Jucee Froot

Tough yet charismatic rapper/singer Jucee Froot emerged from the Memphis streets, embracing the city’s legacy with bass-heavy heft, a popping flow, and uncompromising lyrical content like Yo Gotti and Young Dolph. An underground favorite from the mid-2010s, she built a local following with a series of viral freestyles and a prolific streak of mixtapes that eventually led to a deal with Atlantic Records in 2020. That year, she issued her major-label debut, Black Sheep.
Born Terrica Alexander, the Tennessee native grew up playing piano and penning songs. Once she started rapping, she set herself apart by delivering her own hooks, switching between hardcore rhymes and melodic singing. That versatile spirit debuted on her first mixtape, 2015′s aptly titled Diamond in the Rough (Loyal 100 Entertainment), which featured fellow Memphis emcee Young Dolph. She followed the next year with Jackin for Beats, which included her reinterpretation of Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” 2017 saw a flood of releases, starting with Dripping Diamonds. She followed with Concrete Rose and Rich Girl, capping her prolific year with King of Memphis. In addition to the emotional single “Live On,” which she penned in memory of her late boyfriend who was gunned down in 2015, she issued a pair of long-players in 2019 — Sextape and Schizophrenic Flow — before finally catching a break. After signing with Atlantic Records, she made her mainstream breakthrough with the strategic placement of her buzzing track “Danger” on the all-female film soundtrack for 2020′s Birds of Prey. Her full-length debut for the label, Black Sheep, arrived that March. Featuring appearances by Rico Nasty, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and Juicy J, the set also included the hit single “Sidewalk.” As Black Sheep gained momentum, she contributed the song “Eat Itself” to Insecure: Music from the HBO Original Series, Season 4. ~ Neil Z. Yeung