mschanelbag

[mschanelbag]

( 𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟹, 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝟹. ;

‘ i’m meeting with warner today to hopefully come up with a better solution for the rollout of my album. fingers crossed that they take the offer i plan to present to them. i just need their backing to really push my ideas. ’

** due to legal reasons, warner asked for privacy. therefore, no footage was recorded during their discussion. **

“chanel, thank you for coming in to meet with us today. have a seat.” robert kyncl, ceo of wmg, spoke firmly yet politely. chanel took a seat, aura full of confidence, per usual. she sat up straight, attentively engaging in the conversation. they expressed how her sales have declined since her first ep, yet she wasn’t going for that. “i respect your opinion, however, i notice you keep speaking on the past when i’m focused on the future. yes, the sales aren’t doing what they used to, but that’s why i need the budget to start this new era. a fresh slate.” she stood up, reaching in her birkin to pull out a folder that held her ideas. ‘is it the way?’ treatment and vision board with music video ideas and a jill scott sample she hoped would be cleared.

she pitched the entire release, wanting to experiment with an adult and sexier sound. none of her peers were doing the pretty and clean girl aesthetic in the rap space—she wanted to be the first. a new sound for her and the industry in general. the board seemed to be split down the middle, some impressed while others didn’t look too pleased by the presentation. “and i’ve decided that if i’m not prioritized by this company’s budget—i want out of my contract.” nervous, she stood there hidden inside a hard shell, yet her chest stuck out while sticking to her guns and beliefs. the warner board proposed an idea in return: she’d get her budget for the jill scott-inspired single, but if it doesn’t stream well; her album will be shelved until her contract expires.

( 𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟹, 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝟺. ;

‘fly girl’ by flo played in the background while the icy girl exited the vehicle and entered a fashion store. ahead of the upcoming video shoot for her self-promising single, chanel ventured off to the mall to go shopping for different pieces for the music video. she wanted to make sure her looks were on point—something she was infamous for when it came to the trajectory of her career.

‘ i’m honestly so excited to prove to everyone that i still got it. this is the first single that i’ve been allowed full control rollout-wise and one of my favorite sports is proving people wrong—so expect glitz, glam, and a hit! ’

chanel left the store empty-handed. she wanted something bigger and better, something out of the normal. though she was able to brainstorm other ideas while shopping, she wanted to try other options before selecting the first thing she saw. after all, the opportunity was her make it or break it moment, and she never accepted failure.

[mschanelbag]

( 𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟹, 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝟷. ;

chanel stood before a camera crew and photographer while an instrumental version of ‘all yours’ by kennedei played in the background. the label forcing her to create a whole new body of work—despite not even releasing the first album weighted on her mind, yet she showed up to work like any other day. locked, loaded, and posing effortlessly.

‘ it’s been a long few weeks and i’m beginning to feel like i’m never going to exit the trial and error phase of my career. i’m creating new music with different sounds and no one outside of people close to me sees it because nothing is sticking. however, my team had an idea to start shooting album cover samples to see if we could draw some inspiration from the visuals first. ’

chanel took a break, sipping her water through a straw while next to the photographer—shuffling through the pictures they’d taken. “ooh, i know thas’ right! these are hella’ cute,” she spoke excitedly, nodding her head before being approached by her manager. “hey, nelly! how do you feel about being part of dopamine? kennedei’s team reached out this morning and they think you two would fit together like a glove.” an interested smirk arose across her facial features. she’d been friends with the singer for nearly three years, so her answer was a no-brainer, she felt. “that would be so dope, everyone knows how much i love ken. tell them to send the track, baby!”

‘ a few days later . . . ’

( 𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟹, 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝟸. ;

chanel drove herself and a couple friends down the highway, on their way to the studio in downtown la. the goal for the session: three-to-five album tracks + the dopamine feature. she was antsy to get back to work—music was the most important part of her career, so she wanted to create something the label would finally clear.

over two hours later, she stepped out of the booth and sat down at one of the engineer seats—opening her phone to see her manager multi-texting her. an article with multiple links of leaked music tagged underneath the post: her previous work that was scrapped had been illegally released to the world.

‘ have you ever opened your phone to a bunch of bullsh*t and just have to shut the screen off before you make any irrational decisions or do something you’ll regret? yeah, that’s me right now. i’m over it. ’

she rolled her eyes, turning her head to face skye and monté—awkwardly smiling to mask the frustration. “they want me to keep making more music just to shelve it, now shit like this is happening? this is really a waste of my time,” chanel held out the article on her phone for them to read, followed by the comments that had mixed reviews: good and bad.

[mschanelbag]

( 𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟸, 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝟷. ;

saweetie’s “all night” verse played in the background while she entered the set of the music video shoot for the exact song—alongside girl group, ive. days apart from the social media frenzy, she was excited to hide her face in work and do what she loved most: entertainment.

‘ so, today i’m filming a music video with a talented kpop group, ive, and honestly, i’m so excited for this one. any time where i can dabble in a new sound, i’m all for it. i think it’s super important to expand your creative palette. ’

while awaiting her cue to film her scenes, chanel sat in one of the director’s chairs prior to being approached by one of her homegirls who came as moral support. she checked on the rapper, asking her if she was excited about the music video. “i’m a lil’ nervous, but it’s the good kind of butterflies,” she smirked, hearing her phone ring from her duffle bag in the seat next to her. it was spice.

‘ i haven’t spoken to naomi ever since she went on that podcast. i’ve since cooled down, but i’m more focused on work. i love her, but i have to from a distance from here on out. ’

“girl,” she rolled her eyes, darting her attention towards her friend. acrylics flashing her phone screen, filling her in on what she might’ve missed. “now she keep texting my phone and i literally don’t want to speak to her. i can’t fake the funk, but i’m also just too busy to deal with her boredom.” chanel blatantly ignored naomi’s multiple imessages, sliding her phone back inside of her bag before finishing her shoot.

( 𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟸, 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝟸. ;

chanel set-hopped all week long, this one being for velma—though she was able to finish voice recording, she still had to shoot promotional content such as pictures, videos, and extra voice recordings. she’d been running on an energy drink and her drive to be the best, multifaceted version of herself. versatility was where she thrived, she felt.

“i can’t believe i grew up watching scooby-doo and all these years later i’m guest starring in a spinoff for the franchise,” she spoke to her makeup and hair-stylists, soaking in the surreal feeling. “how much time do we have before they need me?” “now,” her manager awkwardly laughed.

chanel quickly gathered herself before exiting the dressing room, designer-embellished soles gracing the expensive set. she greeted the cast and team of the project—engaging in conversation before eventually placing herself before the camera. posing before a green screen, she made sure to give the crew multiple selections to choose from; enjoying the spotlight they’d given her.

“you’re a natural, saweetie!” the photographer fueled her fire and she loved every second of it. once she wrapped her session, she sweetly thanked the velma crew before sauntering off toward her dressing room. she took a seat at the vanity while switching her heels into a pair of her comfortable marni slides. “have you talked to the label executives yet? the fans are flooding your comments.”

‘ my fans have always made it known they want my debut album, they don’t understand the business side of the industry. however, ever since naomi left me off of her top 5 list, people have been saying i had no reason to feel a way towards her when i don’t have a solid album out yet. ’

“yeah, they aren’t budgeting my rollout until they believe i have a great body of work,” she replied to her hairstylist, standing up to fully slide her feet inside the slides. “they basically said i have to get back in the studio and damn near rebuild the project. birthday, richtivities, and my best have all been scrapped from the album—per warner. nani was the only single able to do well on radio, so as of now, pbm has less than five official songs on the tracklist.” “wow.. so now what?” he asked. “i have to get back in the studio.” disappointment evident, chanel shrugged while wheeling her suitcase out of the dressing room.

[mschanelbag]

( 𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟷, 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝟻. ;

hip hop instrumental played in the background while sightings of different los angeles locations flipped from screen-cap to screen-cap. ( chanel ) resided in her home studio, recording for her role in velma—due in a weeks time. though she only had about a weeks worth of voice-acting lessons, she felt like she did a pretty good job—granted, she was playing herself in the series.

she decided it was time for a break, so she rewarded herself halfway through the session—with some fresh air out on the patio. habitually finding the perfect lighting to grace her followers’ timelines with a couple selfies, scrolling through her notifications, and eventually coming across multiple mentions of her and spice under the same blog pages.

‘ i’m scrolling through my mentions and all i see is my name in the same sentence as naomi. at this point, i’m confused. people are saying “spice isn’t your real friend,” and that she was being shady towards me in a recent interview. ’ screen showing the short clip of spice on a podcast where she stated her top 5 female rappers—evidently leaving her friend out; practically dismissing her music career. ‘ i get what the interviewer was trying to do, get some clicks and bait the fans in, but it was hella’ lame of her to fall for it. ’

( chanel ) sat there, clearly growing annoyed. scratching her head, she looked up at a mutual close friend of theirs—skye—who was just as shocked by the turn of events. she stood up before entering her home, tossing her phone on the kitchen counter. “that’s so fucking humiliating,” rolling her eyes, she didn’t know how to prepare for the internet’s reception to the clip. saweetie wasn’t everyone’s favorite rapper and some straight up disliked her—so she couldn’t even imagine what the aftermath of the podcast episode would be, especially in the climate of her post-hiatus. “i promise you, she’s done for. i don’t want any parts of anything she has going on.” she reassured skye, who was seemingly playing neutral and devil’s advocate. the screen faded to black before showcasing what’s to come on this season of the icy life.

*** once the cameras turned off, saweetie had her social media manager unfollow spice on all platforms. ***

[mschanelbag]

( 𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟷, 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝟺. ;

‘ having your hands in multiple bags and industries can be extremely time consuming. by the time i’m finished with zoom meetings with different brands and my team, i’m hitting the studio until the sun comes back up. it’s honestly a lot, but i’m not letting up easy. ’

‘ i invited an acting coach over today to help me dabble into the tv and movie space. i think the icy brand is more than just one thing, which is why i take every lane serious. ’ ( chanel ) sat poolside with denise, a voice-actor coach, who’s preparing the rapper for a future animation role. ‘ i’ve been casted as myself for the animated scooby doo spin-off, velma. i’ve been part of different shows, like belair, grown-ish, and power—but this is my first cartoon role where the main focus for the actor is voicing your character perfectly. ’

[mschanelbag]

( 𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟷, 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝟹. ;

‘ so, today i decided to meet up with my best friend, 𝑛𝑎𝑜𝑚𝑖, (also known as spice) to catch up and treat ourselves to a shopping spree. life has been hella’ chaotic for us both and she’s rarely ever in my city, so girls time is definitely needed. ’

after meeting inside of a local shoe store, the pair of best friends greeted one another with a hug—excited to finally have some time to catch up and spend the afternoon together. they’ve been friends for a couple years, creating a bond through a collaboration in the past. though they aren’t able to see each other as much as they’d like—being that they live on opposite ends of the world—they were truly sisters at heart.

‘ hey, girl! ’ ( naomi ) spoke in her usual exciting tone, ( chanel ) reciprocating the exact same energy. ‘ what’s up? what you been up to, boo? ’ she followed up curiously, wandering eyes scanning over the huge selection of shoes. ‘ i’ve been working on new music, trying to get this debut album together, girl. i won’t live it down if i don’t put something out. ’

‘ i find myself uncomfortable at times when it comes to talking about my album because—it isn’t black and white. if i had it my way, it would’ve dropped years ago. however, there’s been a lot of online discourse about my music catalog and the label has been discouraged to budget my rollout. ’ ( chanel ) shrugged, thinking back to the countless conversations she had with warner records.

the rap-duo continued their shopping—discussing chanel’s first performance post-hiatus, the hate that fueled her social media break, and naomi’s upcoming album rollout. being the water sign she was, ( chanel ) felt a bit of off-putting energy, yet remained silent, unsure if she had been overanalyzing the situation. they proceeded to shoe-shop until they dropped, purchasing multiple pairs each.

[mschanelbag]

( 𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟷, 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝟸. ;

‘ wassup, y’all! it’s ya’ girl, saweetie, ’ ( chanel ) sat cutely in the den of her home, mermaid bundles dripping down her iced-out body. ‘ and i’m a grammy-nominated rapper, businesswoman, actress, socialite-content creator—you name it. i’m your girl. ’ cameras reverting backstage to her show before showcasing her interactions with the fans who came out to support her—her voiceover playing on top. ‘ originally from the bay area, i currently live in los angeles. i’m a true west coast girl, i represent it from the music to the looks, down to the way i talk and carry myself. ’

‘ i broke out into the music scene in 2019. i was actually very fortunate enough to go viral off of my first single, ‘icy girl’, and that song remains a staple to my brand. i think i’d still be where i am had i never dropped it, but maybe not as quick. i still get offered deals off that single alone. ’ confessional footage shown the artist in front of the camera crew, engaging in her claim to fame. ‘ from that point on, i’ve released multiple songs and projects, but—and this is a big dramatic but. . i still haven’t released a debut album. my fans will not rest until i do so. ’ laughter echoing off the walls, shaking her head at the thought of the crazed messages from her die-hard supporters online.

[mschanelbag]

( 𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟷, 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝟷. ;

‘bo$$ chick’ by 𝓈𝑎𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑒 played in the background of the opening scene, cameras following ( chanel ) from the parking lot of the los angeles at&t stadium to the backstage area where she’d meet with her entire team — glam, hair, and management alike. she arrived a couple hours before her cue to take the stage in hopes of shaking off the performance-rust, being this was her first live performance since her last ep was the internet’s laughing stock. however, she allowed the negativity to temporarily roll off her back, gracing the next opportunity with optimism and confidence.

performing hit songs such as ‘my type’, ‘best friend’, and ‘back to the streets’, the icy girl hit the ground running with an amazing, interactive performance. handing out several icy chains, pulling a couple fans on stage, and even having her security carry her off stage so she’d be able to meet a few of the supporters behind the barricade. highlights of the performance were shown while ‘icy girl (instrumental)’ played, fading into ‘the icy life’ intro.

[mschanelbag]

( chanel ) had always been open to whatever most people had to say in interview spaces, being the open minded person she was. however, unfortunately for the co-hosts of ( podcrushed ), she instructed her team to hand them her reasonable list of interview dos and don’ts before arriving to the new york studio. her last interview left a sour taste in her mouth when asked about a certain someone she had no interest in giving time of day, resulting in a list of restrictions:

DON’TS.

nicki minaj vs cardi b/megan thee stallion.

men she’s been seen with.

romantic relationships.

SPICE.

any rap beef.

najee hardaway.

entering the studio with a bashfully charming smile placed across her face, ( chanel ) sweetly waved at the hosts using two hands. on a high from the rush that was new york city, she was nothing short of excited to sit down and speak with ( penn badgley ) and his co-hosts. “hi, you guys! thank you for having me.” she spoke with sincerity laced in her relaxed tone, discovering comfort in her seat while adjusting her headset and microphone to her likeness. “it’s truly a delight to have you here with us today. i mean, you’re a woman of many jobs, so thank you for fitting us into your schedule.” they shared a laugh, room exuding positive energy from all parties.

“speaking of many jobs, i feel like it’s only right we dive in to your most recent project—the icy life. for those who don’t know, saweetie recently announced a brand new reality show that’ll be exclusively streamed on hulu. from my understanding, we’re the first to have you speak on it, so tell us a little bit about that.” ( penn ) rolled out the red carpet of opportunity for his guest to take the chance to promote her series. “well, yes. i’m super excited, because reality tv was such a huge thing when i was growing up, and i’ve always been a fan. plus, my fans have always wanted to see what my life is like outside of social media—so with the proper backing and support from hulu, i plan on giving them a glimpse of my world.”

“i think it makes sense for you because you’ve always been a content girly. like, from the instagram reels and your brief vlogging era on youtube, a reality show was meant for talents like yourself. we were literally just watching your reenactment of sex in the city just now. so just know, i’ll be tuning in.” ( sophie ) chimed in with support. “thank you, girl.” she responded with a smile, pink acrylics fluffing out the ends of her bundles. “i one-hundred percent agree. what can we expect from the show? do you think fans will be shocked by how you live your every day life?” her eyes lit up when thinking of her response, enjoying this new era of her career, and what else was to come with it. “hm. honestly, yes, but maybe no? i think so, ‘cause when people see icy, they see the glitz and glam, and assume that’s all i am. however, behind the makeup and the music and the social media posts—i’m a real person with real feelings and i go through real things like everyone else. i’m fortunate to have this platform, but i’m human and i hope that’s what the audience is able to perceive.”

“it feels intentional that you choose to be vocal about the reality of your life from the early days of your adulthood to now. i think it’s a true testament to your character, feeding your listeners gems such as ‘my best’ and ‘richtivities’ where you manifest the luxury of existing in your most authentic form—and/or aspiring to better your lifestyle. was that the formula for your newest release, ‘is it the way’? ( chanel ) couldn’t help but smirk at the wordy dialogue, enjoying the research and knowledge of the interviewers. she confirmed with a nod. “i think ‘is it the way’ is a mature version of my older sound. i dropped it a week apart from ‘my best’ because it kinda’ continues the feel-good anthem in a way. it has a hint of manifestations and the yearning for more out of this life, but it’s also just sexy and makes you feel good. it’s a confidence booster, for sure. i think it sets the tone for a girls night out.”

“ah. that makes sense. can we expect more of this sound heading into the rollout of your debut album?” “i’d like to think so. it’s been received well by my fans, so i let them do the talking for me. i plan on having a plethora of sounds on the album though. i’m singing a lot more, as you can hear from this last release. or even ‘nani’.” ( chanel ) wanted to give as much album details as she could without getting in trouble with her label.

* the foursome proceeded with an informative discussion of all-things icy girl: life as an only child, graduating from usc, being discovered within a year of rapping, dream brand deals, and much more. be sure to tune in to ‘the icy life’ october 14th—only on hulu. *

[mschanelbag]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐋 sat in her seat with a relaxed and reserved smile across her soft glammed visage, resting her custom designer bag and lipgloss down onto the table before waiting on the countdown. at the sound of three, the camera would begin rolling, and anything that would flow from her shimmery pair could possibly be used against her. ❝ ight, man. let’s get it, this is the power 1.06 lift off show and today we have LA’s own, and my sister, 𝒔𝒂𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒆 in the studio. wassup, girl? ❞

❝ wassup? i’m happy to be here, it’s always nice to come back to where i started. this station was the first to invite me out, so i always have to come visit. it means a lot. ❞ appreciative of the platform they’d given her time and time again, she knew she was in good hands to kickstart her promo run.

❝ you came out swinging with two new singles. ‘my best’, which dropped this past friday. then there’s another release coming this friday, ‘is it the way’. talk to me about ‘my best’ first, hard record by the way. ❞

❝ i appreciate that. um, well—‘my best’ was originally made during a time where i wasn’t feeling or doing my best. i’m a believer in manifestation through music, […] my fans tell me it’s reminiscent of og saweetie, so i’m happy with it. ❞

❝ i was getting ready to say that it sounds a bit like your older freestyles, but evolved and grownup. are you in a better mental space now than you were back when you recorded this? you look pretty happy to me. ❞

❝ i have my days. i definitely made it out the funk i was in, but life has a way of throwing curveballs and shake everything back up. that’s why i find it important to speak greater things into existence and make feel-good music. with ‘my best’, i want my fans to understand that i’m human just like them— […] but as long as you believe the best is yet to come, you’ll make it through anything. ❞

❝ that’s dope and a true testament to your brand. i mean you’ve been pretty consistent at uplifting women in your music since icy girl days. i can assume that’s what ‘is it the way’ is about as well, huh? ❞

❝ of course. my music will always cater to the pretty girls who’s getting to the bag while balancing ups and downs of life—‘cause we all have those. with ‘is it the way’, i intend on using my platform to show young girls and women that we’re in control, […] no matter the way we walk, talk, dress, act—we have the power. ❞

❝ i fuck with that, i really do. your voice is important, especially being one of the biggest cali-bred women in rap. speaking of california, you recently hosted your first ‘NANi night’ out here in LA to celebrate your new single. we saw the likes of chloë bailey, emerie, and spice in attendance—how was that and do you plan hosting more of those going forward? ❞

❝ we need to put you on payroll, ‘cause i definitely have thought about hosting more nani nights. in different places though, like i want to take it to the east coast and south as well. i have a lot of things coming up that i’d love to celebrate, so stay tuned for the deets. ❞

❝ alright, alright. well invite me next time, dammit! that’s how you treat family? nah, i’m messin’ with you. but, hold up—while on the topic of spice, fans noticed you recently unfollowed her, is there a reason why? ❞

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐋 cleared her throat and casually side-eyed her team behind the cameras, a smile slowly creeping across her facial features. ❝ umm, what happened to family? ❞ visibly uncomfortable with being put on the spot, like everything else going on in her personal life, she allowed the question to roll off her back. ❝ i mean, what is there to talk about? you follow people you want to see down your timeline and you unfollow people you don’t, and i just think her lease is up. next question. ❞ she mimicked her rap counterpart in her recent interview when asked of their friendship, shrugging her shoulders while uncapping her kombucha.

with his hands up as a signal of surrender, the interviewer glanced down at his notecard before realizing he had enough time for one more question. ❝ alright, that’s fair. before we wrap this up, what can the fans expect from you during this last half of the year? ❞

❝ more music, for sure. i’m on a search for the right sound for my album, which is why i’ve been releasing a lot of work. outside of music, i have something huge that i can’t speak on just yet, but i will very soon. more nani nights, a birthday next month. exciting things are happening, i’m a blessed girl. ❞

❝ well, you always have a home here at power 1.06. come back when the album drop, don’t forget about us. thank you for coming through as always, give it up for 𝒔𝒂𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒆! ❞