Saucy Santana Embraces Being Labeled “A Gay Rapper” In New Cover Story

Saucy Santana is Hip-Hop’s newest phenom, thanks to his viral hit, “Material Girl.” Ahead of the release of his new single, “Booty,” the rapper graced the June cover of Teen Vogue—making him a cover star for the second time.

Though homophobia is still running rampant in the rap industry, Santana explained why he’s now embracing being a “gay rapper.” He also shared his dream collaborations and goals as an artist.

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“Before, I didn’t want to be labeled a gay rapper,” he detailed. “Then, in the middle of my career, I started to embrace it because I just felt like it was helpful to my culture and to my people.” He added, “When I walk into rooms, I have male fans who really want to scream louder than the women, want to call their daughters on FaceTime, want to call their wives, and their family members, like, ‘Oh, I’m with Santana!’” He looks almost surprised to say it. But when you’re a dark-skinned Black, gay rapper who disrupts gender norms, you don’t quite expect your existence to be normalized, or sometimes even recognized outside of your own community.”

Now with the backing of major label RCA, Santana is ready to elevate from viral TikToks to superstardom. “They believe in Santana. They see the vision. I’m just happy someone wanted to get behind me, elevate, and grow, and just be the biggest star possible,” he reflected on his partnership. “I just want to be a superstar, a megastar. I want to do everything possible for Santana, whether it’s acting, movies, magazine covers, Grammys—just everything that I could possibly do.” Teen Vogue is just the tip of the iceberg.

In regards to his dream musical collabs, Santana revealed that he has his sights on Lizzo and Gucci Mane. Funny enough, he tweeted excitedly about his recent studio session on Monday (June 6) but kept the name under wraps. After opening for Latto on tour, he will be making appearances at some upcoming festivals including A Hot Summer Night in LA happening during BET Awards weekend.

Santana’s new Latto-assisted single, “Booty,” features a sample of The Chi-Lites’ “Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So),” which was made famous by Beyoncé on “Crazy In Love.” Listen to the song’s teaser below.

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