Before she was getting noticed by big shots in pop music back in 2007, Rye Rye was a 15-year-old with the spunk to call up-and-coming producer DJ Blaqstarr and leave a rap on his voicemail.
Blaqstarr was impressed. They started working together, a collaboration which spawned her first big hit, “Shake It to the Ground.”
The music video they made got millions of views on YouTube, and the song became a local club favorite. Rye Rye’s upbeat, confident sound — and her fantastic dance moves — got the attention of rap star and Grammy winner M.I.A. Before long, the two were collaborating; M.I.A. signed Rye Rye to her imprint on Interscope Records and took her on tour, even though Rye Rye was still in high school.
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