Sukihana

Growing up in Wilmington, DE—one of the most dangerous small cities in America—Suki led a far from charming life. In one of the tougher neighborhoods on the west side, she would briefly travel away from the turmoil to the Kuumba Academy Charter School, where she studied the arts—including ballet, acting, and musical theater, though music arrived way before that. “I wrote my first rap at six years old,” Suki says. “After that, people would pay me a dollar to rap for them.” Inspired by artists like the late Tupac Shakur, Rick Ross, Lil’ Kim, and Lauryn Hill, Suki was bound for hip-hop greatness but didn’t quite know it yet.

By the time she hit her teens, she was Southern bound, as her mother wanted to bring her to a better life. Suki would travel back and forth between Atlanta and South Florida (as well as back to the Northeast), though the streets were calling her. From dancing to selling drugs, Suki’s hustler spirit kept her pockets full to provide for her two children. By her third, she had an epiphany. “I realized I had to create a stable life for my children,” she adds. She took to social media where her authenticity resonated with her followers. Through video shorts and Instagram clips, Suki built an organic following from fans eager to embrace an individual whose personality was as strong as her rhymes. Her aesthetic was also dynamic, as bright colors and gangsta-leaning couture were almost the visual embodiment of her creative output.

While her reworking of cuts like 2017’s “Kodak Snack” (a play on Kodak Black) pushed her to viral royalty, and an appearance at Rolling Loud 2018 alongside Cuban Doll showed her staying power, it was Suki’s “5 Foot Freestyle” from 2019 that galvanized her fan base. “To this day, that freestyle is my fans’ favorite,” Suki says. The video clocks in at nearly half a million views, as Suki’s Instagram account has over a staggering 635,000 followers. VH1 took notice, and Sukihana joined the cast for the current season of Love & Hip Hop: Miami. 

“They’re going to see the real Sukihana, as ratchet as I wanna be,” she teases of the new season. Most importantly, they’ll have a soundtrack of new music and videos arriving, starting with “All In Your Throat.” The track “has a similar vibe as ‘5 Foot,’” Suki explains, though her elevated punchlines are apparent. “I’m just trying to keep growing.” From there, she hopes to continue to build upon her acting career, as well as pave a whole new lane through her music and knack for entertainment.

Sukihana’s life is a survivor’s tale, and while she likes tempering her wit with humor, there’s nothing funny about herself and her goals. “I’m real,” she says matter-of-factly. “I’m a little ghetto fabulous; I come from a different place and I’ve got children. I’m a little bit different, and I’ve got a whole other story to tell.”