As Swae Lee prepares to launch his third fashion collaboration this week, he's enjoying solo success after two Platinum albums and one Gold album with his brother Slim Jxmmi as the duo Rae Sremmurd. In 2018, his 11-times Platinum collabo with Post Malone, "Sunflower," was one of the best-selling songs of the year, earning a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.
As the 29-year-old rapper enjoys the fruits of his labor, he will never forget growing up in poverty in Tupelo, Mississippi, and becoming homeless.
Lee tells Essence he was so poor he had "nothing but the hair on my back." However, he committed himself to pursuing a career in music, and now he's reaping the benefits.
“Just to be this up and just still continuing to push through all this s*** is, like, I’m super proud because it’s what I always expected for myself," Swae says. "I know what I came from. Man, it’s a total life flip.”
Lee was also nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year in 2017 for co-writing Beyoncé's triple-Platinum "Formation" single. Just as Queen Bey has expanded her brand into fashion with Ivy Park, Lee is hoping for more success in the fashion world with his new collection with retailer boohooMAN, which debuts Wednesday at noon ET on the boohooMAN website.
“You can expect a lot more high-end fly stuff [and] edgy stuff. It’s not for the weak,” the rapper says.
Swae has not dropped new music this year, however, he expects to release a solo album in 2023. “I’m thinking top of the year, like January, to just drop and keep just going crazy.”