Erica Banks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Erica Banks
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Banks in 2024
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| Background information | |
| Born | October 5, 1998 DeSoto, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Labels |
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Erica Scharmane Banks (born October 5, 1998) is an American rapper from DeSoto, Texas. She first became known for her mixtapes, which are like unofficial albums that artists release for free.
In 2020, she released a song called "Buss It" that became super popular on the social media app TikTok. The song went viral, meaning millions of people saw and shared it. This success helped her sign with major record labels, Warner Records and later Arista Records.
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Early Life and Education
Erica Banks was born and grew up in DeSoto, Texas. When she was 12, she started writing poetry and even won awards for it at school. In high school, she began to turn her poems into rap songs.
After high school, she went to Texas A&M University–Commerce to study nursing. While in college, she started recording her first songs. She enjoyed making music so much that she decided to leave college to focus on her rap career.
Music Career
Getting Started
In 2018, Banks released her first song, "Talk My ...", on the music streaming site SoundCloud. The next year, she released her first mixtape, called Art of the Hustle.
A big moment for her career happened in April 2019. She was on Instagram Live and played a part of her song "Buss It" for Carl Crawford, the head of the record label 1501 Certified Entertainment. He liked what he heard and signed her to his label. Even after signing, she released two more mixtapes on her own: Pressure and Cocky on Purpose.
Viral Success
On June 19, 2020, Banks released a mixtape named Erica Banks through her label. This mixtape included the full version of her song "Buss It."
In January 2021, the song suddenly became a huge hit. A viral challenge using the song started on TikTok, and soon, "Buss It" was everywhere. It became so popular that it appeared on the Billboard Hot 100, a list of the most popular songs in the United States. This was her first time on the famous chart.
Because of the song's success, she signed a new record deal with Warner Records that same month. She also worked with rapper Yella Beezy on his song "Star."
Recent Work
In June 2023, Banks joined the cast of the reality TV show Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta for its eleventh season.
In December 2024, she announced another new record deal, this time with Arista Records.
Musical Style
Banks has said that her biggest musical inspirations are famous rappers like Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim, and Nicki Minaj. She was also influenced by the rapper Asian Doll.
Some fans have said her music sounds similar to other rappers like Megan Thee Stallion and Ti from the group Taylor Girlz.
Discography
Here is a list of some of Erica Banks's major projects.
Studio Albums
- Diary of the Flow Queen (2022)
Mixtapes
- Art of the Hustle (2019)
- Pressure (2019)
- Cocky on Purpose (2019)
- Erica Banks (2020)
- Class In Session (2022)
Famous Singles
- "Buss It" (2020): Her most famous song, which went viral on TikTok and became a platinum-selling single. This means it sold over one million copies.
- "The Best" (2022): This song was featured in the video game Madden NFL 23.
Awards and Nominations
In 2021, Erica Banks was nominated for two American Music Awards.
- Her song "Buss It" was nominated for Favorite Trending Song.
- She was nominated for Favorite Female Hip-hop Artist.
