Hella Juiced: Narissa

Read the full interview YoungCalifornia.com!

Narissa is here to shake up the West Coast with her charm, bars, and lashes. Hailing from Crenshaw district/Slauson area, the “Pull Party” rapper recently opened up shop, placing a gorgeous pink Lash Trap down the street from Nipsey Hussle’s Marathon Store. While lashes gave her the bread she needed for the past 6 years, she’s ready to retire and turn it all the way up with the music. Read more…

Growing up to the likes of Sade, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, and Destiny’s Child, Narissa combines the old school soul with the hard-hitting trap this generation has birthed. In addition, she creates motivational, uplifting anthems for all her bitches to ride out to. With her recent Lash Trap playlist coinciding with the store’s opening, Narissa gives a little taste of the records fans can expect down the line.

For those who don’t know, who is Narissa?
Narissa is a self-made boss bae, independent DIY hustle mami.

Why should people fuck with you?
Because I can show you the way… to get this money! [laughs] No, because it’s authentic. It’s some real shit. It’s going to motivate you and inspire you to do some big shit for yourself.

Being from Crenshaw/Slauson, how does that play into your life and career?
It just shapes me. Because of the people who have repped my area in the past, it makes you proud to be from out here. Just the culture growing up on your P’s and Q’s, it helps you in life. I was just talking to my friend about this, we really grew up in a danger zone, blessed that we made it home in high school. Taking that upbringing and bringing it into my life now, my music, it helps me stay ready for whatever. Not even just violence, life shit in general. The vibes around here, the culture I put it in my music. I put it in my Lash Trap, it’s in me.

What was the household like growing up?
My parents met when they were young. Got married, had me, had my brother. They still married. They always believed in buying property, making the area look good. That’s how I came up. I didn’t have a broken home or a rough family life, my family was love. They made sure they showed me that.

At what point did you realize this music thing was for real?
When I was 9. My uncle was a songwriter in LA just blowing up. They were young in the scene with Tupac and all them. The whole LA hip-hop scene, they were always in it. I was obsessed, they always looked like they’re having fun and living life. I was like “what ya’ll doing?” He came over and taught me how to write songs. I kept writing them. I knew then. Once I got to college, I was like okay. You know when you make it to the end of your education, you’re like “what am I about to do?” I’m like “music is my shit, that’s what I’m about to do. This college shit is cool and all, but I’m about to be doing music and owning my own shit.”

What did you study in college?
Communications and Business.

Was music always…?
Yup always. Even in college, I was always at the music seminars, music events, music everything. Met all the music people, hung out with them, that was my shit.

Can you talk about Lash Trap and unleashing it with the shop?
The Lash Trap playlist came together because I was secretly getting my shop together on Slauson. I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone I knew because I’m not really a good secret keeper like that. Wanted to challenge myself to keep it to myself. You know how people are like “move in silence, don’t show your next move,” blah blah blah. I was always a victim of showing my next move, telling my friends “I’m bouta do this, bouta do that.” For some reason, it just never fully hit because I’d talk so much about what I’m about to do.

For this, I was like “nah I’m gonna keep quiet.” Not gon’ tell nobody. I was gonna tell them the day before, but that would give it away. I wanted it to be like “omg” when they walk up. I hit my manager like “n*gga I think we need to release 3 songs, then tell them it’s a listening party so they pull up and see what the real surprise is.” That’s how it came together. We were on some summertime turn up shit, so it’s a bunch of rap tracks we put on there.

Can you talk about your lash career and how long you’ve been doing that?
I’ve been lashing for 6 years. Started doing that when I came back to LA from New York, I wasn’t trying to have no job. I was at Red Bull, bought a kit off Craigslist, started practicing on my friends, then it just turned up. That’s how I got Lash Trap in a nutshell. [laughs] I was downtown for 3 ½ years, moved to Brentwood, then came right back to Slauson.

Can you talk about the shop because it’s so fucking cute. What went into it?
Girl, 3 months of glue gun, stapling, paint, hanging things with my guy who does all my work in here. He a young black entrepreneur too, he hired his people. We teamed up and made it as fly as we could. I’m like “I’ma get it first, then slowly but surely use every person that I do to put my money into this” — so I can stop lashing. That was the plan. Now, it’s working.

Talk about retiring.
Oh yeah, it’s over for the lashes. [laughs] I’m ready to elevate. If I was doing music or not, I’d still be elevating. I’m going into the next phase of my career, turning it up so I can eventually get more Lash Traps. Use my time to do other things and put other girls on.

What does LA mean to you?
LA means to me home vibes. Homemade, where your heart is at. LA is just my vibe, it’s just in you. The palm trees, the breeze, good weather all the time. Just being on your P’s and Q’s and really staying ready. It means bombness and realness.

I was bumping “Pull Party,” what is the sauce?
The sauce is the magic concoction, I can’t tell you what’s in it! You gon’ have to take a class. [laughs] The sauce is the vibe. N*ggas be addicted. They be hood, they be trying. That’s the sauce.

What is it you want fans to get from your story?
Inspiration. I want them to feel inspired to do some big shit. Some different shit.

What are some goals yourself as an artist at this point of your career?
Make new rules, new business models, and put my team on. We need to be on some mogul shit, every single one of us.

How important is social media for your career?
Not gonna lie, I like social media. If you have confidence in yourself, social media shouldn’t be a thing. I know it makes people in general feel inferior to a lot of other people, but it’s important to my career because it allows me to reach people I wouldn’t naturally reach on a day to day. It’s cool. I got positive vibes on there, whether I’m fully clothed or showing a little skin. It’s good vibes all around. The Lash Trap fasho what it is because of Instagram.

How did you grow your Lash Trap IG?
You know Amber Wagner (@jstlbby)? She’s an inspirational comedian on Instagram. I remember she was coming up on IG when I was starting my lash business. I was like “let me do your lashes bitch.” She’s like “I don’t get lashes, but I’ll post it though!” I did my best friend, she posted it. That shit got me 30 clients in that little bit of time.

There weren’t really no lash girls in my area over here. I was here for 2 years before I went downtown. Bitches started coming to me. Soon, even the celebrity bitches didn’t have anyone to go to. I started getting little people here and there. Remember Moesha? Mo to the E to the… Sheryl Lee Ralph’s daughter hit me up like “I want you to do my lashes.” I didn’t know who she was. I pulled up like “okay, hey Dee from Moesha.” She wasn’t on IG but to me, I grew up on that show. I’m like “bitches want me to do their lashes, I need to get my shit together.” I started upgrading my stuff, actually using Instagram as a tool. I had a client tell me “you need to use hashtags.” I’m like “you right.” Started doing that and just grew from there. Been getting all different bitches.

Who’s your favorite person to follow?
Right now, Jess Hilarious be cracking me up. I be dying off her Instagram. Her for facts, she’s my favorite person right now.

What’s a normal day in the life? Walk us through.
Wake up, drink water, shower. Roll up, hop in my whip, go get me a green juice or a donut from Slauson Donuts. Check in at the Lash Trap, smoke up. Call Francois, we hop on a little Facetime or call, gathering all the shit. All the plans, all the scoop, then I pull up to the Trap. I’m here either getting shit done, organizing, listening to music — or I’m in the garage bumping music, making music. Or we in the studio.

Talk about making music out of your garage.
Girl, I had to get a little set up real quick. I’m like “I’m tired of paying n*ggas to make shit.” I can’t fully express myself because it’s always people in here listening to me, trying to figure me out. I couldn’t do it. I was like “nah.” I saved up my little coin and was like “Guitar Center, what’s poppin’?” Well, Sonny Digital came and set it up for me.

3 things you need in the studio?
Water, water, water. I don’t need weed, but I like to have my weed on deck ‘cause sometimes it’s time to roll up. The third thing: beats. I need endless selection and we good. Water, weed and beats.

Talk about tapping in with Jay Ant.
I met him through my manager. He was already at the studio, they had a session before that. They’re in there concocting, just good vibes all around. He’s like “yeah I heard your shit, I’ma come to your session too.” I’m like “fasho pull up.” We ended up making some fire shit, and just been linking up since. He’s a Sagittarius too. I don’t understand how we get along, but we click.

What’s the best encounter you had with a fan?
Recently, I was getting out the car on Slauson and 4 girls pulled up in a car like “wsup! we love your shit! We be bumping your shit every day.” I’m like “what?! Turn up!” That turnt me the fuck up, especially because it’s right in front of my store. Slauson revival, it just gave me life.

Who’s the most played artist on your phone?
Nipsey. My favorite is “One Hunnit” off Slauson Boy 2.

Dream collab?
So many people… fuck. With production, Missy Elliot because I love what she did with Beyonce on her debut album, Dangerously In Love. That song “Signs,” that was it. For artist feature, Jay- Z is a given. Shit, it was Nip. For facts. He’s from here, that’s fam. That woulda been easy. But who I’ve always wanted to collab with is Erykah Badu. That’d be fire.

Anything you want to let us know? 
Download the Lash Trap playlist on all platforms. Pull up, don’t sell your vagina.