Jessi

It took 10 years for Korean-American rapper Jessi’s bold confidence, boastful attitude and cutthroat verses to make a vibrant splash in the Korean music scene. Hearing Jessi cheekily rapping over horn-swaggered beats (“Gucci”) or singing through electro-rock with a dominant growl (“What Type of X”)—as opposed to her muted 2005 debut, Get Up—it seems obvious that the assertive artist was just biding her time. Born Jessica Ho in 1988 in Queens, New York, and raised in New Jersey, she had hip-hop in her veins, soaking in the sounds and styles of rappers and singers like The Notorious B.I.G. and Mariah Carey. As she began her music career as a teenager, Jessi moved back and forth between America and South Korea—struggling to find a place for her big personality amid the stricter cultural norms—but eventually caught a big break in 2015 on the show Unpretty Rapstar, a female rapper competition in South Korea. Jessi’s unfiltered views on female sexuality and personal success have since formed the bedrock of her vibrant hip-hop palette.