Quick Facts
Scorpio
Biography
Shayna McHayle (born October 31, 1991), better known by her stage name Junglepussy, is an American independent music artist and rapper based in New York City. Her first mixtape Satisfaction Guaranteed was released the summer of 2014. She has received recognition from artists such as Erykah Badu, Nicki Minaj and Lil' Kim.
Early life
McHayle, more commonly known as Junglepussy, was born in East New York, Brooklyn, to a Jamaican father and a Trinidadian mother. McHayle started rapping in high school with a group of friends called 'Primp', until graduation at 16. From there she went to FIT, until getting a job in retail and starting a YouTube channel as a pastime.
Career
In 2013, Junglepussy released her first track "Cream Team" on YouTube, followed by "Stitches". In January 2014, Erykah Badu posted "Cream Team" on her Facebook and Twitter.
In June 2013, Junglepussy performed with rapper Lil' Kim.
Junglepussy has stated a wide range of inspiration such as Erykah Badu, Missy Elliot, Lady Saw, Kelis, Busta Rhymes, Vybz Kartel, Mavado, The Veronicas, Metric, Gossip, and Soulja Boy.
She also explained that as a young woman she was mostly influenced by the television show Moesha, starring singer/actress Brandy. Junglepussy said seeing how Moesha flourished in her art and music with her cornrows and braids and looking all fly was inspiring to her: "I truly loved Moesha as a child, but now I take away something even more special from the show. Just because you're a little black girl doesn't mean you only need to care about hair and makeup. Brandy cared about books, culture, and where she was heading as a young woman—you can do both".
On June 10, 2014, Junglepussy released her debut mixtape Satisfaction Guaranteed. The 11 track compilation debuted on the Vice website. Junglepussy later released videos for the songs "Nah" and "Me" on her official YouTube channel. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the mixtape she released the track "You Don't Know".
On August 20, 2015 she announced her upcoming album would be titled Pregnant with Success, based on a lyric from "You Don't Know". On the same day, Junglepussy released a video for the assumed first single from the album, "Now or Later".
On November 17 2015, she released her debut album Pregnant with Success on iTunes. Pregnant with Success received positive reviews from music critics, who praised her unique combination of humor, self-love, and the subversive way her songs tackled sexuality and femininity.
Junglepussy is connected to QTPOC artists such as Le1f, Princess Nokia, and Dai Burger.
She was invited to speak about her life, music, and her healthy options lifestyle at the prestigious Yale University in September 2015 and Columbia University in early fall.
Discography
Albums
- Pregnant with Success (2015)
Mixtapes
- Satisfaction Guaranteed (2014)
Guest appearances
- Dai Burger - "Titty Attack" from Raw Burger (2011)
- Le1f - "Oils" from Tree House (2013)
- Rome Fortune - "Payin' for It" from Drive, Thighs & Lies (2014)
- Shy Girls - "Always the Same" from 4WZ (2015)
- Le1f - "Swirl" from Riot Boi (2015)
- Lion Babe - "Still in Love" from Sun Joint (2016)
- Nick Hook - "Dive for You" from Relationships (2016)