Bhad Bhabie X FAULT Magazine
Photography – Jack Alexander
Styling – Thomas George Wulbern
Make-Up – Sophie Moore @ERA Management Using Mac
Hair – Brady Lea @ Stella Creative Artists
Words: Aimee Philips
Bhad Bhabie (real name Danielle Bregoli) is one of those people that you think you know all about, and it’s hard not to have presumptions. Two years ago, Bregoli became an internet sensation after appearing on an episode of Dr. Phil titled, ‘I Want To Give Up My Car-Stealing, Knife-Wielding, Twerking 13-Year-Old Daughter Who Tried To Frame Me For A Crime’. Her volatile attitude and amusing catchphrase “Cash Me Outside, Howbow Dah?” (loose translation: fight me) turned her into an internet meme.
Since then, Bregoli has, rather impressively, taken her infamy and used it to chase her dream of becoming a rapper. It seems like a natural move given her badass attitude and gift for rapid, superfluous speech. Her first single, ‘These Heaux’ was released in August 2017 and reached #77 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the youngest female rap artist ever to debut on the music chart. She’s collaborated with Lil Yachty and Ty Dolla $ign, racks up tens of millions of views on her YouTube videos, has a net worth of $2m and a following of 14.4m on Instagram alone.
The Bregoli that FAULT meets, however, is a world away from the cocky, potty-mouthed teen that she’s portrayed as. In fact, Bregoli is docile, polite, and quite mature for her 15 years… but we wouldn’t want to ruin her reputation.
FAULT: You’ve been touring recently – how’s that been going?
Bhad Bhabie : I’ve done my whole US tour and I’m in the middle of my European tour right now. I’ve been to Belgium, France, Barcelona, Germany, now I’m here [London] and I’m going to Amsterdam next. I’m going to New York for press then I’m going home [Bregoli lives in Florida]!
You were cast into the spotlight when you just 13 and became a viral meme. How did you cope with that at such a young age?
Bhad Bhabie: I’ve always been real old for my age. I just thought, OK, this is life, just do it or don’t. There’s nothing you can really do. You either wanna be famous or you don’t. I had that choice and I decided to make it.
Was rapping always your goal? You said on Dr Phil that you wanted to become a nurse…
Bhad Bhabie: Yeah, I did, then this really started pulling up and I was told, you can do anything you want. I was like, I wanna do music.
How did you make that dream into a reality?
Bhad Bhabie: I went to a studio session with a couple of people from the head of Atlantic [Records] and they said they had this song that they thought I would sound good on, called ‘Hi Bich’. I put my own shit on it. They heard it and were like, we wanna sign her.
Tell me about the album. Are you going to be putting some rumours to rest?
Bhad Bhabie: Yes, some rumours are put some rest. There are some features on there. Asian Doll…maybe some other artists. I’m not sure yet.
Who would you absolutely love to work with?
Bhad Bhabie: I really wanna work with Drake. I’m not gonna lie. After his album came out, I started listening to more of his shit. I was a really big Drake fan when I was younger and then I kinda fell off, and then I started listening to his new stuff lately and was like, this is why I listened to Drake before [laughs].
Tell me about your stage name, Bhad Bhabie. Was that a nickname you always had or did you just come up with it?
Bhad Bhabie: I’m tiny and I’ve always been the youngest out of all the people I hang out with, so I’ve always been called the baby anyway, and ‘bhad’ means ‘bin haters and doubters’ so I was like… Bhad Bhabie. Alright, cool.
You do a lot of live streams on Instagram. Is that because you love showing your fans more of your life?
Bhad Bhabie: It really just proves to people that this is really what happens. I’m doing the same shit, I just turn on the camera.
Your tracks ‘Mama Don’t Worry’ and ‘Both of Em’ reflect on your past. Did you hope that they would help people understand you better and what you’d been through?
Bhad Bhabie: Yeah, I wanted to make tracks that tell people what’s really happened and what’s really been going on, and that I’m not just some squirrel-ass girl who beats her mom and gets money. No, this is what is it and that’s not what it is.
Your music career has really has taken off. Did your success surprise you?
Bhad Bhabie: At first, I was like, oh shit, people really like me? Whaaat? Then I thought, OK, this is what I’m doing now, let’s give it my best.
What do your friends and family think of your success?
Bhad Bhabie: My friends – or the people who I thought were my friends – got really jealous and mad. They thought that they should be owed something, so I was like, you gotta go, goodbye! My family loves it; they think it’s hilarious. They love it so much [laughs].
What have you learnt since becoming famous and a rapper?
Bhad Bhabie: I’ve learnt that this industry is really shady! I just wanna be the biggest. I wanna be on top.
Who are some of the artists that inspire you?
Bhad Bhabie: I don’t really admire anyone. I wouldn’t call anyone an inspiration. In terms of people I listen to, Travis Scott, Cardi B, Tyga… people like that.
What would you say to the people who have doubted you?
Bhad Bhabie: Umm… that’s your problem!
What is your FAULT?
Bhad Bhabie: One of the things that I really don’t like is when I meet little kids and they start cursing cos they think it’s cool. It’s like… no…. please don’t do that. I grew up a certain way, you’re lucky to have someone there to tell you what’s good and what’s not good. Take that, use that, don’t be like me, I’m a different story.
So you want to set an example for younger people?
Bhad Bhabie: Yeah, I feel like it’s kinda bad but kinda good at the same time.