Meet Another Texas Hottie: Erica Banks

Tik Tok has popularized many songs through dance challenges. This app has served as a genius marketing route for many artists looking to put momentum behind their single. Erica Banks has recently joined that category.

Erica Banks is another Texas representative for women in the rap game. After two years of dropping freestyles on her social media, she finally found her big break. The Desoto, Texas native was the middle child of three boys so athletics was second nature. However, she gravitated to poetry the most. By age 12, Erica Banks transformed her poetry into raps. Fearless in her worldplay, she began showcasing her skills all throughout highschool. After graduation, she enrolled in Texas A&M Commerce to study nursing. However, the honors student dropped out to pursue her music career full-time. In 2018, she dropped her first single on soundcloud called “Talk My Sh*t” followed by her single “No Hook”. Prior to her internet explosion, she dropped three mixtapes entitled “Art Of The Hustle”, “Cocky On Purpose” and “Pressure”.

After showcasing her single “Buss It” for 1501 Certified Entertainment’s CEO Carl Crawford via instagram live, Erica Banks was contacted to sign a deal. Her parents were there to watch their 21-year old pursue her musical ambitions while making it clear that they would be there for every decision she made. Being that this is Megan The Stallions old label, many people are calling her a "copy cat". Based on the Southern Girl Rap takeover, I think many artists from that area have similar cadence, swagger, and content. Listen to Erica Bank's "What's Poppin" freestyle on soundcloud before you count her out. From a labels perspective, I get why they would look to sign someone with a similar formula. They just lost their main artist and now she's a billboard charter. I'd try my luck again too.

The “Buss It” Challenge was lighting up everyone’s timeline. Starting with a sample from Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” the women who took part in this challenge started in around-the-house apparel, then as soon as the beat dropped, began dropping it low in their Sunday best. I was too shy to take part in it but it was definitely entertaining to watch. Celebrities such as Gabrielle Union, Monica, Rico Nasty, Laurie Hernandez, Reginae Carter and more took part in the booty-shaking fun. Thanks to her team’s strategizing, Erica Banks has the boost she needs to now push her career beyond being just another Tik Tok sensation.