Baby Tate talks new music & being a proud pansexual: 'Google is your friend, and it's free'

For those of you who don't know Baby Tate, you need to get to know her. In her 10 years of recording music, she has delivered many viral bops, like the affirmation anthem "I Am" and the super sexy "Sl*t Him Out." The wordsmith does not shy away from humorous and witty lyrics like "putting Gorilla Glue out of business" in "Grip," and she says that she enjoys making people laugh.

"My name Tate actually means cheerful, and so I like to give people joy and cheer. That's kind of where that comes from and I used to read a lot growing up as well," she tells Out.

While Tate is no stranger to going viral, her "On the Radar" freestyle turned even more heads. In the track, she raps and sings over Snoop Dogg's "Let's Get Blown," and she stands firm in her individuality while addressing negative comments about being labeled a "clone" of other rappers.

Additionally, she calls out the limitations she faces as a Black woman in rap and she talked to us about her experience so far. "Navigating the music industry as a Black woman in rap specifically in the year 2024 is very different because we don't only have to deal with the actual industry, we also have to deal with the people on social media," she says.

"While [other artists] are inspirations to me and people that I listen to growing up and people that I look at their career and I aspire to have longevity. I believe that if I weren't a Black woman, I wouldn't be getting the same type of, not even comparisons, but the same type of animosity," she says. I think with white artists, they're allowed to have all these different inspirations and influences and still be seen as themselves."

Her freestyle lyrics also delve into how she's rarely compared to white pop stars or male rappers.

"'Cuz I'm Black that's all they see, but if I wasn't what would the comparisons be? Madonna, Gaga, Gwen Stefani, and since I'm a woman they don't see the Kendrick in me," she raps.

Along with admirably calling out the hypocrisies in hip-hop, Baby Tate also uses her music to freely express her sexuality.

"I always approach my music in a very honest and truthful way whenever I'm creating," the lyricist says, telling us Sexploration: The Musical came from an honest place.

"I don't think I've ever really been apprehensive about speaking about my sexuality," she says. "As a musician, we have been blessed with these talents and I think that it's up to us to use them to give back to the world."

As reported by the Los Angeles Times, female rappers like Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B tend to face a lot of criticism for being "too sexual" (even though this criticism is rarely extended to men). Despite the haters, Baby Tate still advocates for sexual liberation.

"We should just all be allowed to be who we are, whether that is your sexuality, your gender, whatever the case may be. I think that it's all up to you, we know who we are, what makes us happy and it's really none of anyone else's business."

Since identifying as pansexual, Tate has not faced a lot of backlash aside from ignorant comments on social media. "I think when I posted about me being pansexual on Instagram, some people were like, 'What? Y'all just make stuff up every day. What, you're attracted to pans?' Now girl, you know that is not what I'm talking about and Google is your friend, and it is free."

Her biggest tip for anyone discovering their sexuality starts from within. "I can say a lot of times when I wasn't comfortable, it's because I was trying to make other people comfortable," she advised. "Get comfortable with yourself first."

While Sexploration explores Tate's personal journey, she's glad the project can help other Black women who may be discovering their own sexual identity. "If there's some other young Black girl out there that doesn't really necessarily know what her sexuality is and then listens to "Luv Everybody" and realizes, 'Oh snap, I think I might be pan' or listening to "Lollipop" and, 'Oh my gosh, I think I might be a lesbian.' Just being able to put that into the ether for people to grab it whenever they need it, it's super important."

Soon she'll have even more music for her fans to explore as she works on her debut album, entitled C U Next Tuesday.

"With this album, we can expect Baby Tate in a way that people may not be expecting, but I think this is the truest that I've been to myself in making music," she tells Out before giving credit to the producers and writer she's working with for giving her space to freely create as an artist. "Co-executive producing my album with Justin Tranter has just allowed me to really be free and remove the boundaries and boxes that other people have put on me."

We can expect rapping and more singing and some genre-bending on the album that she calls "a reintroduction" that may feel different for some of her fans. "I think for a while my music was inspired by what people wanted from me and it wasn't coming from what I wanted to do, and what I felt the most empowered or compelled by."

As an artist who's been navigating the music industry for a decade, Baby Tate advises others who are waiting for their moment to keep pushing forward. "Keep believing in yourself, keep people around you that can pour into you and not take away from you."

Baby Tate's Sexploration: The Musical EP is available on all music streaming platforms. Stay tuned for her debut album, C U Next Tuesday, coming soon!