The female domination in today’s Hip Hop isn’t ending anytime soon, instead, it’s only growing to even bigger heights as more new femcees arrive to the promise land. One of the popular new faces is Cleveland-born recording artist Bink Badd. Born Bianca Mayti, the former Corporate Executive, made a name for herself in 2019 with early hits, “Bink Badd Summer” and “Pussy Factz”. As her stock continues to rise, funding her career through her successful start-up endeavors. Substream’s Boom sits down with the new sensation to learn her story, discuss decisions to leave security to pursue passions and raising a daughter in today’s Hip Hop climate. Learn all about Bink Badd today, read the complete interview below.
What is Bink story, where are you from?
I am from Cleveland, Ohio my mom had me at 19 she was in college, I remember her always reminding me that she brought me home to a mattress on the floor. That’s where it all started. We lived in section 8 housing near her college she was an exotic dancer at night and a student by day, I remember not seeing her much. My earliest memories go back to when I was around 4 years old she used to leave me home with my 8 year old sister.
My sister hated that and she was very mean to me, she never wanted to play with me. So I would sneak in my moms room and listen to her cassettes, and CDs. Music was my friend, I would listen to tupac, biggie smalls, 8 ball mjg, mary, nas and lil kim. I started writing my own raps. When I was 6 we moved from section 8 housing into a house and my mom worked 10 hour days from 1pm – 11 she would send us off to school and we would have to walk home in one of the most dangerous areas of Cleveland.
I had straight A’s and so I was accepted into the school of arts, although I didn’t see my mom much it was one of the happiest times of my life we took ballet, I was in plays, and we listened to a lot of music. As I got older we moved around a lot, so it was hard to maintain relationships with friends. We moved from Cleveland to Florida and lived in several cities in between. From Kindergarten to high school I had attended over 8 schools. People liked me but I was always the new kid and I often felt out of place.
I hung with the bad kids because it was easier to be accepted by them. I maintained a journal of my raps and I used to record them on the answering machine so I could listen to them, back then regular people didn’t go to studios. My childhood was tough I never felt safe or wanted, my dad was an alcoholic, him and my mom fought a lot and my mom was always angry and mean.
I never felt loved, stable or accepted I attached my identity to music and I would pretend that people I looked up to in the industry were my parents.
Tell us about your days in Corporate America?
I started my corporate career at 21 years old, I was living in Akron, Ohio on section 8 which I got because in high school I ended up in foster care, after a year on section 8 I
knew I wanted better for myself, I was in school but I was so depressed and I was not
performing well. I saw a post on indeed for an insurance job, I thought it was a scam but
I applied anyways. I had a phone interview and I just knew I had got the job.
I packed my stuff and moved to Atlanta with all the money I had in my savings it was a little of 2500. Months went by and I didn’t hear anything so I got a job working at a hotel to survive. I hated the hotel job and I quit, two weeks later the insurance company called
me back and I had an in person interview and got hired.
I was so happy, I was on my own, I was the black sheep of my family so I didn’t have any support and to have a job with benefits and a salary made me feel stable for the first time in my life. I worked fulltime for one of the largest insurance companies in the US while attending school fulltime. Corporate America was a culture shock for me. It was the first time that I realized the social and economic difference between black and white people. Not that I hadn’t seen it before but because I was old enough to process and understand it.
I saw different forms of discrimination in hiring and promotions when trying to move up the corporate ladder. No matter how well I performed I never felt fulfilled. I was once again depressed, and anxious all the time. So I left and got another job, and another and another the cycle continued until I graduated college and got a job working from home. At this point I was a mom working on my graduate degree and not working wasn’t an option so I stayed where I was at with one company and moved around there.
How do leave a secure, good-paying career, to take a chance in a possible lose it all music business?
High risk, high reward, I came to a place in my life where I was so tired of not feeling as though I was living my purpose, that I wanted to test the limits of this theory. I knew I could get a job, in fact I never interviewed for a job I didn’t get so I figured if my music did not work out the jobs would still be there. I had a degree and I was working on another, degrees don’t expire but opportunities to fulfill your dreams do.
When did you begin making music?
I began writing make shift raps at the age of four. My first time recording I was 19 in college, I would record songs anywhere I could, college dorm room, closets, basements, and finally at 20 I got the chance to record in a real studio with one of Akons artists Filapine the song never came out but it was a great experience.
How does your family feel about you pursuing your music career?
The only family that I talk to are my dad and my daughter, there is a lot of favoritism in
my family and I am not a favorite so no one really kept in touch with me, they don’t even know if I am alive or not. My dad and my daughter are supportive though in the best way they can be.
As a female musician, in an era highly emphasized on sexuality, how did you become so comfortable in your own skin?
After dealing with depression for most of my life I missed out on a lot of opportunities,
and in losing out on opportunities I learned a lot of lessons. The most valuable lesson I
learned was to live life for my own gratification to avoid regrets. People are harsh, beauty standards are difficult to achieve, and if you wait until you have the perfect body,
hair or look, you could be waiting for ever. I would rather go as I am and enjoy the experience somebody will think I’m sexy.
When did you realize the connection of social media and poking fun at yourself would increase your popularity?
Honestly, I wouldn’t say that I poke fun at myself for popularity. I got tired of hiding who I was to try to fit in, I did that my whole life. I got tired of having to wear a full-face of make up to post a picture, I got tired of disrespecting myself for likes and I decided that social media was going to take me for who I was or kiss my ass! Subsequently my courage to be myself and shed light on issues that everyday women and men deal with connected with the people.
Tell us about your tech startup?
I started More 4 Less Resumes back in 2015, I was writing resumes for $5-$10 and selling them on Instagram to save extra money for my daughters college fund. I was nearing graduation with my bachelors degree and I started to panic thinking about all the debt that would soon become due. I didn’t have support from family, no college funds, no one paying rent, no one even bought me a notebook.
After doing resumes for countless friends for free, someone close suggested I started doing it for money. I was naive to the fact that people would pay for this service. Which is why I low balled my prices. As I became more popular I raised my prices and used big data that I collected from customers and employers to develop resumes that were highly responsive to applicant tracking systems. Then I developed a questionnaire to collect data used to apply for positions on behalf of my clients using reverse recruiting techniques. I basically create a resume from the perspective of a recruiter, because I worked as a recruiter and have a masters degree in human resource management I know exactly what they want to see.
I then created an interview prep crash course to help people learn how to properly interview and present themselves. Working in corporate America fueled me to take this from a side hustle to a full blown business because I saw black and brown people constantly being overlooked for mistakes in their resumes and in how they presented themselves in interviews. We currently have a 90% success rate. We are now developing technologies and software’s to streamline processes and we are using the data we have collected from clients and through hiring processes to innovate the future of job hunting, and recruiting.
In the future we will serve businesses and help them improve their diversity and inclusion efforts in recruiting.
Your daughter tells you she wants to be a recording artist. Knowing what you know now, would you persuade or encourage her to follow in this path?
I’d certainly encourage my daughter to follow her dreams, and of course I will be there to protect her and help her navigate around all the dumb shit.
Where do you find your determination to continue pursuing music?
Music is my coping mechanism, I love music I always have and its something I will always do. It allows me to be creative in ways that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to. Also as a mom of a kid on the spectrum my daughter was singing before she could talk, she still struggles with communication but she knows the words to all my songs. As long as I keep making music we stay connected.
Would you recommend the same course of action in following your dreams to others like yourself?
I would, I don’t recommend anyone put themselves in a situation where they would face irreversible financial damage such as eviction or repossession but I do suggest taking strategic risks to get where you want to be. No risk, no reward this isn’t the 90’s where people are going to come find you, you have to get out here and make a way for yourself and carve out your path.
With female Hip Hop roaring to the top of music right now, being an inspiration to women is extremely important right now. Knowing that women both young and old like your daughter look at your representation and content. What is the message of inspiration you would like them to know the most?
I want them to know that their minds can take them further than their bodies. There is nothing wrong with being sexy, we are ladies we all want to feel beautiful and sexy at times, but don’t judge your worth and value solely on looks. Your brain, self love and confidence will open doors for you that your looks wont be able to.
In the current state of your career, is your journey everything you expected?
I would say yes every success story I have heard came with stories of people having to overcome adversity, sleeping in cars, living in projects, being homeless and hungry. I knew it was not going to be easy, I knew I wasn’t special so I braced myself, you can never predict just how bad your storm will be but I knew things would be crazy.
Who are you currently working within music?
I am currently working with a few up and coming producers, Strabeats, Trendz, Steph C and JP.
What can we expect from your potential new project and when can we expect it?
I will be dropping my EP on October 26.
How did you come up with the concept behind “Might Drip”?
I might drip came at a time when I had been away from music for a while, I had previously given up feeling as though because I had a baby my rap dreams were over. When I heard the beat I just started rapping about everything I wanted to be a Boss Bitch, hustler, successful just dripping in success. This song is like a manifestation of a rich boss bitch.
How did you know “Might Drip” is going to be a hit?
I knew this song was special because of the way the words came to me. I wrote this in like 25-minutes and went to the studio that night. It came together so eloquently so I just knew.
Your Dream Collaboration?
Me, Jay Z, Lil Kim, Nicki Minaj on one track. If I could get them to squash the beef and do a song with me that would be so dope for sisterhood and female rap.
The best advice you’ve ever received in the music industry?
The best advice I have received in the music industry was to be myself and not try to fit in with the flavor of the day, an OG told me that.
Stream Bink Badd complete catalog below on Spotify.