Chanel West Coast

Just growing up and maturing has made my music so much better.

I would say Tupac influenced me the most to start rapping, but as far as a female icon that I've looked up to since I was six or seven is definitely Gwen Stefani.

When I first started rapping, I was like, 'I'm gonna be, like, the female Eminem.'

Honestly, the biggest setback to my music career was people's perception that I was a reality TV star, not a rapper.

I just wanted to express myself and put out music of how I'm feeling - give back to my fans and gain new ones in the process.

You just gotta be yourself and don't hold anything back just because you're a woman.

You can have opinions, but it doesn't mean they're right.

I'm trying to do different music, and I'm trying to be out of the box.

I feel like the red-headed stepchild of Young Money.

It's hard being a woman in the hip-hop game, but I'm lucky to have good people around me who have had my back.

It's not easy to go from reality TV to being taken seriously as an artist, so I don't think I'll be doing reality TV again because of that.

I know what it's like to have guys make you feel like you need to flirt with them or be sexy or hook up with them or something, and you don't have to do those things. You just have to be strong and stand your ground.