The True Brilliance of Cupcakke

Cupcakke is a rising star in the underground female rap scene. With her 2015 breakout hit, “Deepthroat” cementing her status as the queen of explicit bars, Cupcakke continues to show her genius by being tasteful in the most tasteless way possible.

Written by Adam Cherian

Photo courtesy of Scott Dudelson

Elizabeth Eden Harris, A.K.A. Cupcakke, is a Chicago-based rapper known for her gaudy music, explicit lyrics, and stoic attitude. Her music has been gaining popularity on TikTok, with users taking her 2015 x-rated hit, “Vagina,” and mashing its bawdy lyrics with other well-known songs. Popular examples of this remix include ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” which features blaring moans, and Cupcakke’s signature husky vocals over ABBA’s original instrumentals.

Cupcakke has been in the zeitgeist for over half a decade now. In 2015, she released her debut album Cum Cake, a truly experimental body of work that took the idea of rapping about sex to the extreme with tracks like the aforementioned “Vagina.” However, her first taste of virality came with the smash-hit “Deepthroat” which gained popularity thanks to famous internet celebrities like Jenna Marbles in 2016. The song garnered more than 60 million streams on Spotify, and for many, was an introduction into a world of female rap that is so rarely seen.

Women have been making explicit music for decades. In 2001, Khia’s classic hit “My Neck My Back,” became popular for its explicit lyrics in the same way “Deepthroat” did. However, the two tracks differ greatly, and Cupcakke’s overtly sexual lyrics includes creative imagery that borders on absurdism. In "Deepthroat"'s chorus she raps, “But I can’t f-ck up my nails (I can’t) / So Imma pick it up with chopsticks.” We can assume what “it” is using context. To make a bar explicit would be easy work for Cupcakke. But to create a scenario like bringing chopsticks to the bedroom is what makes her writing standout.

Cupcakke has continuously put out music every year since Cum Cake and while she still finds creative ways to rap about sex, she also has some very hard hitting songs that showcase her versatility. Take her 2018 song, “A.U.T.I.S.M.” for example: an endearing song boldly stating how she sympathizes with austistic individuals who feel ostracized by society. Her support for  marginalized communities extends through some of her other tracks, like the fan favorite,  “LGBT,” which touches on her acceptance of the queer community. The rapper also showcases her vulnerability in “Scraps” where she raps about her struggles growing up on the Chicago streets. Cupcakke reached a wider audience once she linked up with Charli XCX on “Lipgloss,” where where she pushed Charli to write about sex in a way she had not ever done.

Regardless of her musical range,  her music about sex prevails as her most recognizable work, which can be expected given its creative lyrics and subject matter. But it can sometimes take away from her artistry when the only songs fans recognize are her sexual ones.

Cupcakke herself has expressed her frustration with this. In a May 2020 Instagram Live, she told her audience that she wanted to move away from her explicit music because she felt that she was being pigeonholed into the stereotype of a hypersexual black woman. “I always think to myself, why don’t a white person gotta do that?” she said, referring to feeling like she needed to go to the extremes of her sexuality to grab attention.

Photo courtesy of Tarik Caroll

The issue is complicated; while her sexual music is beloved by her fans, it’s representative of the extraordinary lengths that Black women must go to for recognition in an industry ran by men which refuses to take them seriously. But Cupcakke shows that there is actually depth to rapping about sex. She embodies a full character that is not just defined by her sexuality, but by her experiences and personality.

Cupcakke’s unapologetic attitude can attribute to the recent surge of media attention on sex positive songs. Her bravery in rapping about incredibly explicit subjects is not an easy task, and regardless of the judgment she faces everyday, she continues to shine. Songs like the controversial 2020 hit “WAP,” by Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B would might not have existed if it weren’t for brave women like Cupcakke, priming the culture for such taboo topics. Cardi B herself has shown public support for Cupcakke.

Cupcakke’s impact on the music industry is undeniable. Within the last six years female rap has grown exponentially in popularity, and Cupcakke’s brazen self-expression through her art is definitely one of the driving forces behind it. It is time to appreciate her art. Yes, even the sexual lyrics.