The JT Method
โMy thing is, I didnโt know she was bringing her whole crew,โ JT exclaims, remembering when Natalie Nunn from the controversial franchise Baddies joined her on stage recently. Weโre on set in New York City for this digital cover shoot; the Miami-born rap star is eating comfort food from Sweet Chick as we take a break in her glam cornerโdays after her first mixtape, City Cinderella, was released. Itโs her first solo project; JT was part of the rap group City Girls but is now on a path to individual self-discovery.

This isnโt my first time speaking to JT; weโd seen each other a few weeks before, at the 2024 ESSENCE Festival of the Culture in New Orleans. JT spoke with content creator Simi Moonlight on the Beautycon stage, at an afternoon panel that I moderated. The day before, sheโd taken the Coca-Cola stage, in a performance that included a group of unexpected guests: Nunn and her crew from Baddies, which airs on Zeus Network. โYou could see how I distracted I was,โ JT says now, referencing a clip of the show that later circulated on Twitter. (โSo this is your new demographic, ESSENCE? The Baddies?โ one user commented.)
โThey donโt see we have eight other stages, where people are talking about politics and wage discrimination,โ I point out. โWe posted that clip because we support all Black women.โ JT responds quickly: โThere shouldnโt be any boundary on successful Black women. And people loved it.โ
ESSENCE Festival was a career highlight for the rapper, who appeared on the largest stage in the Convention Center. Her show was produced by the festivalโs longest-standing partner, Coca-Colaโa brand that cares about ยญrepresentation, given its mass appeal. Still, JT, the bubbly rap girl with the complicated past pushed the envelope a bit.

Maybe there were hiccups (she slipped up on a few cuss words, and the โBaddiesโ wore colors that JT had been advised to avoid due to branding issues), but she felt proud to be in the room. โWhen I got off the stage, they were so nice,โ she says. โThey were like, โNo, we get it.โ Because I was apologizing. I was like, โThat was not my intention.โโ
Amid the ups and downs of her career, JT has danced with controversy and redemption, improving and learning at each step. As we talk, she allows herself to be vulnerable and open about the ramifications of past choices. At the same time, she has faith in a bright futureโand sheโs reaping the benefits of her continuing development as an artist. Like the lyrics that she raps over a somber beat in her song โIntro (Hope)โ on City Cinderellaโ โYoung, Black and lost, but never lost hopeโโshe exudes possibility. Here, JT reflects on identity, reestablishing her personal style and maintaining authenticity in her new era.

ESSENCE: When you were first starting out, did you feel like you had to conform to trends?
JT: At the time, I donโt think the industry really had a particular fashion sense. In 2017 and 2018, everybody was very authentic. Everyone was doing their thingโeven the biggest stars.
ESSENCE: With you being in a group, did you feel like you had to portray an image or that you could just be you?
JT: No, that was just us. Very stylish girlsโalways had it! Always gave on-trend. If Jordans were in style, Iโd have on Jordans. If a designer was in style, Iโd have on that designer. My first Chanel purse was a boy bag. I always had stuff. Everybody in Miami is very designer-conscious. We grew up listening to music about designers. Thatโs what kind of makes you an It girl there: designer clothes. So weโre very materialistic down there. Very. I donโt feel like when I entered the industry my style changed at all.
ESSENCE: Walk me through when your style started evolving to avant-garde. Do you remember your first time experimenting in those labels?
JT: In 2019, for my birthday, I wore Rick Owens from head to toe in black. I also wore a blue Chanel puffy bag. When I first started out and met my partner, he was like, โYou need to wear Chrome Heart and Rick.โ

ESSENCE: Nobody was wearing it.
JT: No. Nobody was. Iโm not going to lieโI was like, โWhat?โ Because Iโm from down South. We donโt have those stores. I think they just put Rick in Miami recently. We are very much Chanel, Gucci, Prada girls. Then I stepped it up when my partner put me in runway, and it was very uncomfortable. Iโm a street bitch! Then I said, Okay, I like this, and this can be my identity. This can elevate me.
ESSENCE: Whatโs your new aesthetic?
JT: Iโm in a new era. Everybody has their fโed-up moments. Like, Oh when I wasnโt that flyโyou know?
ESSENCE: Yeah. Youโve got to go through those growing pains a little.
JT: And youโve got to learn who you are. Youโll be okay.

ESSENCE: Did you feel like the fashion industry accepted you when you first started experimenting with your style?
JT: When I first started, I wouldnโt say I wasnโt accepted. [But] I donโt think they thought I was serious. You have to be consistent for people to know that youโre serious. When I first started, it was like, Okay, you can get an outfit or twoโbut are you really committing to this lifestyle? So I never stopped. Then, as years passed, I created moments on my ownโfor people to see me in another light.
ESSENCE: I saw a TikTok of this girl saying youโre inspiring brown-skinned girls.
JT: When I saw that TikTok, it gave me chills. I donโt put any money into making anybody like me. I always want people to just like me for me. When I saw it, I first thought she was about to bash meโbecause Iโm so used to seeing people talking shit. I listened to it again, and she said, โWe havenโt had a dark-skinned girl killing it in fashion since Foxy Brown.โ It gave me the chills. It makes so much sense. Itโs no shade to nobody else.
ESSENCE: One thing that I really liked about this project rollout is that you gave us a short film, looks and a real mixtape.
JT: This is my thing. The most regrettable era of my career was me just pretending to be. I have been to prison, and to be able to represent my people in the best light as a second chance is so real. And I said some sh-t. But itโs like, Iโm now being able to be that girl and keep it clean. I havenโt fully got to that stage yetโbut theyโre going to see how we can present ourselves like anybody else and earn the respect. Iโm like, โOh my God, Iโm viral for being pretty.โ

ESSENCE: Being cool and being an inspiration.
JT: Exactly.
ESSENCE: What is the best thing to go viral for?
JT: I used to go viral for saying crazy sh-t. Now I can keep my mouth closed and just show my face.
ESSENCE: Youโve gotten a lot better at Twitter. You may say small things, but you are not going on your rants as much. What happened?
JT: I have never had an argument that served a purpose. Itโs a waste of time, and Iโm growing up.

ESSENCE: How do you ignore it?
JT: I vent about it to people I talk to, or just breathe. They donโt know me, so whatever. Let it roll off.
ESSENCE: Iโm a Sagittarius. So I feel like I get you sometimes.
JT: Oh my God, girl. We walk around with fire in us. We are fire! We have to release it in some way. Sometimes youโve got to step out of your zodiac sign.
ESSENCE: Brands are seeing that growth, too, because those things do come up. When we at ESSENCE talk to brands about artists, theyโll say, โThey just went off on Twitter last week.โ

JT: I remember a while agoโit was probably two years agoโit was like, โThe thing with ESSENCE is, they ainโt going to give you no cover.โ I was like, Dang. Look at us two years later!
ESSENCE: Itโs full circle. What would you tell young girls who are hoping to beat the odds?
JT: Be new, and be you. You have to be both. I hear people telling people all the time, โAll youโve got to do is be yourself.โ But in this market, you have to stand out. Whatโs so special about you, that makes you deserving of peopleโs attention? And when you get in that position, youโve got to fight to stay in that position. Youโve got to come in with your head on strong. You canโt look around and see that itโs working for her, so youโre going to go, and youโre going to do what sheโs doing. Andโwhether they like it or not. People might hate something, but if thatโs you, theyโre going to be able to identify it. [Still], just being yourself isnโt enough in this industryโbecause there are so many of us, and itโs so oversaturated. Youโve got to be authentic and new. Invent yourself in a way that takes your authenticity and mixes it with something thatโs going to make you stand out, no matter what it is. Then you apply your talent to that, and create your brand.
This interview was edited for clarity.
Photographed by Zee Nunes
Styled by Ron Hartleben
Hair: Tevin Washington using Hair So Fab
Makeup: Eden Lattanzio using MAC Cosmetics
Nails: Tiana โTinyโ Hardy
Set Design: Jenny Correa at Walter Schupfer Management Tailor: Matthew Neff at Carol Ai Studio
Photography Assistants: Fernando Freire & Andy Beardsworth Fashion Assistant: Ashley Weiler
Post Production: Bruno Rezende
Production Coordinator: Georgia Ford
Location: Splashlight Studios
Production: The Morrison Group