Ice Ice Baby: How Saweetie Built Her Pretty B*tch Empire

Summary

Net Worth and Chill: "Ice Ice Baby: How Saweetie Built Her Pretty B*tch Empire"

Host: Vivian Tu
Guest: Saweetie
Release Date: July 9, 2025
Network: Vox Media Podcast Network

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Introduction

Vivian Tu, popularly known as Your Rich BFF, welcomes listeners to another enriching episode of Net Worth and Chill. This episode features the Grammy-nominated artist and entrepreneur, Saweetie, as she delves into her financial journey, entrepreneurial ventures, and the lessons she's learned along the way.

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Early Life and Money Memories

Growing Up with Young Parents
Saweetie opens up about her upbringing, highlighting the challenges and inspirations that shaped her financial mindset.

• Vivian: "What was money like in your family?"
• Saweetie [00:01]: "I grew up with really young parents. I saw two people who I looked up to working their ass off. So I think that's where I get a lot of, like, my ambition, my hustle."

First Forays into Earning
Reflecting on her entrepreneurial spirit from a young age, Saweetie shares her earliest money-making ventures.

• Saweetie [06:39]: "My earliest memory was doing bake sales after church... I started selling candy at school. I was like the candy girl."

Vivian adds her own relatable story about selling chapsticks in third grade, fostering a sense of camaraderie between them.

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Pursuing Music and Navigating Financial Struggles

Academic Dedication and Transfer to USC
Saweetie discusses her academic journey, emphasizing her commitment to excelling in school to secure her tuition.

• Saweetie [10:15]: "I was always avid with, like, getting my A's. Very proactive... If I didn't get a good grade on my test, I'd go back, correct my answers to bump my grade up."

Despite securing her tuition initially, rising costs forced her to take out loans, which she promptly paid off once her music career took off.

Choosing Music Over Stable Employment
Her unwavering passion for music led her to decline lucrative job offers, reinforcing her dedication to her craft.

• Saweetie [12:02]: "Yes, I just knew it. I just knew it from like the bottom of my heart."

She recounts turning down a well-paying medical assistant position, underscoring her commitment to music despite financial uncertainties.

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Breakthrough and Managing Newfound Wealth

Strategic Deadline and Discovery
Facing financial strain in Los Angeles, Saweetie set a one-year deadline to achieve her dreams, which culminated in her discovery in the ninth month.

• Saweetie [14:43]: "I gave myself a deadline. On the ninth month from that plan, I had got discovered."

Early Financial Management Mistakes
Upon receiving her first major income, Saweetie admits to initial overspending, a common pitfall for newly affluent individuals.

• Saweetie [20:56]: "I started splurging. It was probably one of, like, the worst mistakes I made."

She highlights excessive spending on clothes and generosity towards friends and family without setting boundaries.

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Money Mistakes and Lessons Learned

Excessive Shopping as Emotional Therapy
Saweetie identifies shopping too much as her biggest financial mistake, attributing it to unhealed emotional needs.

• Saweetie [45:31]: "Shopping was like therapy for me. It was a toxic way of nurturing my unhealed feelings about something."

Setting Financial Boundaries
To curb her spending, she had to establish clear boundaries with those close to her, learning the importance of financial discipline.

• Saweetie [21:56]: "I had to start creating boundaries because some people thought that money was just growing off of trees."

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Current Ventures and Future Investments

Expanding Beyond Music
Saweetie discusses her strategic shift from solely relying on brand deals to building her own brand, aiming to become a brand ambassador influencer.

• Saweetie [26:39]: "I'm trying to create, like, my own brand... I need to have my own brand now."

Real Estate Aspirations
Expressing her interest in real estate, Saweetie envisions creating luxury, affordable homes for college students.

• Saweetie [30:57]: "I'd like to create luxury, affordable homes for college students."

Re-establishing Her Media Team
As she prepares to release new music, Saweetie emphasizes the importance of a robust media team to manage her growing content and business endeavors.

• Saweetie [35:12]: "I need to like get a media team again because I'm finna pop out again."

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Financial Philosophy and Advice

Scarcity vs. Abundance Mindset
Saweetie contrasts the financial mindsets of those with and without money, advocating for an abundance mindset among the affluent.

• Saweetie [46:02]: "For people who don't have it, I feel like they're thinking in a very singular way... there's almost a lightness to the conversation."

Importance of a Support System
She underscores the necessity of a strong support system in achieving and managing wealth.

• Saweetie [27:25]: "Having a strong support system... it's important to have a community that you love and trust."

Passive Income Goals
Saweetie shares her ambition to generate millions in passive income, allowing her to focus solely on her passions without financial constraints.

• Vivian [38:55]: "A money goal is to have passive income in the millions."

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Personal Growth and Future Aspirations

Continuous Work Ethic
Despite achieving significant financial success, Saweetie remains committed to her work, expressing no desire to retire but rather to mentor others.

• Saweetie [41:12]: "I think what retirement looks for me is probably like pouring into someone else's career."

Artistic Integrity
She emphasizes her commitment to creating art for its own sake, free from external pressures and the "game" of the industry.

• Saweetie [46:56]: "My ultimate goal is just to be happy with the art that I put out. Not trying to appease anything... just purely doing art for what I did it for."

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Closing Thoughts

In a heartfelt conclusion, Saweetie reflects on her financial journey, acknowledging both her mistakes and the support systems that have propelled her forward. Vivian and Saweetie end the episode on a light-hearted note, brainstorming future collaborations and merchandise ideas, symbolizing the blend of financial savvy and creative entrepreneurship that defines Saweetie's empire.

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Notable Quotes

• Saweetie [00:01]: "I saw two people who I looked up to working their ass off. So I think that's where I get a lot of... my ambition, my hustle."
• Saweetie [10:15]: "If I didn't get a good grade on my test, I'd go back, correct my answers to bump my grade up."
• Saweetie [14:43]: "I had set out for myself, I was actually working towards something instead of just aimlessly trying to like, figure it out."
• Saweetie [20:56]: "I started splurging. It was probably one of, like, the worst mistakes I made."
• Saweetie [45:32]: "Shopping was like therapy for me. It was a toxic way of nurturing my unhealed feelings."
• Saweetie [46:02]: "There's almost a lightness to the conversation. How can we play with this money? What can we do with this money?"
• Saweetie [27:25]: "Having a strong support system... it's important to have a community that you love and trust."
• Saweetie [38:03]: "Having a good business team."
• Saweetie [41:12]: "I think what retirement looks for me is probably like pouring into someone else's career."
• Saweetie [46:56]: "My ultimate goal is just to be happy with the art that I put out."

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Final Thoughts

Net Worth and Chill successfully navigates Saweetie's financial narrative, offering listeners an insightful look into the complexities of managing wealth in the entertainment industry. From humble beginnings and financial missteps to strategic investments and future aspirations, Saweetie's story serves as both inspiration and a blueprint for financial empowerment.

For more engaging episodes and financial wisdom, subscribe to Net Worth and Chill and follow Vivian Tu on Instagram @yourrichbff.

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Transcript

[Vivian Tu]

What was money like in your family?

[Saweetie]

I grew up with really young parents. I saw two people who I looked up to working their ass off. So I think that's where I get a lot of, like, my ambition, my hustle.

[Vivian Tu]

What are all of the different ways that you are making money?

[Saweetie]

Going outside of music? So, like starting businesses I would have got a brand deal for, but now I'm trying to create, like my own brand.

[Vivian Tu]

Other investments in your life. Talk to me.

[Saweetie]

I'm interested in real estate.

[Vivian Tu]

You are?

[Saweetie]

I'd like to create luxury, affordable homes for college students.

[Vivian Tu]

Over the course of your lifetime, what do you think is like the biggest money mistake you've made?

[Saweetie]

Shopping too much.

[Vivian Tu]

Really, it's just the shopping, it was.

[Saweetie]

Like therapy for me. It was a toxic way of me nurturing my unhealed feelings about something. I think this has been one of the most difficult conversations for me.

[Vivian Tu]

Really.

[Saweetie]

I really enjoyed it. But when you've made so much money and you haven't had money before, sometimes you're just so happy that you made money. So you don't really plan your money. Now I'm thinking different.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

So when you were asking me some of these questions, in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, you know, I should be thinking about that.

[Vivian Tu]

What's up, rich friends? Welcome back to another episode of Net Worth and chill with me, your host, Vivian Tu, AKA your rich bff. So today we're going to talk about a topic that has been hotly requested. How do you manage your money when your career doesn't necessarily fit into this clean, neat little box of, oh, I get a 401k and I have health benefits. What if you are a creative, a freelancer, you're trying to build something new, something that none of your friends are doing, but you don't necessarily know when that next paycheck is coming in? How do you manage your money in a smart way? How do you use it to build your business? How do you use it to grow and get bigger and bigger and better and better? So I have someone very, very exciting to join me today. She is a Grammy nominated recording artist and entrepreneur who's mastered the art of managing wealth in the entertainment industry, turning her creative talents into a thriving empire. She's been on shows like SNL, Bel Air, and BMF. She's a fellow Forbes 30 under 30 girly. Everyone, please welcome Saweetie.

[Saweetie]

Hey, guys. And I'm a college girly like you.

[Vivian Tu]

That's right.

[Saweetie]

Mm.

[Vivian Tu]

College educated, smart, sexy and talented.

[Saweetie]

Oh, you think I'M sexy.

[Vivian Tu]

You know I do. I told you that when you walked in.

[Saweetie]

You looks good too. Thank you.

[Vivian Tu]

Thank you. Okay, so before we actually get into our conversation, I have a fun little icebreaker. And I'll tell you my name after I tell. After you share yours.

[Saweetie]

Okay.

[Vivian Tu]

What is the brokest you've ever been?

[Unknown]

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[Saweetie]

The brokers. Oh, my gosh. This story makes me, like, laugh every time. So when I was in college, if I didn't like, like, the food that I was that I, like, got at a restaurant, I would file a claim.

[Vivian Tu]

No, no, no, no, no, no.

[Saweetie]

I was like, well, listen, listen, listen. So imagine somebody calling to go file a claim, and then they're asking me, how much was this meal? When I'm saying, like, 16 and $20, they're like, oh, like, $200. Or like, 16. I'm like, no, 16 $20. They literally, I could hear them holding in their lap, and it's just like, girl, you got it. It's only, like, 16 $20. But that's how like.

[Vivian Tu]

Like, you would dispute the charge if the food was bad.

[Saweetie]

You would dispute the charge if the food was bad.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay, but like, what was, like, an example of, like, a bad dish you.

[Saweetie]

Got If I didn't like how it.

[Vivian Tu]

Tastes, you literally just. You didn't like it if I didn't like it.

[Saweetie]

But I'm a foodie, so if I don't like it and I like a lot of. So, yeah, but you could literally hear them holding in their laugh like, I can't believe this woman is calling me over. 16, 17, 18, $20.

[Vivian Tu]

You know what, though?

[Saweetie]

I didn't feel like it was money well spent.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

Running my money back.

[Vivian Tu]

You might even be able to get that money back. But you know what? You can't get the stomach space back. And that makes me so angry when I eat something and I don't like it.

[Saweetie]

You're a real foodie. You can't get that stomach space back.

[Vivian Tu]

You can't get that stomach's face back. But I'll tell You the brokest. I've been. I was an intern over the summer and I was going for a full time job and I was like, you know what? I'm gonna save all this money. And that way when I get back to senior year of college, I'm gonna be a baller. I'm gonna be going out, we're gonna be at the club, I'm gonna get drinks at the bar. So every night I would have a handful of pistachios for dinner and then just go to sleep. Because when I would get back to the office, I knew that there was food there that I could eat for free.

[Saweetie]

A smart woman. Smart and healthy.

[Vivian Tu]

I ate a lot of pistachios.

[Saweetie]

A lot of pistachios.

[Vivian Tu]

And you know what worked out okay? I got that full time job. And then I went back senior year and you better believe I was at the club every weekend.

[Saweetie]

Really?

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

You know, but also I was not spending my own money at the club.

[Saweetie]

Okay.

[Vivian Tu]

Cause I was like, let me sit at your table. I shouldn't have to spend on this. I'm a cute girl. Okay, but let's talk a little bit about your childhood. Let's roll the tape back. Tell me about what it was like growing up. What was money like in your family?

[Saweetie]

I feel like money was a month to month thing. I grew up with really young parents. My mom and my dad had me at a really young age. So I experienced them working like 9 to 5 or like graveyard shifts. So for me, money was something that they worked really hard for. And in hindsight, I didn't like it because I wasn't able to spend a lot of time with my parents. But I think the positive from that was I saw two people who I looked up to working their ass off to, you know, make a living. So I think that's where I get a lot of like my ambition, my hustle, and like how I work. So, I mean, there was. There's some pros and cons to that, but it was definitely a month to month thing of them trying to figure it out.

[Vivian Tu]

What was your earliest money memory like? Did you get an allowance? Or like what happened when you started to realize you needed money to buy stuff you wanted?

[Saweetie]

My earliest memory was doing bake sales after church.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, okay.

[Saweetie]

At first it was bake sales. That didn't really work though. So then I started selling candy at school. I was like the candy girl. And that's when like, AIM was popping. Did you have an aim?

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

And I had that really, really embarrassing away message. And I was hoping that one boy that I had a crush on would message me, right?

[Saweetie]

So on my, like, away message, I'd be like, hit me if you need some candy. And, like, I'll leave, like, the class. We can go to the bathroom and do a little exchange. But yeah, I was like. I was the girl who, like, sold candy at school.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, I can relate to that. I was selling chapsticks.

[Saweetie]

Chapsticks?

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

How did that sell?

[Vivian Tu]

So basically it was a situation where I. I was, like, a really big nerd. Like, I loved, you know, beginning of the year, you would get school supplies. I would have, like, the smelly highlighters that, like, smelled like fruits and stuff. And you would have a desk buddy. And I remember my teacher being like, you have to share with your buddy if they don't have a highlighter. And I sat next to this girl who. She would have lost her head if it wasn't screwed on. Like, she just. By the third week of school, she had no supplies, and so I'd always lend her.

[Saweetie]

What grade were you in?

[Vivian Tu]

It was like, third grade.

[Saweetie]

I always, like, sorry to cut you off, but I always wonder what happened to those kind of kids.

[Vivian Tu]

I don't know, you know?

[Saweetie]

Yeah, like, how. Like, how were they?

[Vivian Tu]

I would figure it out.

[Saweetie]

How did you figure it out? Yeah, yeah, sorry. My mind just went there. That's real. That's real.

[Vivian Tu]

And I lent her my highlighter all the time, but one day I got sick of doing it, and so I was like, listen. I was like, listen, like, show me your schoolbox. What's in your school box? Let's trade. I'll give you a highlighter, and that way you don't have to keep asking me to borrow mine. And she had, like, half of a chewed up eraser, like a pencil that was really small.

[Saweetie]

Yeah, like, it was. It was like a miscellaneous box, huh?

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, just like a miscellaneous dirty box. And then she had a used chapstick. And I was like, I am a genius. So I said, I will trade you my fancy highlighter for a used chapstick. And she was, you know, full disclosure, she was like, listen, I've used this chapstick. I was like, no problem. Lend me that paper clip in there.

[Saweetie]

Oh, and you're me.

[Vivian Tu]

I went and chopped off the top of this chapstick. And I went it down. I turned it down a little bit. And then I sold it to another kid in the class for a dollar. And that got me a cinnamon stick churro at snack time.

[Saweetie]

I love that. For you come on, hustle, woman.

[Vivian Tu]

But then I kept doing it, and, like, I kept, like, I would get, like, a bunch of chapstick, and I started selling it. And then they called my parents.

[Saweetie]

Wait, why did you get in trouble for that?

[Vivian Tu]

Because I was, like, running an underground chapstick ring during school hours. And they were like, this girl, can't keep selling chapstick, girl.

[Saweetie]

They were acting like it was drugs or something.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Saweetie]

I was like, this is chapstick.

[Vivian Tu]

Everybody needs to be moisturized.

[Saweetie]

If anything, they should have been inspired.

[Vivian Tu]

Look at me now. Entrepreneur. Entrepreneur. So speaking of your parents, ethnically, you are African American and Filipino Chinese. Do you feel like any of those cultural backgrounds played into how your parents viewed money? And I asked that because my parents are Chinese and they're very frugal.

[Saweetie]

Well, both of my families are a part of the working class, so I've saw, like, my grandparents, my. My aunties, my uncles, my older cousins, my mom and my dad. Everyone had that odd job or that 9 to 5 job or that graveyard shift that they did to make ends meet. So I just saw my family working a lot. That's. That's how I remember my childhood. Yeah, like, for me, that was, like, normal. Like, there was no, like, stay at home moms, dads, or.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

Or. Or anything in that matter. So for me, I thought the whole world was just out there working every day.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

How did that hustle encourage you? Were they. You know, were they like, you have to be xyz, you have to do xyz, or did they just want you to be happy?

[Saweetie]

I think the main thing my mom wanted me to do was just get good grades. So I was always avid with, like, getting my A's. Very proactive, like, my homework. If I didn't get a good grade on my test, I'd go back, correct my answers to bump my grade up. Yeah, I was very. You serious with my grades? I mean, you know, I mean, I don't know if you had a tiger mom, but it's just like the B's and the C's is not cutting it. They want straight A's. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

B's were like, don't even show this to me. Yeah, like, it was bad.

[Saweetie]

Exactly.

[Vivian Tu]

That's so funny. What was your favorite subject?

[Saweetie]

Math.

[Vivian Tu]

Math.

[Saweetie]

I love math. Yes.

[Vivian Tu]

Why?

[Saweetie]

I don't know. I just love numbers. And I love, like, writing numbers with my pencil. I know that sounds really weird, but I really enjoyed, like, the lead pencil, it clicking and then me writing out the numbers. It was something that just was very therapeutic to me.

[Vivian Tu]

So fast forward. You get these good grades. You are this, you know, little dork in school. You end up getting into usc. Talk to me a little bit about that experience. Like, you know, were you thinking about how am I going to pay for school? Like, how did that go?

[Saweetie]

Well, I went to San Diego State first.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, San Diego State first.

[Saweetie]

Yeah, I went to San Diego State and then I transferred to usc. And because of my grades, I had got my tuition covered. But. But unfortunately, every year at usc, the tuition would go up. My, like my. How everything was covered, capped at a certain amount.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

So every day when tuition would go up, I'd have to like make the difference up. So I ended up having to pull out loans. So when I got, when I had gotten my record deal, one of the first things that I did was pay off my tuition.

[Vivian Tu]

Did you ever think that you were going to be a musician?

[Saweetie]

Yes, I just knew it. I just knew it from like the bottom of my heart. I was like, I can't.

[Vivian Tu]

Talk to me about that confidence. Cause you answered that so fast.

[Saweetie]

I mean, I think there was just an undeniable connection to my passion and my dream.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

And don't get it, get me wrong, like after college I did apply to get, you know, one of those well paid, nine to five jobs.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

But every time, like I go through the whole interview process, go through the motions, and then every time I would get the job, I would decline it because I'm like, if I put myself back into the cycle, I'm never gonna be able to really pursue my dreams. So that's when I would do like a whole bunch of like odd jobs so that I could like pursue my passion in, you know, music.

[Vivian Tu]

What was the hardest job to turn down and how much did it pay?

[Saweetie]

I had applied to be a medical assistant. Don't ask me what I put on my resume, but I believe it was like 50k a year.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay.

[Saweetie]

And as like a graduate with no income, like, that was a lot of money.

[Vivian Tu]

That's a lot of money.

[Saweetie]

Yeah. So it was around like 50, 55k to be like a medical assistant.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay, but talk to me. You want to be a musician so bad, but there's a lot of people out there that want to be rappers, they want to be singers. Like, what was this undying belief that you would be able to do it? Because, you know, so many people try and they don't make it to superstardom.

[Saweetie]

Honestly, the first, the first encounter that I had is, was at church. So my grandparents are pastors and every, every summer they'd have like a prophet come and prophesize. So when I was around like 12 or 13, someone had came to the church and they had prophesied to me that I'd be a musician one day. And they said a lot of great other things, but I'll just keep those to myself. But yeah, in that moment I was like, what is she talking about? Like, I want to do hair. I wanted to do hair. Yeah. At first I wanted to be a hairstylist. But when like my passion for like poetry and writing, my feelings came about, my mind went back to like that moment in church and I'm like, you know what? Maybe music is where I'm supposed to be. And like, I just feel like my soul is committed to this. You know, I couldn't picture myself doing anything else.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

So you decide you want to be a musician, you're turning down these great job offers.

[Saweetie]

I'm lying on my resume.

[Vivian Tu]

You're lying on your resume? You know what? Listen, listen. All of us embellish a little. Just a little fib.

[Saweetie]

Just a little, Just a little.

[Vivian Tu]

But you know, you start out, obviously things don't happen immediately. What were those early years? Like, how was it with money? Like, you know, being a struggling artist?

[Saweetie]

So when you're in a city that you're not from and you don't really have like the support of like your family or just people who you can rely on financially, it is uncomfortable. So what I did is I gave myself a year. I'm like, you're already a year out of school. Struggling in LA is not fun. So I'm going to give myself another year and if I don't get discovered, I'm going to go back home. So on the ninth month from that plan that I had set out for myself, I had got discovered. But because I had gave myself a deadline, I was actually working towards something instead of just aimlessly trying to like, figure it out. So I really encourage people to have like deadlines for themselves so that they're able to see what they've accomplished and what they haven't accomplished.

[Vivian Tu]

That's so smart. Like, were there any moments during that, like nine month period after that first year where you're like, I don't know if this is happening.

[Saweetie]

Yeah, well, when you're paying for like rent and gas and at the end of the month your checkings goes down to like damn near zero and you're trying to figure out month to month, like, that's really Stressful. So I was tired of that lifestyle, and that's when I had given myself a deadline.

[Vivian Tu]

That's really, really smart. What, during that time was the driving force behind your creativity? Like, was it, like, personal, like breakups or friends? What was it?

[Saweetie]

It was breakups. It was friends. It was a lot of aspirational writing because of what I was aspiring to be. But interestingly, a lot of those raps that I wrote back then was written during me driving. Driving?

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

I don't know what it is when I'm driving or when I'm working out. That's when I write the best. I have to be multitasking. Sometimes when I'm listening to a beat and I feel like that's where my best inspiration comes from. It just pulls something else out of me.

[Vivian Tu]

What kind of car were you driving at the time?

[Saweetie]

I was driving a Toyota Corolla Sport.

[Vivian Tu]

Ooh.

[Saweetie]

Yes.

[Vivian Tu]

What color?

[Saweetie]

It was dark gray. Like a shark gray.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Saweetie]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Nice.

[Saweetie]

That little thing used to get me everywhere.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah. Did you feel like during that time there was anything that you did that you're like, man, I wish I had managed my money differently.

[Saweetie]

I mean, there was no money to manage, honestly. Like, it gets to the point where I knew that I had to be really intentional with my driving. Because, you know, gas is really expensive, especially during the summertime in la. So it's like sometimes I get invited out, and if I didn't have a ride, I wouldn't go, even though I had a car. Because it's just, like, I have to be very intentional with where, like, I'm spending, like, you know, my gas money. So moments like that make me really appreciative to where I'm at today. Cause now I don't worry about, you know, that gas money and where I'm going. I can just go.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

When you were budgeting back then, was there anything that you wish you could.

[Saweetie]

Have afforded probably better meals?

[Vivian Tu]

You really are a foodie.

[Saweetie]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Is that what you think you spend the most of your money on now?

[Saweetie]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

But so you know how you had pistachios?

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

My go to was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay.

[Saweetie]

With milk and ice in it.

[Vivian Tu]

Milk? Wait, ice in the milk?

[Saweetie]

Yeah, ice in the milk. It's such a delicacy. But it was either that or it was ground turkey and rice.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay. Yeah. Ground turkey and rice actually sounds delicious.

[Saweetie]

With some ketchup. Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay, wait, no, you just lost me.

[Saweetie]

What?

[Vivian Tu]

With ketchup and.

[Saweetie]

With ketchup on the side. Ground turkey, rice, Put some ketchup.

[Vivian Tu]

Girl, aren't you Filipino? Couldn't we have at least made that into, like, some sort of ground turkey adobo? We had to put ketchup in it.

[Saweetie]

Adobo got too many ingredients.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay.

[Saweetie]

I'm trying to get home from trying to get home. Put some ground turkey. Put a little salt, pepper. I'm hungry.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay, okay, okay. We have the ketchup turkey and rice, and then the P.B.

[Saweetie]

And J. P, B and J.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay.

[Saweetie]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Easy enough, I guess. So talk to me about the kind of like that come up period. Nine months in, you're discovered. What happens?

[Saweetie]

Well, I'm finally able to get an apartment because I was renting rooms off of Craigslist. And for anybody who's familiar with that, the reason why a lot of people do that is because you don't have to, you know, pay first and last month's rent.

[Vivian Tu]

And a security deposit.

[Saweetie]

And a security deposit. It's just, like, too much going on when you get an apartment on your own. So I was renting rooms off in Craigslist because I couldn't afford to do that. So after I got, like, my big lump sum, I finally got my own apartment with a roommate. She was great. And I got a car. I got a new car.

[Vivian Tu]

What kind?

[Saweetie]

I got a G wagon.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, okay.

[Saweetie]

I love cars and I love food. Like, those are, like my two things.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Saweetie]

But, yeah, that's what I did.

[Vivian Tu]

When that first big lump sum came in, and obviously before that, when you were negotiating that contract, was there anyone that you were going to for money? Advice of like, hey, is this a good contract or should I.

[Saweetie]

My contract was horrible. It was. I mean, talk to me about that. You know, I feel like one thing that artists have to be careful of, especially, you know, starving and broke artists, is, like, sometimes negotiating for a longer amount of period and really understanding what you're getting yourself into pays off in the long run. But honestly, I was just so happy to have all that money in my face. I'm like, okay, I need this. Let's go.

[Vivian Tu]

When it came to future negotiations, did you have a money mentor that you were speaking with, maybe other artists, maybe management agents, whatever, to help you?

[Saweetie]

Well, right now I have a really great business team. You have really good lawyers. They kind of like walk me through the process.

[Vivian Tu]

Once you got that lump sum, did you immediately want to spend all that money or were you thinking about the future for retirement? How are you setting that aside?

[Saweetie]

You know what's really funny about that? So I was really Frugal with my money in the beginning, and there was, like, a really long period of time where I was just, like, working my ass off. And for some reason, I had called to ask, like, my account and how much money I had made. I have so much money. And I was like, where the hell I get all this money from?

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

But it's because, like, I wasn't, like, splurging on everything, but unfortunately, after that, I started splurging.

[Vivian Tu]

No, you should have never made that call.

[Saweetie]

Right, I should have never made that call, but because I was, like, living below my means, and I wasn't really, like, paying attention with how much money I was making.

[Vivian Tu]

You were just grinding?

[Saweetie]

Yeah, I was just grinding. And then after that, it was like a shark that smells some blood. I was like, damn, I got this much money. We finna go crazy. And it was probably one of, like, the worst mistakes I made.

[Vivian Tu]

Talk to me. So, like, what were some of the things that you were buying?

[Saweetie]

Clothes. I was paying. I was paying for. You know, if someone, like, close to me needed some money, I'd give them a lump sum. Like, I was very generous with my money. Ooh. Yeah. And I don't recommend that, because when you give a large lump sum to people, they expect it to be that easy every time.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

So, I mean, I had to start creating boundaries because some people thought that, like, money was just growing off of trees, and it's just like, no, I'm working my ass off of this.

[Vivian Tu]

What do you mind me asking? Was it family or friends primarily?

[Saweetie]

You know, people that's close to me.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

How did you set those boundaries? Was it just like, hey, I'm not doing this anymore, or it's of kind.

[Saweetie]

It's a delicate conversation, but it's just kind of like, hey, I did this. And unfortunately, going forward, we have to figure out a better or more healthy system. Because if I'm giving, because it's not like I'm giving them a couple hundred, I'm giving, like, a lump sum, you know, Like, I'm thinking that this gonna last you for a minute. Sometimes it's not lasting them for a minute and they're coming back, like, quicker. So I think it's just about creating healthy boundaries. But that was my fault. You know, I was excited. And when I get excited, I like to be generous, so I had to check myself.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, I also get the vibe that you're very much like, a loyal person. I got the same five friends with me. Did it ever get weird? Because all of a Sudden you started to make a lot more money. Like, you know, you told me, we talked about this when you walked in. You watched my video about how I had a really annoying friend who would order crab legs at dinner when the rest of us got a salad in college and we couldn't afford it. But like, was there ever a weird moment with you and your older friends? Like when you guys wanted to go out together or do stuff together?

[Unknown]

When you hear Lululemon, you probably think of aligned yoga pants. Weightlessly soft, like you're wearing next to nothing. That's why you see them in class, at the grocery store and in the park. But did you know about skirts with built in liner shorts so you can still jump for the Frisbee and tank and bodysuits with Align's iconic stretch, you won't want to take it off. And with endless style options, you don't have to shop in store or [e-mail].

[Saweetie]

Honestly, no, because I don't like. And this is where I had to even check myself. It's just like. Because I felt like I had made so much money, I wouldn't mind taking care of the bill. It wasn't weird for me, but I did have to pull back from going out because I noticed that sometimes I'm the only one pay. So it wasn't a matter of things getting weird. I think I had to just open that door too quickly, you know? But like I said, when you never have money and when you finally get money and you're around people that you love, you just want to start taking care of people.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

I think that's completely normal. Completely normal. I know so many people who are in that exact same position. And I mean, when I first started making money, the first people I wanted to treat were my parents.

[Saweetie]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

That's who.

[Vivian Tu]

Now when I take my girlfriends out, I pay for dinner. But only the good ones, not the girls who I know. I'm like, oh, so I'm paying. You're getting the tomahawk steak and the crab legs.

[Saweetie]

That's crazy to me. Fortunately, my friends are very mindful. Yeah, they're respectful. Yeah. So when we are going out, they're very mindful of what they get. Nobody overdoes it. I've been blessed to have a really good circle when we step out. No one has ever went crazy. But you know what? There has been. Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. But there have been instances where I've been around, around a group of people and it's so Funny how people offer to do things with your money.

[Unknown]

Wait, give me the example.

[Saweetie]

You know what? I don't even know you know, where. That's that saying where. I don't know what the exact thing is, but I remember how it made me feel. But it's funny when someone can present an idea, especially when people are, like, lit and having fun. Oh, after this, we can go this place, this place, and this place. Okay, that's cool. Well, how are we, you know, like, what's the setup? Oh, you know, like, they're gonna give you. Like, because of who you are, they're gonna give you a little disc. Okay. Because of who I am, they're gonna give me a discount.

[Vivian Tu]

So you're paying?

[Saweetie]

Yeah, so I'm paying. In those moments, it's just funny. You just gotta create your boundary. But it's just. It's so fun. Like, people be more excited to spend my money more than me.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

That is crazy. Did you ever think about even making some investments with that money as well?

[Saweetie]

Yeah. Investments into myself. I feel like my greatest investment was during quarantine, when we weren't allowed to go outside. I invested into my brand heavily.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

My. My presence online was just. Which is very impactful. And that led to, you know, me getting all these brand deals.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

So I feel like the best investment I've made thus far has been myself.

[Vivian Tu]

Talk to me a little bit about now these days. Like, you have a zillion different things going for you. Obviously such a talented musician, but like you mentioned, you're also an influencer who does do branded partnerships. What are all of the different ways that you are making money these days?

[Saweetie]

I feel like one thing that I've prioritized this year is going outside of music. So, like, starting businesses that typically that I would have got a brand deal for. But now I'm trying to create, like, my own brand. And my ultimate goal is to have, like, my own brand ambassadors or me cutting the checks for my influencers only because I've become so big in the brand space. It's like, I need to have my own brand now.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

You're like, I'm tired of doing brand deals. I want to give out the brand deals.

[Saweetie]

I'm really excited for the moment where I create my own business and I'm hiring these influencers. And we're at my photo shoot and I'm creating the marketing plan, and I'm figuring out how to, like, facilitate everything.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

What advice would you give to someone who was in your position struggling, really wanting to be where you're at now.

[Saweetie]

Like someone who was me, like a couple years ago.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Like someone who is interested in, you know, maybe the music industry, but also getting into acting, getting into social media. Like, how did you do it all?

[Saweetie]

I think the best advice I can give is having a strong support system. I think that's the most important. Because after you're hustling, after you're working, after you're doing all these long days of work, it's important to have a community that you love and trust. That's the best advice I can give. Because no matter what's going on in your external life, whether it's positive or good, if you have, like, a safe space, I think that's what can keep someone in a good mental health state to keep going.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

And you are the queen of the pep talk. Like, I put your music on when I'm getting ready, I'm about to go give a speech or do something cool with my career, and I need to get really excited. What is the pep talk you give yourself every day in the mirror?

[Saweetie]

Okay, so I have a friend. No, I have a friend in a different industry. And this friend is, like, really good at what they do. And my friend told me that before they go on set or before they do anything, they tell their self, like, I'm the best. I believe in myself. I can do this. It's a whole bunch of, like, affirmations, but it's very intense. It's like, you do that, you don't touch your phone, and then you hit the stage or you hit the set and then you just lock it in.

[Vivian Tu]

Wait, why can't I touch my emotional support phone?

[Saweetie]

Your emotional support phone? What's that?

[Vivian Tu]

It's just like, you know, like, how all these days, like, all of us are just, like, addicted to our phones. I feel like I'm always holding that thing just like. It's like it just provides me comfort.

[Saweetie]

Wait, what do you. I've never heard this before.

[Vivian Tu]

No, like, just like. Okay, so some people have, like, an emotional support animal. That's, like, where it initially came from. But then there was like, a joke amongst the girlies that we all had, like, emotional support water bottles. Like, you always had that water bottle on you. Cause you never wanted to be thirsty. But I've taken it one step further now, and I'm like, I have an emotional support phone that I'm like, if I don't have my phone, I'm like.

[Saweetie]

Oh, my gosh, you know what mine is then?

[Unknown]

What?

[Saweetie]

Gum? My Emotional support.

[Vivian Tu]

Your emotional support Gum?

[Saweetie]

Yeah, that's my thing.

[Vivian Tu]

You have to have gum?

[Saweetie]

Yeah, that's my emotional support. Okay, well, you can have your emotional support phone, but just don't check it, because what you're doing is you're getting into a zone and you're locking in before you have to handle whatever you have to handle.

[Vivian Tu]

Is that what you do before you go and perform live?

[Saweetie]

Sometimes I have to get better at being consistent with it, but when I do it before a show, like, it's generally a good show.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

I don't know if you are able to share this, but you mentioned wanting to, like, build businesses. Is this something that you are planning on doing on your own, or are you looking for someone to kind of come be the Emma Greed to your skims?

[Saweetie]

Oh, wow, That's a good point. I definitely need a team. I don't think it's something that I can do alone. But partnerships work the best for me, you know? And I'm not afraid to admit that, you know, some people can do it on their own. I'm the type of person. Person where I need a partnership so that I can have some accountability, and that's the best way that I work.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Mm.

[Vivian Tu]

In terms of other investments in your life, Talk to me. Stock market, like, you know, real estate. Is there anything else that you have your eye on?

[Saweetie]

I'm interested in real estate.

[Vivian Tu]

You are? Why talk to me?

[Saweetie]

Because. So if I were to do real estate, or when I do finally get into it, I'd like to create luxury, affordable homes for college students.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay. There's a little bit of an, like, oxymoron here. Happening. Luxury, luxury. Love. I love that.

[Saweetie]

Like, something that's comfortable and something that's nice to at least look at. Because think about it. You know how it is. You are a college girl. You're at school all day. You're going to work. When you come home, you want to feel like you're in a comfortable environment that you can just relax and love, like, looking at. Right?

[Vivian Tu]

Saweetie, I wish I could tell you my college apartment was trash.

[Saweetie]

Right?

[Vivian Tu]

Was so trash. I lived on a street called Kenwood, and we called it the Kenwood Crack Den because the entire apartment was tilted. If you put a marble on the ground, it would roll to one side. We had a fifth roommate named Chester. It was a mouse.

[Unknown]

It was.

[Vivian Tu]

I can't even begin to explain to you how dastardly this apartment was.

[Saweetie]

So let me tell you something. When I was at state and at USC, we're paying at least 1100-1500amonth to split a tiny room. And it's like, why. That's a lot. Yeah, but why are we. Well, it's California. Yeah, but why are we? Why are we. And that's why. To take out all those loans too. But it don't matter where you went. It could have been a nice place, an old place. But it's just like, why are the living conditions like this? Because of greed? Because of capitalism? No. Like, kids need to come home, they need to decompress, they need to relax. Because it's just like we're already like, our brain's already on 10 at campus. When I come home, I want to be in my safe haven. I want to actually like coming home, you know?

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

That's such a great part of the market that I feel like is so under addressed.

[Saweetie]

Yeah, but that's. That's my goal.

[Vivian Tu]

We had like an evil landlord.

[Saweetie]

An evil landlord?

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, I had multiple evil landlords throughout my life.

[Saweetie]

I've never had one. I never had one.

[Vivian Tu]

Probably because you didn't sign a, like a long term lease. Oh, actually, all those years.

[Saweetie]

No. Let me tell you something. One of my Craigslist roommates kicked me out.

[Vivian Tu]

Wait, what?

[Saweetie]

So I had. I had two. I had three roommates. So I had. It was both of us. It was one girl in a room, and then me in a room. And in the living room, it was a girl and her daughter. And they had sheets.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

But it was right next to the kitchen. I'm a night owl. So like, I would work out, come home, cook my, you know, my ground turkey.

[Vivian Tu]

And ketchup.

[Saweetie]

And ketchup. So eventually they were like, you need to change, like, your workout routine. And at first I was just like, why are you telling me this? Because it's affecting our sleep, et cetera, et cetera. I'm like, okay, cool. So I didn't change my workout routine, but I thought if I came home and made a quick PB and J, that'd be better than me, you know, than cooking on the stove, you know, washing the dishes. After, I can just pop some bread in the toaster, take it out, quick PB and jam out. Unfortunately, that didn't work for them. So they like petitioned for me to get out.

[Vivian Tu]

And then the other roommate agreed.

[Saweetie]

All of them agreed. Why? Because I was like the new roommate in the community. So I had rented somebody else's room out, but it was like three against one. They were like, you come home too late, you're cooking in the kitchen. Too late. You gotta go. But fortunately for me, it pushed me to find one of the best roommates I've ever had.

[Vivian Tu]

How are you finding these roommates?

[Saweetie]

Craigslist girl.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay, but I'm scared of Craigslist.

[Saweetie]

Me too. That's why I had to say a little prayer.

[Vivian Tu]

But you found a good roommate?

[Saweetie]

I found a great roommate. And what's crazy is she would work all night and then sleep all day. So our schedules were flip flop.

[Vivian Tu]

So it was like you live by yourself. That's even better. Yeah, that's genius, genius, genius. So now that you are in a position where you've got a really successful music career, you started acting as well. You've got this great, you know, influencer business. You're building out your own businesses in the future. Hopefully. What else is kind of like on the roadmap of that foundation?

[Saweetie]

Re establishing my media team.

[Vivian Tu]

What do you mean by that?

[Saweetie]

Because there was a point in time where I was like, you know, very ubiquitous online.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

But then I had took some time off to, you know, focus on the music. And now that the music is ready to be rolled out, I spent countless hours in the studio. I need to like get a media team again because, you know, I'm finna pop out again. But this time I like it. I'd like it to be under like my own media company only because I produce so much content and a lot of that IP is mine anyways. So it's like I'd like to, you know, build something off of not the old content, but the new content that I'm gonna make.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, you're doing all the work. Might as well. Might as well own it.

[Saweetie]

Absolutely.

[Vivian Tu]

When you started making some of that bigger money, what was the best thing you spent your money on?

[Saweetie]

Paying my tithes.

[Vivian Tu]

Paying your what?

[Saweetie]

My tithes.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, okay. So you mentioned like church a couple times. Like, do you still find that you're very spiritual, religious? Do you still go to church?

[Saweetie]

I've always been spiritual. And when I can go to church, I do. But I love giving back to a community that's always praying for me. My grandmother's always praying for me. And they do like a lot of like when I was donating a lot, they were able to put that to like a lot of good use. So I like that I'm able to like share my resources with people who need them and who actually use them for like a good purpose.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Was there anything that you ever bought your parents?

[Saweetie]

My parents. The first thing that I did was buy My mom, her favorite bag.

[Unknown]

Mm.

[Saweetie]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

What was it?

[Saweetie]

This Bottega green bag. I forgot what it is. But her favorite brand used to be, or still is Bottega Veneta.

[Vivian Tu]

Why that over anything else? Do you know?

[Saweetie]

You know, I don't know. I don't know. But she does, like, when she gets Chanel bags, so.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, I think she might just like, all bags that come from you.

[Saweetie]

Yeah, that's her daughter. Yeah. But that's like, the first thing that I bought my mom.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

Mm.

[Unknown]

Mm.

[Vivian Tu]

Do you feel like there's anything that you currently have your eye on in terms of spending?

[Unknown]

Mm.

[Saweetie]

That'S a good. That's a good question. But honestly, I had pulled back from, like, spending frivolously. I'm like, girl, you need to chill.

[Vivian Tu]

Post that call. After that, you know, with your accountant, you were like, I need to.

[Saweetie]

Yeah, chill. Yeah, I need to chill. I feel like I've been in a more chill state. There's nothing I really had my eye on. I've just been really focused on on working and, you know, getting this music together.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

Oh, that's a good question.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay, well, don't let me put the question in your head. And then you have to go out and buy something.

[Saweetie]

No, absolutely not. But I think the next thing that I'd probably buy is some property.

[Vivian Tu]

Something that'll appreciate in the future, hopefully.

[Saweetie]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Gain value.

[Saweetie]

But also, I don't know where I want to buy this property because I'm kind of tired of la.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, you are?

[Saweetie]

I'm tired of la. Yeah. I'm ready to, like, leave.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, come on.

[Saweetie]

So it's like, I don't want to buy a house here, and then I leave. I think that's some. That's another reason why I've been kind of, like, postpone. I've been, like, postponing on, like, finding something out here that I have to commit to.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, that's a good piece of advice. I asked you earlier, and I was like, how are you managing your money when you didn't have any? And you said, I didn't have any money to manage. What about now? How do you manage your money now?

[Saweetie]

Having a good business team.

[Vivian Tu]

And you rely on them.

[Saweetie]

I really appreciate them and I rely on them. They put everything out on spreadsheets. We talk about goals, we talk about my spending habits. And I think that for someone who's always working, especially at my level, I think that it's great to have a business team that you can rely on and trust.

[Vivian Tu]

What is a money goal of yours? Like, is there a number?

[Saweetie]

A money goal is to have passive income in the millions.

[Vivian Tu]

Passive income in the millions. Okay. Do you have a fuck you number?

[Saweetie]

Fuck you number?

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

What's that? Oh, girl.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay, so this is like the youe're rich bff, like Fuck you number. Basically, there will be a number out there that the passive income that comes off of those investment gains. If you have that number invested, you can kick over your desk and tell your boss, fuck you. So, for example, this is the calculation. You're a math girl, so you'll get this. You'll love this. So you think about your perfect year. Okay? You close your eyes. You fantasize. Okay, I'm fantasizing a jet for you right now. Thank you. But, you know, you think about your perfect year and then you guesstimate roughly what that year would cost. So you have this number. You divide it by 0.04 and that represents a 4% return. So it's just a very, very conservative estimate. Then you will end up with a number. And that's the number that you would need to have invested making money for you that could then support your entire lifestyle without you having to do any more work. So, for example, if you have $25 million invested and it's earning you a conservative 4% return every year, that is a million dollars in just investment returns that you can live off of.

[Saweetie]

So what is my fuck you number? You know what? We can get to that. But even if I had a fuck you number, I wouldn't stop working.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay. What's the mindset behind that?

[Saweetie]

I just love to work. Like, my mind is always creating, like, different ideas. I think if I did have a fuck you number, it would just go into a year of pure creativity of like, taking on projects I'd actually like to take on instead of me taking this job because they're paying really well. But I kinda don't wanna do it. But, you know, I like it, so I am gonna do it. But I love to work. Like, I just. I don't know, it just. It's crazy because on my days off I need it, but then my mind is going crazy. My mind needs to be productive all the time.

[Vivian Tu]

Do you think you're ever gonna retire?

[Saweetie]

I think what retirement looks for me is probably like pouring into someone else's career.

[Vivian Tu]

You wanna be a manager? A momager.

[Saweetie]

Not a momager, but maybe like mentoring or guiding someone or doing something of that nature. But I can't picture myself just, you know, kicking back and relaxing. I Could probably do that for, like, two days. Then I'm like, where to work at two days? Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

That is not long enough.

[Saweetie]

It's not. But I don't. I really love to work and I love when work doesn't feel like work.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay. Does your work right now feel like work?

[Saweetie]

Sometimes.

[Vivian Tu]

Ooh.

[Saweetie]

Yeah. So I think my fuck you number would eventually. Would lead to, like. Instead of me taking time off, I would just purely enjoy all the work I'm doing.

[Vivian Tu]

You would only say yes to the stuff you really want to do.

[Saweetie]

Absolutely.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay. But still, give me the number.

[Saweetie]

Fuck you, the number. Girl, I like.

[Vivian Tu]

Do you need a calculator to calculate that?

[Saweetie]

Girl, I don't. Girl, it'd have to be a big number because I don't wanna. If I'm working, I want all the resources. I wanna travel in comfort.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

Of course.

[Saweetie]

I wanna look fabulous when I'm working. I don't know. I'd have to think about that number.

[Vivian Tu]

Yeah, It's a big number.

[Saweetie]

It's a big number, though, because everything would just feel so. It would be, like, inconvenience for me, you know? Very convenient for me, I mean.

[Unknown]

Mm.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh. Like you're saying, like, while you're working, you want everything to be very convenient.

[Saweetie]

Very convenient. Yeah. That's what I meant. Thank you.

[Vivian Tu]

I think that's really smart. Because when it's convenient for you, you can do your best work.

[Saweetie]

Absolutely.

[Vivian Tu]

And that's what we're looking for.

[Saweetie]

Absolutely. That's the goal. That's my fantasy and that's my goal. And I'm happy that you're like that we're talking about this. Because when I have goals, like I said, my deadline, then I'm actually more motivated to work. So thanks. I need to find my.

[Vivian Tu]

You know what? This is like money therapy. Because when you say it to me and millions of other people who are probably going to watch this now, you're accountable. You've told us.

[Saweetie]

I told you, girl. But you helped me think about it.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

Yeah. That's why I like being around people like you.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

Smart girl.

[Vivian Tu]

Smart girls. Smart girls hang out together.

[Saweetie]

I like that. You should make that merch.

[Vivian Tu]

Should I? You are always thinking about business.

[Saweetie]

I told you, girl.

[Vivian Tu]

I just said something. You're like, you should make a merch brand.

[Saweetie]

Cause I would buy that.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

Yeah. Cute, hot pink shirt, white writing.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

To the point.

[Vivian Tu]

Smart girls hang together.

[Saweetie]

Or money green.

[Vivian Tu]

Money green.

[Saweetie]

Money, green shirt. Some cute writing. Make a baby tee.

[Vivian Tu]

Oh, baby T. Crop it.

[Saweetie]

Crop it, baby T. Crop it. Cute Sell them out.

[Vivian Tu]

When I make this T shirt, you will be the first person on the PR list.

[Saweetie]

Send me the sample.

[Unknown]

Yeah, exactly.

[Saweetie]

No, I'm not on the PR list. I want the sample.

[Vivian Tu]

You want the sample before we.

[Saweetie]

Perfect.

[Vivian Tu]

So I just kind of want to wrap us up a little bit as you are starting to think about the future, whether that be five years down the line, 10 years down the line. What does your financially happy ever after look like?

[Saweetie]

Honestly, before I answer that, I think this has been one of the most difficult conversations for me.

[Vivian Tu]

Really?

[Saweetie]

No, I've really enjoyed it. But when you've made so much money and you haven't had money before, sometimes you're just so happy that you made money. So you don't really plan your money. You don't really. You aren't eyeing your money. You just. For me, it's like, as long as I have enough to pay my bills, do this and do that, I'm good. But I am at a point in my life where I've made the wrong decisions with money. I made the right decisions with money. I've hired the right people to manage my money. Now I'm thinking different. So when you were asking me some of these questions, in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, you know, I should be thinking about that.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

Because I am having these types of conversations now. So I feel like my advice for people who come across a large sum of money, get those good people around you early. Because I didn't always have, like, the best people around me, but now I do, because it's important, especially if you're. If you're working a lot to have people who are thinking about your money when you're not.

[Vivian Tu]

Over the course of your lifetime, what do you think is, like, the biggest money mistake you've made?

[Saweetie]

Shopping too much.

[Unknown]

Really?

[Vivian Tu]

It's just the shopping.

[Saweetie]

It was the shopping. But it was like therapy for me.

[Vivian Tu]

Okay.

[Saweetie]

Cause I would sometimes. Oh, my gosh. I wouldn't even wear somebody's clothes.

[Vivian Tu]

You would just buy them.

[Saweetie]

I would just buy them. But it was a toxic way of me nurturing my unhealed feelings about something. So I was shopping too much, but that's why now I barely shop. But now I, like, reward myself if I get something, you know, what do.

[Vivian Tu]

You think is the difference between how people who have money think about it versus people who don't have it think about it.

[Saweetie]

For people who don't have it, I feel like they're thinking in a very singular way. Like, I have to get this Amount of money to pay for this rather than when I've been around people with money, there's almost a lightness to the conversation. It's like, how can we play with this money? What can we do with this money? How can we move this money? How can we invest this money? And if I spend this money on something, how is it gonna, like, make me money back? That's what I feel like. The conversations are held at a more dynamic level.

[Vivian Tu]

Scarcity versus abundance.

[Saweetie]

Come on.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

Smart girls hang out together.

[Vivian Tu]

All right, guys, this is my merch manager. But before we get going, I do want to give you a chance. You told me you spent hours in the studio. You got a lot of cool stuff coming up. Talk your talk. What can we look forward to?

[Saweetie]

Great visuals, bomb music, better shows, tours. And honestly, there's a lot of goals that I have when it comes to my music, but when it comes down to it, my ultimate goal is just to be happy with the art that I put out. Not trying to appease anything, not trying to beat something, but just purely doing art for what I did it for, why I did it in the first place. You know, because when you're, like, a younger artist or a new artist, you're just happy to be here.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

But sometimes the game, like, you know, it moves you around. It makes you feel this way. People do this to you, but I want to go back to just the purity of it all.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

Like, that's my ultimate goal.

[Vivian Tu]

You want to love music like you did when you were 18.

[Saweetie]

When I was. I would say when I was, like, 14. 16.

[Vivian Tu]

14.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

Because I started writing poetry around 13, and then I started writing raps around, like, 15. 16.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Saweetie]

Yeah. But that innocence of it all.

[Vivian Tu]

You want to love the game, like, the real.

[Saweetie]

I want to love the art because, you know, the game. The game is to be played.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

I don't know if you love it. I think you play it, but I don't think you love it.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Saweetie]

You got to be smart with the game, with art, you can just, you know, you can just love it.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Vivian Tu]

And I think that's a perfect way for us to end. Saweetie, thank you so much for chatting with me.

[Saweetie]

Thank you for having me.

[Vivian Tu]

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Net Worth and Chill, part of the Vox Media podcast network. If you like the episode, make sure to leave a rating and review and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Got a burning financial question that you want covered in a future episode? Write to us via podcastorrichbff.com follow Net Worth and Chillpod on Instagram to stay up to date on all podcast related news. And you can follow me at yourrichbff for even more financial know how to. See you next week.

[Saweetie]

Bye Sam.