Tama Gucci: Challenge Accepted
Your opponent, Tama Gucci, the hot-pink-haired Leo has never shied away from center stage. In fact, he’s stepping into the spotlight as we speak. After years of daylighting behind the reception desk of a hair salon, and moonlighting behind the DJ booth, it's Tama's time to shine. His newest single, “Challenge” is a glowing introduction to his unique style of floating sweet, sensual melodies over blood-pumping beats, and is only a taste of what’s to come. But don’t be shy, his challenge is more collaboration, than the competition–an effort to push people out of their heads and into their truest selves.
To complete the challenge, you must remain in constant motion for all two minutes and thirty-three seconds of Tama Gucci’s newest single “Challenge.” For each two-step you take, you receive one point, for each risk–like talking to the cute person at the other side of the party who’s been eyeing you all night–you receive two. A kiss is worth five bonus points. A giggle-filled trip to the bathroom together: ten. Should you choose to fly solo, bonus points can be unlocked for each enactment of That Bitch Behavior (i.e applying lipgloss, knowing all the words to Roman’s Revenge, telling the girl crying in the bathroom to break up with her boyfriend because she deserves better). She does. And so do you. You deserve a night without FOMO, without proving you’re having fun, without jumping through hoops to get that one certain someone to notice you, while dodging the advances of people who can’t seem to stop noticing you.
The objective is clear, the intentions are pure: have fun, you deserve it. So…do you accept?
Stream "Challenge" here, and check out the office PREMIERE video and exclusive interview below.
Is this your first official interview? How do you want to introduce yourself for your debut?
I don’t really do many of them. I’ve done interviews where they send me questions and I answer it, but never really like this. And well, I’m Tama Gucci. I’m like how old am I?
What grade are you in? What’s a fun fact about you?
One fun fact I would say is… It’s the worst question in the world. Honestly. It’s really such a hard thing because I’m such a weirdo. I feel like I have so many fun facts. I would say one fun fact about me is I love burgers. If I go to a restaurant and I see a burger on the menu, it could be a restaurant known for having the best steaks in the world. I’m still getting the burger. But, generally about me, I’ve been living in New York for about three, four years now. I was working at a salon part-time as a receptionist. Now I’m doing full-time music. And I have Tamascorner which is my merch site.
Tell me about the name Tama Gucci. Where did it come from?
So my dad used to take me every Thursday morning to go by Tamagotchis, because he got paid on Thursday. So I would go to Wallgreens where they were like $15 and buy one very single week and then go to school. At some point he was like, I'm not buying you these anymore, so I bought them for myself. I probably had like 30, but I was killing them. I had a couple for so long that the battery died and I was devastated. I had one that died of old age, but I never kept them all alive. But Tamagotchis were a big part of my childhood, they were my favorite toy. And before I started making music I wanted to be amodel, and I was like "I'm gonna book something for Gucci" because I just loved the brand Gucci as well. And then, well I'm a barb, and like Slumber Party with Gucci Mane came out, and I was just kind of like Tamagotchi, take the gotchi and put Gucci and I was like, oh my god, this is genius, and i'ts just been that ever since.
Where were you before New York?
I was in Miami. So I was born and raised in Miami. Which is such an interesting place to be born and raised because there's not many. I guess there's not many things from your reference as far as like what I'm doing now growing up in Miami. So it was kind of fun because I could kind of do whatever I want.
What was the music that you heard there growing up? How has it informed your music now?
Definitely a lot of Daddy Yankee. You get so much Latin music. That and also Haitian music. Miami is such a big culture pot. It’s like Cubans, Puerto Ricans, a lot of Haitians and Jamaicans so it was just all that like Caribbean music. And then in Florida, we love like music that’s sped up. I think it has a name now, it’s something hardcore something like that–
Nightcore?
Yeah, that’s what it is. But I don’t think we called it that. Miami definitely shaped my taste in music because a lot of the time when I'm making music, without even knowing it, it sounds very Caribbean and I love singing slow over fast beats. Kind of just gliding over it but it's so much going on in the background. I like when there’s so much happening in the background, but It’s just smooth with the vocals. The sound I go for is definitely sexy. Not to be like tooting my own horn, but I tend to describe things a lot that people are too polite to say when it comes to like being interested in somebody or feeling yourself. I'm also a Leo so all of my music or anything I make has Leo aspect. There's When I say I’m a Leo people will be like “I know” because of what I’m singing about or they'll be like I just know you're a Leo because of what your music. So it definitely makes anything that I touch bring a sense of confidence when you absorb it. And then there's also something romantic about it as well. Or it’s like sassy and kinda brooding.
No that’s cool, like there’s a vulnerability to it or a boastfulness. That feels so true for “Challenge.” Can you tell me a bit about the song and how you came up with it?
I made Challenge right before everything locked down. The whole idea was basically like, you go to a party. You're not there with anyone and you don't have any intentions of getting with anyone. You just know that you look really cute and that you want to dance. And if you see somebody else's cute and they want to dance as well, it’s like challenging them to meet on the dance floor and just escape everything else. Just dance. I think nowadays everybody takes themselves seriously. I would try don't blame them. I believe that social media has been a big part of that because people make money literally off of just posting pictures of themselves. So they start to take themselves very critically. You know, they start to overanalyze everything and that can affect them just letting loose on the dance floor. Or also when you go out to dance or you say you're going to a party, a lot of people are worrying about capturing moments and going there with the intentions of leaving with someone or being seen by someone instead of just going with the pure intentions of dancing, and feeling cute with yourself.
How do you prepare for a party?
I always, always, always, always have a joint. I don't know how I've gotten into the habit, but I always have a joint in my bag. And I smoke a joint before I go. I order my vodka cranberry. I call it a pretty girl drink. I saw a tweet the other day and it was like men used to build houses and now they order vodka cranberries. And I was like that is so true. It's just like that's my go-to drink. So I'll have a vodka cranberry. Those are the things that I need to like have fun and it's pretty simple.
The music video for “Challenge” is also a really cool party scene. What was the concept and process of filming that like?
I think it's “Slave 4 U by Britney Spears. Where it's like she's kind of like in this warehouse moment and it's like you don't know where they are, but the whole idea was that we own this huge building, which was the Market Hotel, and everyone here is–maybe they’re in the K hole or just coming out of one–but everyone is just dancing having a drink chillin like and then there's music playing as well and if you want to dance and escape you can. That was the vibe and something that we visually referenced before we made it it was that Britney video. So that was kind of like the vibe of it.
So it seems like Britney is a theme. Let’s talk about Britney.
She’s actually the blueprint. like a lot of ways people don't realize that they're referencing her and I know who Britney references are in there and that's like actually special to like Janet Jackson is like a part of it but like Janet Jackson also was inspiring Britney as well. So you know, like there's, those are the two I will say main focus points as far as like references go because their whole thing was dancing and like feeling yourself and escaping.
I feel like they’re both pop icons who had that vulnerability and that boastfulness too, especially during a time when women weren’t really allowed to express that in pop culture.
Exactly. That's perfect that you said that because that's really why I naturally gravitated towards it. But it was Jonathan's idea to like a reference that video specifically just because of how well they're synced up. You know, you can take the Slave 4 U video and then put Challenge on it and it's like, oh my god, this makes so much sense. You know?
What are some of your other favorite Britney songs or music videos you grew up watching?
Oh my god. “If You Seek Amy” When I heard it, I was obsessed with listening to the radio at that time. And I remember hearing it and being like If You Seek Amy… and I was like, “all of the girls and all of the boys are begging to F U C K ME . I was like, this is the most genius thing ever. And then I dug into some of her albums, like the whole Circus album. My favorite. She’s got this one song called “Mannequin” and yeah, there are just so many classics by her but “If You Seek Amy” was like my favorite.
So what do you challenge people to do when listening to the song?
I challenge people to stop worrying about what other people are doing. Just focus on yourself. Go and dance and have fun and show up to places with a purpose of having fun and doing it for nobody else but yourself. That’s the challenge.
Full credits:
CHALLENGE - TAMA GUCCI @tamahoochie
DIRECTOR: Jonathan Qualtere @jonathanqualtere
DP: Daniel Vignal @danielvignal
PRODUCER / AD : Max Pavlichenko @maxpvlchnkok
CREATIVE DIRECTION: Matthew Flatley @delinquent.t
CHOREOGRAPHER / PRODUCER: Robert Vail @vailrobert
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Chazz Foggie @chazz_._
GAFFER: Rodrigo Obregon @robregonubidia
STYLIST: Ore Zaccheus @orexolu
MAKEUP ARTIST: Anna Kurihara @annakuriharabeauty
EDITOR / 1st AC: Pierce Pyrzenski @piercayy
TITLES: Sebastian Chicchon @jager.noon
2nd AC: Chao Xue @xuechaoming
KEY GRIP: Nico Vallejo @nicovallejodp__
COLORIST: Josh Bohoskey @breezus_christ
LOCATION: Market Hotel @market.hotel
MUA ASSIST: Nanase @nana7se
PA’S:
Kevin Feng @kevinbfeng
Sydney Crawford @_sydneycrawford_
Anna Jarcynska @annajarcz
Colby Amos @colbyaalexis
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:
Jake Honig @honigjake
Jonathan Qualtere JQFU LLC
Special Thanks:
Ava Van Osdol @avavanosdol
Rash @rash_nyc
Carli / Market Hotel
Briana Cheng @banacrisp
Starring:
Aramis Sostre @ajaxsos
Emilio Tamez @3miliotamez
Alaska Riley @alaskariley
Dusty @reallydoedusty
Emil Dizon @emildizon__
TATA @natashakalila
Sbby @fck.sbby
Evan Fisk @evanf123
Evan Jean @evannnjean
Robert Vail @vailrobert
Lauren Bellamy @laurenbellamy
The Leone Bros @theleonnebros
Adam Kenner @kennabunnywong
Robi @robecho
Charley @charleyshealy
John Lempka
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