Wine and Cheese: Tierra Whack and Waterparks

Tierra Whack and Waterparks are two artists that could be confused for stand-up comedians with their humor-heavy lyrics and upbeat musicality. In fact, their strange (and debatably cringey) lyricism adds an unexpected level of cool to their music.

It’s your dream collab. The artists you add back-to-back to the queue. The pairing you can’t get enough of. You know they sound good together, but why? Welcome to Wine and Cheese, a series investigating the why and telling you all about it.

Written by Olivia Abercrombie

Photos courtesy of Matt Allen and Jawn Rocha

Experimental rap artist Tierra Whack isn’t called the Dr. Seuss of rap for no reason. Her wacky, childlike lyricism, colorful fashion choices, and playful album art designs led to this endearing nickname. This whimsy is evident in her quirky singles adorned with equally peculiar, abstract drawings that look like they belong on the family refrigerator. Singles “Dora” and “Only Child” highlight her unique sense of humor with “Dora” showcasing two abstract, almost Babadook-esque, people for its album art and “Only Child” having a sun with a toothy grin on its cover. Also, Whack is known for her soft lo-fi beats that give her room to highlight her sarcastic, almost comedic lyrics.

Whack is not the only artist to dive into sharp, ironic lyricism. Houston pop-punk band Waterparks brings a similar cynicism to its synth-heavy angst, with on-the-nose lyrics that poke fun at society and the band itself. Frontman Awsten Knight (who legally changed his name from Austin in honor of how he spelled it when he was younger) has synesthesia. Just like Tierra Whack’s carefully chosen color pallet, Waterparks places an emphasis on color. Their album art is colored in shades of neon oranges, blinding yellows, and vivid purples, creating a whimsical vibe.

Despite their genre differences, these artists do not shy away from weaving comedy into their music through their lyrics. While both musicians explore darker themes, the overall tone of the music they create feels positive, taking heavier thematic material and making it feel more optimistic through satire. In “Just Kidding,” Waterparks explore experiences with mental health and some deep insecurities during the pandemic with a lo-fi pop-y beat that lessens the intensity of the lyrics. Whack takes a similar stance in “Peppers and Onions,” where she talks about the pressures of living up to the role model image people have placed on her. Sonically, the song begins with a cheery whistle layered with a symphony of disjointed wacky beats to hide this tough message in whimsical tones. 

This theme of hiding the ugly in the happy is apparent in all aspects of Whack’s music, from the lyrics to her album aesthetics. Whack’s comedic lyricism, interwoven with groovy beats, peaks on her debut album, Whack World. While the messages behind her music are not always as lighthearted as their sonic presentation of bubbly rhymes and upbeat tempo, the Philly-born rapper’s music focuses on not wanting to grow up but understanding that the world can be an ugly place. For instance, the track “4 Wings” serves as a metaphor for how Whack views herself. She compares the way she likes her wings prepared to the way she was raised to be tough which helped foster the swagger she carries herself with today. Over a slow, melancholy beat, she divulges, “Salt, pepper, ketchup, and hot sauce / Fry hard ‘cause I do not like soft,” as she views herself as hard as a crispy, fried wing.

While Waterparks’ comedic lyrics are not quite as figurative, they still deliver some blunt and introspective lines in their edgy, electro-pop-influenced album Greatest Hits, which surprisingly is not actually a collection of the band’s greatest hits. The band’s not-so-subtle lyrics make for a ridiculous combination of hilarity and realness.

In the guitar-heavy track “You’d Be Paranoid Too (If Everyone You Knew Was Out To Get You),” Knight declares, “People treat me like I'm an asshole / But I don't text when I drive, though (Nice!) / I can't say that they're all wrong, though / 'Cause I still use straws on the down-low (I'm sorry!)” This song pokes fun at the frontman for the interesting attention he gets on social media for his out-of-pocket tweets, while showcasing self-awareness about the fact he is not PC-style perfect.

Best described as a stalker anthem, “Violet!” has an upbeat, bubblegum-pop-inspired melody that hides a darker story about someone stalking Knight: “You freak me out, so I stay in,” he states. Whack hides similar messages in her songs, like “Pet Cemetery,” where she mourns the loss of her dog over a cheery symphony of piano chords and a background harmony of dog barks. Each of these artists are trying to spread positivity in their own way: Waterparks may be cynical but still wants to make music that brings positivity to people, and Whack strives for a similar feeling for her fans.

Another example of peak Waterparks irony is the opening line of “Fruit Roll Ups.” The song describes Knight trying to win a date over by declaring, “I got some Fruit By The Foot if you wanna come over.” In true Gen Z fashion (although Awsten is, unfortunately, a Millenial), Knight accurately describes his jaded view of the dating world today. To him, a menial offer of Fruit By The Foot is a generous display of affection. 

Something else both these artists have delved into is making songs literally just because they can. Although unreleased, the unhinged song “Toothbat” has become an inside joke among  Waterparks fans, with one of them even creating their own toothbat and giving it to Knight. The song (if it can even be called one) has one verse with the lyrics, “Can you please make me a toothbat? / You know I‘d really like that / Hit me with a toothbat / With a toothbat.” Whack, on the other hand, released her “just because” song “Link,” for which she collaborated with Lego to create a music video inspired by some imaginative kids. Through these songs, the musicians show that art doesn’t always have to have these deep, elaborate meanings behind them; sometimes it is just about having fun.

Another thing Whack and Waterparks have in common lyrically is their love for referencing pop culture. Pop culture references have always been prominent in the rap and pop rock communities, and these artists are no exception. For example, in her song “Unemployed,” Whack references Wendy Williams, Rick Ross, Christophe from How to Get Away with Murder, and Grover from Sesame Street in just a few short verses. In the piano-driven track, “Pretty Ugly,” Whack confidently spits, “Crispy clean and crisp and clean / For the dough, I go nuts like Krispy Kreme / Music is in my Billie genes.” These quick-witted one-liners establish that she not only gets excited about the money that comes with success, but also that she was born to make music. The not-so-subtle yet artful reference to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and the declaration, “It's about to get ugly, flow so mean, I just can't be polite,” show a cocky side of Whack that ties into the confidence that comes along with adolescence and achieving success at a young age. However, the comical, immature “Cable Guy” is where Whack’s humor truly shines. She subtly delivers three crude interpretations of popular acronyms, rapping, “It goes like ABC (all boys cry) / MTV (men touch vaginas) / BET (b-tches eat tacos),” reminiscent of teenagers at lunch coming up with profane interpretations of pop culture topics.

Similarly, Waterparks tends to reference famous pop punk bands and popular shows and movies alike (for example, the show "You"  and the movie "Misery" in “Violet!”) and Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump in “Turbulent.” They also make one song title on each album a reference to a Pixar movie. For example “No Capes” is an Edna Mode quote from The Incredibles, “Take Her To The Moon” is a quote from Inside Out, and “I Was Hiding Under Your Porch Because I Love You” is from Dug in Up.

These artists are unique for taking their genre stereotypes and turning them into something special. Pop punk specifically is known for its angsty and somber tone, and Waterparks has turned this trope on its head, combining the traditional sad boy themes with the joyful adolescent-inspired symphony of upbeat rhythmic guitar and brassy high hats of happier songs from the genre, instead of just layering those feelings over stinging guitar riffs and deep bass drum beats. Whack has a similar deviation in the rap genre by coming up with absurd verses with zany rhymes that serious rappers could not get away with. The rap genre relies on swagger, which is usually proven through hard-hitting verses about rappers’ upbringings or the wrongdoings of significant others. However, Whack oozes confidence even when delivering silly rhymes, proving that “whack” rhymes can still make for fantastic music.

Photo courtesy of Waterparks

It’s clear that, lyrically, these artists are a match made in heaven with their biting tongues, playful vibes, and love of pop culture. But sonically, both Waterparks and Tierra Whack create realms of positivity by using upbeat melodies to discuss darker topics and vocal modulation for an added layer of depth and mockery to their songs.

In Whack’s “F-ck Off,” she distorts her voice to a Southern twang while delivering the line “You remind me of my deadbeat dad” over a youthful chiptune-inspired beat to mock deadbeat dad in question. In interviews, Whack has shared that she has a great relationship with her mother and grandmother, so she tends to leave out any mention of her father. Because of this, her scornful mention of him  reveals more about this absent relationship under the guise of a joke with her caricature of a country accent.

Rather than using vocal modulation for humor, Waterparks uses it to layer the vocals in songs. In true pop-punk fashion, Awsten’s tone is high-pitched and slightly whiny — in the best way possible. For instance, the vocal modulation is heavily used in the second half of “Numb” to accentuate the guitar breakdown and almost give a melting effect to the song’s end. This is a stark contrast to the beginning of the song, where Knight spits lines at supersonic speed over a fast-paced cacophony of drum beats and guitar licks. The song feels like running until you are out of breath with its intense start and then the breakdown in the last 30 seconds of the song.

While the use of vocal modulation is fairly common in both rap and pop punk, the way these artists use the effect to create new characters within their songs is what makes it unique. Taking on these different tones in specific songs makes each feel like its own story. These changes are so prominent because both Whack and Knight have such unique voices: the former’s is deep and rich while the latter’s is higher and biting.

Image courtesy of Interscope Records

Their use of cheerful melodies and vocal distortion would make for a unique collaboration musically, likewise aesthetically: they could create a colorful wonderland. Whack’s album art is almost exclusively cartoonish, childlike drawings in bright colors and these same youthful aesthetics are seen in her outfit choices and music videos. The entire aesthetic of her debut album, Whack World, is youthful and light, reminiscent of childhood nostalgia. The cover depicts a claw machine lifting a clay version of Whack (dressed in a clown costume) out of a mass of stuffed animals, flowers, pills, and most importantly, pie. Similarly, Waterparks’ frontman dyes his hair a new loud color for each album release and also uses bold colors in the band’s music videos, like “Lowkey As Hell” and “The Secret Life of Me.”

While these artists sit on opposite sides of the genre spectrum, they show that expressing deep thoughts and emotions does not have to be grand, articulate, and serious, but actually fun. Creating these positive and comedic spaces in two genres that typically take themselves very seriously paves the way for other artists to make fun artistic choices in the future, as Whack is now a Grammy-nominated female rap icon and Waterparks is an edgy and raw band expanding the horizons of pop punk by putting their own spin on the genre’s angsty beginnings. However, sonically and lyrically, these artists deliver fresh perspectives to the classic rap and pop punk sound. There’s nothing the world needs more than a collab between a neon-haired, chaotic, Twitter icon and a lego-obsessed, preschool-art-loving, rhyming badass.