No One Sounds Like Molly Santana Right Now

Molly Santana is comfortable in her own skin.

The 20-year-old punk-inspired rapper is a rising star in the continuously expanding underground scene. But despite the space becoming crowded with new acts, she’s found a way to stand out from the rest of the crop, mostly thanks to her baritone voice, which she uses to bring a grunge aesthetic to her music.

“[My voice] has always been here, and I've always been into super hard music, like Chief Keef and stuff,” Santana tells Complex. “So when I first started rapping, I'm like, ‘I want to make music like this. How can I do this?’” And so I just felt more comfortable rapping using my speaking voice because singing is so technical and it is so subjective.”

The Los Angeles-based rapper grew up with parents who played Michael Jackson, Usher, and NWA around the house. But during her formative years she found herself gravitating towards artists like Lil Uzi Vert (https://www.complex.com/music/a/j-rose/a-rare-interview-with-lil-uzi-vert), Chief Keef, and underground rap staples like bladee and Yung Lean.

“That is my GOAT, personally,” Santana said when talking about meeting Uzi for the first time. “Everybody could talk about their GOAT’s, whatever. I think [Uzi] influenced like crazy. Nobody really gives Uzi enough credit. Same thing with Chief Keef. Those two are the same level for me.”

Molly Santana wears those influences on her sleeves. She raps with the gravely voice of a young Chief Keef while presenting the goth-turned-rapper style of a SoundCloud-era Lil Uzi Vert. When I met her, she had vibrant blue hair and Japanese-inspired black grills, but her personality was not nearly as loud as her clothes or music. Molly moves like a thunderstorm in real life— low and rumbling until it’s time to explode in the studio.

Last year, Molly released her self-titled album with songs that hopscotch between electric, like the head-knocking “Chain Swangin,” to syrupy, like the melodic “What Did I Do Today.” The strength of that tape also helped her open for Don Toliver during his Hardstone Psycho Tour, which expanded her reach. Molly is also fully aware of the challenges of being a woman in the rap underground space, but it doesn’t discourage her from still trying to thrive in the space and eventually graduate from it.

“It's like a fucking battlefield,” she said. “If you're a girl and you coming up in [the rap underground], I feel you. The one thing we all have is each other. I know men probably got some things that they deal with too, that they can relate to, but for women, it's fucking hard.”

We caught up with Molly Santana to talk about modeling her rapping off Chief Keef, meeting Lil Uzi Vert, and how she describes the state of the rap underground.

How was opening for Don Toliver on tour?
I wish I could go back. It was such a great tour. It was such a good experience. Everybody was just having fun. It's probably the best tour I could ask to be on.

Is it weird that you were once that kind of nerdy kid in school, and now all of these strangers know your name and listen to your music?
It's so funny because I feel like I'm still super shy. I don't speak enough, and now it's just funny. It's weird. It's like an oxymoron or something. Like, “Girl, you’re shy but you still grab people on stage?” It's just weird to me. But I don’t sound shy in my music. Music is just like playing a character almost. It's almost like being an actor or something.

Who did you listen to growing up?

My parents liked Michael Jackson, Usher, Mary J. Blige, and NWA. My dad is from Compton, so he really likes rap.

Who were you listening to when you first started rapping?
Chief Keef forreal. It would be straight Chief Keef, Ballout, Capo, religiously. A lot of Speaker Knockerz. I used to be obsessed with bladee and Yung Lean and their whole camp. All of them are fire. When I was first starting, those were really my influences, and Black Kray. I was always obsessed with the underground. I just loved looking at what people were making.

Some of your songs remind me of Lil Uzi Vert. What was it like meeting them for the first time?
I was nervous as hell, I'm not going to lie. I get a little uncomfortable when people are like, “Yo, I really fuck with your music.” I don't know why I do, but I just try not to be like, “Yo, I really fuck with you,” to people. I just try to play the chill guy, cool guy.

But it was crazy because that is my GOAT, personally. Everybody could talk about their GOAT’s, whatever. I think Uzi influenced people like crazy. Nobody really gives Uzi enough credit. Same thing with Chief Keef. Those two are the same level for me. Those are legends in my book. That's my 2Pac and [The Notorious B.I.G.] forreal. And I love 2Pac and Biggie still, too. [Uzi and Chief Keef] opened up such a big wave. They opened up such a big door for everybody to be themselves.

When did you learn how to use your unique voice?
I just always had a deep voice. People always used to say I was a boy since I was little. I always was tall and had a deep voice. I don't know where it comes from. I even have a deeper voice than my brother, and he's five years older than me. It's so funny. It's just always been here, and I've always been into super hard music, like Chief Keef and stuff. So when I first started rapping, I'm like, “I want to make music like this. How can I do this?” And so I just felt more comfortable rapping using my speaking voice because singing is so technical and it is so subjective. But rapping, you can do whatever you want, and nobody can tell you if it’s bad or not because it’s such an opinionated sport. You can’t be good or bad at rapping, because at the end of the day, you’re just talking forreal.

You also have some alternative-sounding songs. Did you ever want to be in a band?
Hell yeah. I was literally just talking about this with my two friends. We were just in Wyoming recording my album, and they're both producers and we were just talking about how we need to start a band soon. Just a little side project because there's not really that many bands that are glorified right now.

What are the secret ingredients to make a perfect rap love song?
Real emotion. People who actually be going through shit write the best love songs. I don't know too much about that yet, but I feel like Summer Walker or Mariah the Scientist make really good love songs and people connect with them because they really been through some real heartbreak.

You address your doubters on “Call Me What You Want.” Who believed in you when you started to pursue music seriously?
Me, and my friends too. My friends have always been supportive. That’s one thing I'm very thankful for. My friends have always been my cheerleaders, my number one fans.

You’ve also talked about never “selling out” in your music. what would you selling out look like? and do you think the underground struggles with that?
At a certain level, you really have influence, and sometimes you can use that influence to influence people to do bad things or support something that's not really true to your character or just not good for humanity. I feel like that's when you really sell out, when you influence people to do some shit that you're not doing or that's bad for them. So I try not to do that. But it would be so easy to. You get opportunities to do that shit every day when you have real influence, so it's hard, but you have to do the right thing.

How would you describe the current state of underground rap?
It's always been hard to get out of [the underground] for sure, but now it's like everybody got a fire friend who can rap or produce or do crazy shit. So it's fucking hard to direct your attention to just one thing and place your bets on one person because you never know. There's going to be a new dude every day, sadly. But it is good, too, because there's more inspiration and things to look at. It’s an interesting place. It's like a buffet. We got a lot of cool stuff coming up, but it's also a lot of noise.

How do you stand out amidst all the noise?
Just do you for real. Like they say, “There's not another you,” so you just got to be loud with being you, and be true. I feel like everybody can tell what's fake real quick nowadays. Kids are smart and like really interesting things now.

What are the challenges of coming up as a woman in the rap underground?
It's like a fucking battlefield. If you're a girl and you coming up in [the rap underground], I feel you. The one thing we all have is each other. I know men probably got some things that they deal with too, that they can relate to, but for women, it's fucking hard. And I hate to be the person to be like, “Oh yeah, this is hard. This is really tough,” because the rewards outweigh all of it. All the opportunities and stuff outweigh all of it. I’m so grateful for everything, and I am proud of how I handle shit. But I know for a lot of women, this shit is tough no matter wherever you get to the top, it is tough. I know probably even Lady Gaga be fucking going through shit, Nicki Minaj, all of them. We got a lot more stuff that people can talk about. Women are interesting. People want to know what's going on because women are so complex. We got it hard, but It's okay because we're women and that's the gift. That's a reward.

Who wouldn't want to watch a beautiful woman fucking break it down, really give it to you on a song. Listening to Nicki Minaj, that shit is just different. You could listen to Kendrick or Drake say some shit, but when Nicki come in and talk her shit, it's different.

What does success look like for you? Where do you hope to be a year from now?
I don't know, it's so big. Success to me is making sure everybody around me is straight for life and has jobs through me that they actually enjoy. They are doing stuff that they actually enjoy, but it's still bettering them. I just want to make sure me and everybody around me is just constantly growing. That's success, and influencing the next generation. That's success to me. Influencing them to do good and changing the future.

Have you been working with any artists on your upcoming new music?
No, not really. I'm shy and I'm very personable. I'm very one-on-one. I like having relationships with people before I record with them. Me and my main friend, producer, we only made one song, and we've been working for damn near almost two years now. I wouldn't say selfish, I just be waiting for the right time. But I guess the right time is when you make it so I don't know.

Who are three artists you’d love to work with?
I would love to work on something with the Smashing Pumpkins so bad. I don't even care what it is. If I'm literally just a background vocal or anything, that would be fire. I want to work with Bryson Tiller really bad (https://www.complex.com/music/a/j-rose/bryson-tiller-announces-new-album-details-and-opens-up). Every time he comes on a rap song it's so cool. Who wouldn't want to work with Nicki [Minaj]? Or Doja Cat and Rico Nasty.