The Breakfast Club: BIA Talks Debut Album ‘BIANCA’, Cardi B, Becoming A True Artist, Signing With Pharrell + More

Date: October 13, 2025
Length: ~41 minutes (not including commercials)
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God, Lauren LaRosa, Gia Peppers
Guest: BIA

Episode Overview

In this engaging interview, rapper BIA visits The Breakfast Club to discuss her highly anticipated debut album, BIANCA. The conversation explores her artistic evolution, influences, personal growth, challenges in the music industry, her history with Pharrell, the dynamics of being a multicultural artist, her approach to public drama—including the so-called "Cardi B beef"—and how she's carving her own lane in hip hop. The episode is full of candid anecdotes, career insights, and BIA’s unique outlook on artistry, ownership, and authenticity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introducing 'BIANCA': The Debut Album

• Album Details: ‘BIANCA’ releases Friday. Hosts praise its variety (“none of the songs sound the same.”)
  • Anna Ortiz: “It’s like pop, crossover time, all of that… good music, car ride music, do your makeup music.” (03:03)
• BIA’s Intentions: She wanted the record to reflect her breadth in music, ensuring listeners can’t predict the next track’s vibe.
  • BIA: “I didn’t want you to be able to expect what was going to come next on the tracklist.” (04:42)

Musical Inspirations and Identity

• Heavy ‘Biggie’ and ‘Foxy Brown’ influence on certain tracks, especially "Bad Guy" and "Trifling."
  • BIA: “Biggie, Foxy, Lil Kim… That’s how I want to come on the song.” (03:49)
  • DJ Envy: “Even the beginning… when she’s screaming like Biggs.” (04:03)
• Importance of showing different sides of her Puerto Rican and Italian heritage.
  • DJ Envy: “How come she didn’t dive into the Latino side more?” (05:22)
  • BIA: “I’m a feeling artist… But I do wanna work on like a Latin project… I got a song with Becky G that I’m really excited about.” (05:43)

The Journey from Pharrell to Independence

• Signed with Pharrell (2014), but parted ways to step into entrepreneurship.
  • BIA: “It was time to do my own thing… step into more of a businesswoman, entrepreneur mind… So grateful for them for life.” (04:58)
• Artist development is rare today—she values having had time to learn and grow before debuting:
  • BIA: “That whole artist development period… a lot of artists don't really have right now.” (05:13)

Personal Growth, Trauma, and Readiness

• Surviving a life-threatening motorcycle accident impacted her perspective and approach.
  • BIA: “I was just living so fast… It made me a lot more grateful and realized, like, don't play with your time here.” (07:46)
• Didn’t feel ready for a debut album until recently—felt she hadn’t lived or grown enough.
  • BIA: “I just don't think I had experienced enough… Even now, I'm a lot more conscious of what I'm saying…” (08:38)
• Discusses imposter syndrome and learning to find her unique sound despite outside pressures (from Pharrell and labels).
  • BIA: “I always knew who I was… But at that time… I didn't know what my sound was…” (09:16)

Managing Success, Balance, and Confidence

• Juggled sudden viral fame from “Whole Lotta Money,” collaborations, and grueling tour schedules.
  • DJ Envy: “Was it business? Label? Personal?” re: career slowing down. (09:54)
  • BIA: “It was… trying to balance touring and creating. I love being in the studio. That’s my happy place.” (10:11)
• On artistic intention and legacy:
  • BIA: “I don’t wanna just make bops… I want intentional songs that's gonna mean something. That's gonna be here after I’m gone.” (10:59)
  • BIA on virality: “Whole Lotta Money was out for like six months before people [got it]… Now there’s so many people rapping in low tone, monotone voices.” (11:21)

Vulnerability, Relationships, and Writing from Experience

• The album is her most personal yet, rich with stories of heartbreak, healing, and finding self-worth.
  • Lauren LaRosa: “So whoever he was, she realized, no, I’m the prize.” (13:40)
  • BIA: “It’s taking you through… dealing with different people, whether that be relationships, friendships… love moments, heartbreak moments.” (13:54)
• “NWFA” inspired by men’s relationships—candid talk about experiences and healing.
  • Gia Peppers: “You really feel like niggas will fuck anything?”
    BIA: “Yes, absolutely.” (15:02)
  • BIA: “Nobody hurt me. Trust me. I’m super healed… I’m not that girl that’s gonna be up, like, crying over a man…” (15:57)

Peace, Competition & Navigating Industry Pressures

• On seeking peace amid chaos:
  • BIA: “Peace comes from me… I seek balance… I have integrity… I’m the same person [as] five years ago.” (17:03)
• On comparison and competition:
  • BIA: “I’m not one of those people who are shaken up by what people say. I have tough skin. I love competition. I'm a Leo.” (22:44)

On the Cardi B Situation

Rumors, Subtweets, and Keeping the Focus on Music

• Clarifies the origins of the supposed “beef” with Cardi B.
  • Lauren LaRosa: “When Cardi dropped her song… you posted… fans thought we’d get a response…” (23:18)
  • BIA: “If I decide to address it… I can address it [later], but I could address it on wax… Why would I bring myself back to a lower frequency when I’m already up here?” (23:28)
• Describes how fan speculation and “the machine” fed into drama, but emphasizes her priority is the music, not online beef.
  • BIA: “I want to make people pay attention to my album… This isn't about her anymore… I’m anti-machine.” (27:43)
• On resisting the urge to retaliate:
  • DJ Envy: “Whose decision was it not to go back and beef?” (37:32)
  • BIA: “I’d say it was my idea… At the same time, I would be doing a disservice to myself… I’m here for a bigger mission right now.” (37:58)

Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “They say you have your whole life to work on your first album… I always didn’t feel like I was ready.” – BIA (06:22)
• “I want intentional songs that's gonna mean something. That's gonna be here after I’m gone, that’s gonna reflect my legacy.” – BIA (10:59)
• “God’s plan is literally, like, way better than our plan. Like, we could show up and write it out, but how it goes is like, it’s never up to us.” – BIA (11:43)
• “I’m anti-machine… this is really about real artists… who care about the creative and do their work and have limited resources.” – BIA (27:43)

Navigating Ownership, Growth & Creative Control

• BIA stresses the importance of owning her masters and being an example for younger artists.
  • BIA: “I own my masters… I care about the business side… my goal is to teach younger artists and… mentor.” (28:09)
• Her reality TV start (Sisterhood of Hip Hop) made her more determined, and she prefers privacy, wanting the music (and philanthropy) to speak for her. (28:48)
• Tracklisting challenges: BIA records prolifically, sometimes choosing from over 100 songs, aiming to balance meaning and energy.
  • BIA: “There’s still so much music that I wanted to see the light of day… but this was just some of the songs that I felt like was necessary…” (35:44)

Genre Fusion & Global Appeal

• BIA experiments with amapiano, reggae, Latin, pop, and UK influences.
  • BIA: “First time getting on amapiano records… also got R&B stuff… this is just me opening up to different genres.” (34:45, 30:32)
• “Plus Four Four” homage to London culture and international sound.

Community, Impact, and Next Steps

• BIA wants her music to uplift and empower women and the next generation.
  • BIA: “I want stuff that daughters could listen to… I want to give people the feeling I’d get from a Lauryn Hill record…” (35:44)
• Slight hints at a future tour, deluxe album, and more visuals.
  • BIA: “Maybe a tour… right now I just want to be in your house, be in my album mode.” (40:05)
  • “Bad Guy” is chosen as the album track to play out the episode. (40:25)

Section-by-Section Timestamps

• Intro/Album Talk: 02:29–04:48
• Musical Influences & Studio Culture: 03:49–05:13
• Personal Journey & Pharrell: 04:48–06:14
• Latino Heritage in Music: 05:22–06:14
• Growth, Trauma, and Readiness: 06:22–09:41
• Dealing with Setbacks & Creativity: 09:54–11:12
• Confidence & Career Challenges: 11:37–12:23
• Relationships/Personal Songs: 13:18–16:01
• Peace & Competition: 17:03–18:04
• Cardi B Situation: 23:13–28:09, also 31:06, 37:31
• Artistry/Ownership/Industry Lessons: 28:09–31:20
• Genre & Track Decisions: 34:31–36:42
• Looking Forward (Visuals, Tours, Deluxes): 27:43, 39:39–40:07

Conclusion & Takeaways

This episode showcases BIA as an intentional, multi-faceted artist committed to authenticity and legacy. She’s forged her path from Pharrell's mentorship to independence, learns from setbacks, and strives to advance the industry conversation around ownership, creativity, and self-worth. Despite being drawn into headline-grabbing feuds, BIA chooses peace, aiming to put her art above the noise. With BIANCA, she embraces her most personal work, pushing creative boundaries across genres while staying true to her values.

Standout Quote:
“I would be doing a disservice to myself… There’s so much more importance to my message and what I’m here for than to rap beef.” — BIA (37:58)

End of summary.
This is a rich, insightful interview that goes far beyond the headlines—highly recommended for fans of BIA, hip hop artistry, and anyone interested in the evolution of young artists in the modern music landscape.