but with the volume turned all the way up. So I wouldn’t call Sunshine Benzi a full alter ego.”
After we got to speaking on set, that statement only rang even truer. I understood that while Sunshine Benzi may stand in as an embellished or fully-empowered version of the girl from Illinois, Sunshine wasn’t putting on an act, she wasn’t some industry plant, and she really was true to this. While she may not yet have understood her starpower when I met her under pulsating nightclub lights at PUBLIC, she knew who she was. A boss.
“Do you think Sunshine Benzi is an alter ego?” I asked her. “I do see it as an alter ego, but I’m also always led by my heart,” she shared, “Sunshine Benzi is still me, but with the volume turned all the way up. So I wouldn’t call Sunshine Benzi a full alter ego.”
After we got to speaking on set, that statement only rang even truer. I understood that while Sunshine Benzi may stand in as an embellished or fully-empowered version of the girl from Illinois, Sunshine wasn’t putting on an act, she wasn’t some industry plant, and she really was true to this. While she may not yet have understood her starpower when I met her under pulsating nightclub lights at PUBLIC, she knew who she was. A boss.
“I BECAME OBSESSED WITH POETRY AND STORYTELLING, AND THEN I DISCOVERED NICKI MINAJ, OF COURSE. AND THEN FOXY BROWN AND BIGGIE. ALL OF THESE NEW YORK RAPPERS THAT MY MOM WOULD PLAY. THAT'S WHEN I REALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH IT ALL.”
Kayla Curtis-Evans: Tell me about how you first got into music and rapping.
Sunshine Benzi: It started off as poetry when I was a kid. I became obsessed with poetry and storytelling, and then I discovered Nicki Minaj, of course. And then Foxy Brown and Biggie. All of these New York rappers that my mom would play. That's when I really fell in love with it all. I was just obsessed with seeing a bossy woman command space. And the wordplay and writing is what I'm obsessed with as well. It transformed from poetry into rap. And I still write poems, but I think in a lot of ways, rapping is poetry as well.
I then started making music in 2021 — I mean, I was always writing songs, since middle school. But I never had gone to a studio and I didn’t know how it all worked. I’m a small town girl. So I got myself an $100 Amazon mic and I started recording myself. I got Magic Pro and spent the first year just messing around and learning my sound. Then I started releasing on SoundCloud and it was only up from there.
What makes the New York rap scene so attractive to you?
I've always been attracted to the hunger that New York rappers have. Chicago rappers have that same hunger, but I feel like when you're from New York, it breeds this grittiness and passion. It’s very raw and real, and that’s what I love about it. It’s something worth studying. There’s no place like New York in the world. I’ve only gone so far, but I know there’s nothing else like it.
Before you took on music fully, you were working at a dispensary — where you one day wrote “Trump the Bill” on your lunch break. Tell me about that impromptu process.
It actually wasn’t even a lunch break. It was my 15. Literally, I was itching to write. I found that beat and it was over with. I knew I needed a strong first line. It just came to me. I was like, ‘Bitches be stiff.’ Really stiff, and mad over me! So I thought, ‘Okay, it can be a triple entendre.’ ‘Bitches be stiffer than a dick pic, like they came to bang, but bitches don’t wanna get this.’ Because bitches don’t wanna get no dick pic — you know what I mean? We don’t want that. I had to come in strong and it just flowed from there. A couple days after, the news came out about Trump and Bill (allegedly) getting busy in the office. And I hate Trump. So I had to troll him. That took it to the next level. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to name the song “Trump the Bill” because I didn’t want people to think I like him. Everyone didn’t get it until my first New York pop up show, I started to see people online saying, ‘Ohhh, we get the lyrics now.’
Sunshine Benzi: It started off as poetry when I was a kid. I became obsessed with poetry and storytelling, and then I discovered Nicki Minaj, of course. And then Foxy Brown and Biggie. All of these New York rappers that my mom would play. That's when I really fell in love with it all. I was just obsessed with seeing a bossy woman command space. And the wordplay and writing is what I'm obsessed with as well. It transformed from poetry into rap. And I still write poems, but I think in a lot of ways, rapping is poetry as well.
I then started making music in 2021 — I mean, I was always writing songs, since middle school. But I never had gone to a studio and I didn’t know how it all worked. I’m a small town girl. So I got myself an $100 Amazon mic and I started recording myself. I got Magic Pro and spent the first year just messing around and learning my sound. Then I started releasing on SoundCloud and it was only up from there.
What makes the New York rap scene so attractive to you?
I've always been attracted to the hunger that New York rappers have. Chicago rappers have that same hunger, but I feel like when you're from New York, it breeds this grittiness and passion. It’s very raw and real, and that’s what I love about it. It’s something worth studying. There’s no place like New York in the world. I’ve only gone so far, but I know there’s nothing else like it.
Before you took on music fully, you were working at a dispensary — where you one day wrote “Trump the Bill” on your lunch break. Tell me about that impromptu process.
It actually wasn’t even a lunch break. It was my 15. Literally, I was itching to write. I found that beat and it was over with. I knew I needed a strong first line. It just came to me. I was like, ‘Bitches be stiff.’ Really stiff, and mad over me! So I thought, ‘Okay, it can be a triple entendre.’ ‘Bitches be stiffer than a dick pic, like they came to bang, but bitches don’t wanna get this.’ Because bitches don’t wanna get no dick pic — you know what I mean? We don’t want that. I had to come in strong and it just flowed from there. A couple days after, the news came out about Trump and Bill (allegedly) getting busy in the office. And I hate Trump. So I had to troll him. That took it to the next level. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to name the song “Trump the Bill” because I didn’t want people to think I like him. Everyone didn’t get it until my first New York pop up show, I started to see people online saying, ‘Ohhh, we get the lyrics now.’
The girls got it from the start. I wanted to talk about the pop up show too, because I saw those videos all over the internet. I feel like you could even see it on your face, that moment of, ‘Oh my god, everyone knows the words,’ — bar for bar. How did that feel in that moment?
It meant everything to me. I will never forget that feeling. It felt like I was a star. I mean, it’s every artist’s dream for people to be singing their songs. Or to just have people there appreciating the music. It was an insane feeling, especially being that I am so inspired by New York and New York music. It was so full circle for me, even though it's just the beginning. Because if you can’t make it in New York, you can't make it anywhere. That's what they say anyway. And New York loved me. I thought two people were gonna come to my show, and I was gonna put on the best show of all time. But it was packed out. I was on top of the world.
The reception was crazy online. And then you got to put out the remix with Trim. How did that come to be?
My manager knew her manager, and it just felt like the right thing and the right moment. We were both coming up. And the fans were asking for it. So we know what we had to do!
I love that you referenced writing and poetry as a starting point for you, because I love to see a literary baddie in the rap game.
When I was younger, I wanted to become an English or an art professor. That was my dream.
Do you feel when you're writing poetry and when you’re writing verses that you channel two different parts of yourself?
Oh, I totally pull from two completely different places. I feel like I'm so soft, so when I’m writing poetry or other writing, I’m channeling all of my feelings. I look at the world in such a different way than how I rap. When I rap, I’m on boss energy. I'm on top of the world. You just can't fuck with me. But when I'm writing poetry, it gets really introspective. I see so much beauty in the world. I'm really a cliche girl. So sometimes I do see it as two different personas.
It meant everything to me. I will never forget that feeling. It felt like I was a star. I mean, it’s every artist’s dream for people to be singing their songs. Or to just have people there appreciating the music. It was an insane feeling, especially being that I am so inspired by New York and New York music. It was so full circle for me, even though it's just the beginning. Because if you can’t make it in New York, you can't make it anywhere. That's what they say anyway. And New York loved me. I thought two people were gonna come to my show, and I was gonna put on the best show of all time. But it was packed out. I was on top of the world.
The reception was crazy online. And then you got to put out the remix with Trim. How did that come to be?
My manager knew her manager, and it just felt like the right thing and the right moment. We were both coming up. And the fans were asking for it. So we know what we had to do!
I love that you referenced writing and poetry as a starting point for you, because I love to see a literary baddie in the rap game.
When I was younger, I wanted to become an English or an art professor. That was my dream.
Do you feel when you're writing poetry and when you’re writing verses that you channel two different parts of yourself?
Oh, I totally pull from two completely different places. I feel like I'm so soft, so when I’m writing poetry or other writing, I’m channeling all of my feelings. I look at the world in such a different way than how I rap. When I rap, I’m on boss energy. I'm on top of the world. You just can't fuck with me. But when I'm writing poetry, it gets really introspective. I see so much beauty in the world. I'm really a cliche girl. So sometimes I do see it as two different personas.
“WHEN I RAP, I’M ON BOSS ENERGY. I’M ON TOP OF THE WORLD. YOU JUST CAN’T FUCK WITH ME.”
As far as influences, you mentioned Foxy and Nicki. So of course, there are sonic touch points that you pull from as well as your experiences and your life. But what really inspires what you write?
Honestly, what I want to become and the life I want to live, I really like using my raps as manifestations.
Okay, manifestation!
[Laughs] I was rapping about driving Benzis and Land Rovers two years ago. So it’s really about my manifestations and what I'm living. I’m living such a crazy life — and now it really is real life. I literally said one time, ‘One day I’ll shut down Lollapalooza.’ And I’m performing there this summer. I’ve never even been as an attendee. I could never afford it.
So this is your first time — as the artist?
As the artist. It’s insane.
That's a very full circle moment in itself. You've said before that you're a real student of rap. You’ve been taking influence and taking notes throughout life. So far, what do you feel is the biggest lesson you've learned from rap?
The biggest lesson I've learned is really staying true to myself, and not letting the internet or any other people try to manipulate it or say it's a certain thing. Because anyone who knows me, knows that everything that I've done, every song that I put out, is really me. It's been me since I was a little girl. I mean, I was rapping Nicki when I was 11 years old. There's videos of me rapping acapella in my bathroom, so I will forever pay my respects. But the thing is, I've learned to do it by being myself, and I continue to be myself. And I always will. People try to say I'm an imposter. It doesn’t bother me. You can either hate it or love it.
Honestly, what I want to become and the life I want to live, I really like using my raps as manifestations.
Okay, manifestation!
[Laughs] I was rapping about driving Benzis and Land Rovers two years ago. So it’s really about my manifestations and what I'm living. I’m living such a crazy life — and now it really is real life. I literally said one time, ‘One day I’ll shut down Lollapalooza.’ And I’m performing there this summer. I’ve never even been as an attendee. I could never afford it.
So this is your first time — as the artist?
As the artist. It’s insane.
That's a very full circle moment in itself. You've said before that you're a real student of rap. You’ve been taking influence and taking notes throughout life. So far, what do you feel is the biggest lesson you've learned from rap?
The biggest lesson I've learned is really staying true to myself, and not letting the internet or any other people try to manipulate it or say it's a certain thing. Because anyone who knows me, knows that everything that I've done, every song that I put out, is really me. It's been me since I was a little girl. I mean, I was rapping Nicki when I was 11 years old. There's videos of me rapping acapella in my bathroom, so I will forever pay my respects. But the thing is, I've learned to do it by being myself, and I continue to be myself. And I always will. People try to say I'm an imposter. It doesn’t bother me. You can either hate it or love it.
I mean, when we reflected on your show here — that speaks for itself. Authenticity attracts people who are there for that journey, and we're seeing that with you. It’s an important lesson to learn to block out the noise, and a tough one to learn when you’re first starting out.
It’s very hard but I’m trying my best to just do me.
As your fans have seen, you love a trench coat, a fur coat, or a little vintage number. You even have designer freestyles, like ‘Chanel.’ How would you describe your personal style and what looks make you feel the best when you're performing?
I feel like I describe my style as bossy. I like dark colors. I like to be the ultimate bad bitch, a diva. I definitely feel the most cunty in a bodysuit, a big fur, and big hair on stage.
You have a bit of a 2000s vibe to your style. Do you have a 2000s icon or a style icon from that era?
I feel like it has to be Paris Hilton. She’s iconic. I would also say Lindsay Lohan. The Mean Girls era had a big effect on me. I feel like I do connect with Pamela Anderson a lot as well, and my hair reflects that. But I love the 2000s. I love a Juicy Couture set
It’s very hard but I’m trying my best to just do me.
As your fans have seen, you love a trench coat, a fur coat, or a little vintage number. You even have designer freestyles, like ‘Chanel.’ How would you describe your personal style and what looks make you feel the best when you're performing?
I feel like I describe my style as bossy. I like dark colors. I like to be the ultimate bad bitch, a diva. I definitely feel the most cunty in a bodysuit, a big fur, and big hair on stage.
You have a bit of a 2000s vibe to your style. Do you have a 2000s icon or a style icon from that era?
I feel like it has to be Paris Hilton. She’s iconic. I would also say Lindsay Lohan. The Mean Girls era had a big effect on me. I feel like I do connect with Pamela Anderson a lot as well, and my hair reflects that. But I love the 2000s. I love a Juicy Couture set
You talked about the NYC pop-up being a big epiphany moment, but what do you feel is the most recent ‘I've made it’ moment that you've had?
I think just being in studios with producers that I never thought that I would. People who I grew up listening to their music and I’ve been hearing their tags on songs forever. And now I'm sitting in rooms with them. They’ve heard my songs. It’s crazy to actually see yourself in places you’ve visualized. There’s this disconnect sometimes, like ‘Is this really happening?’
Looking ahead, even beyond Lolla — let’s say the next five years, what do you hope for yourself?
I hope for multiple Grammys. Multiple world tours. I take over the fashion industry. Red carpets and award shows. I feel like people definitely expect me to stop rapping. I'll never stop rapping. But I can't wait to show some new stuff. I’m dropping a new song in a couple days and I'm singing on it. Eventually, I want to dip my toes into every genre. I would like to have a family — I know I’m young, but I want to build an empire. But that’s not a main focus for the next five years. I really just hope to become a household name. That's what I'm on. I wanna be a Beyoncé, honey.
I think just being in studios with producers that I never thought that I would. People who I grew up listening to their music and I’ve been hearing their tags on songs forever. And now I'm sitting in rooms with them. They’ve heard my songs. It’s crazy to actually see yourself in places you’ve visualized. There’s this disconnect sometimes, like ‘Is this really happening?’
Looking ahead, even beyond Lolla — let’s say the next five years, what do you hope for yourself?
I hope for multiple Grammys. Multiple world tours. I take over the fashion industry. Red carpets and award shows. I feel like people definitely expect me to stop rapping. I'll never stop rapping. But I can't wait to show some new stuff. I’m dropping a new song in a couple days and I'm singing on it. Eventually, I want to dip my toes into every genre. I would like to have a family — I know I’m young, but I want to build an empire. But that’s not a main focus for the next five years. I really just hope to become a household name. That's what I'm on. I wanna be a Beyoncé, honey.
