Chanel West Coast

My biggest influence is Tupac. He was a poet, and listening to Tupac is what inspired me to start rapping. ”

I grew up listening to a lot of rap music. My dad's a DJ from Brooklyn, and he's a very soulful guy, so he always spun a lot of hip-hop, and that's where I get a lot of my hip-hop influence. ”

I've been pursuing music since I was 14. ”

Coachella is a melting pot of cultures, vibes, style, and, of course, music. I look forward to it every year. ”

These people that watch our MTV shows, they're not music fans. They're people that are lazy on their couch and want to watch funny videos or whatever. ”

My real, full name is Chelsea Chanel Dudley. In my opinion, Chelsea Dudley does not sound like a rapper. So I was like, 'You know what? Imma drop both of those names and just go by Chanel.' ”

I don't just rap - I sing and I dance as well. ”

I've been on shows that are very comedic and happy, and you really only get to see one side of my personality. They're not shows about my life or my music, or my struggle or anything like that. They're shows where you pretty much see me laughing and smiling all the time. ”

It's hard being a woman in this industry, period. A lot of the time, guys make you feel like you need to hook up with them - especially as an artist - producers and other artists trying to collaborate with them, they make you kinda feel sometimes you need to hook up with them or flirt with them just to make a song. ”

Music is what I do pretty much all the time. I'm always in the studio. I'm always rehearsing for shows. Always doing shows. ”