bullied about my voice.

It's amazing how your weaknesses

become your strengths over time.

I'm Baby Rose, and this is "On the Rise."

(gently intense hip-hop music)

I've always sang, when I was a little kid,

around the house, but I never called myself a singer.

I think when I started recording music

in studios, I was pretty young, I was 12, 13,

that's when I started calling myself a singer.

I knew that I had a very unique voice

ever since I was very young, but it wasn't

because it was celebrated, it was more because

I was teased about it.

I would sing around the house.

I was more interested in writing poetry.

I think I realized I kinda had a soulful voice.

♪ Running out of options ♪

♪ Lower my defense ♪

♪ Trying to make sense ♪

I remember always being put on the spot

as a kid in front of my family members,

at Christmas and Thanksgiving, or family reunions.

Those were my first shows.

The first time that I stepped out on a whim,

outside of my comfort zone, was when I

did my high school talent show.

I had them roll out a piano, and I sang

a song that I wrote, and I won first place.

And that shit kinda sealed the deal for me.

I was like, "Oh, yes."

The Leo in me popped out.

It was fire!

"To Myself"'s recording process was very organic.

I had my best friend, Deja, my homie Trey,

they helped me write songs.

And I'm just making the music that I guess I wanna hear.

I was in a very real life situation

where I was at the end of a four-year relationship

with somebody that I thought I was gonna be with for life,

and that (beep) was, like, pulled like a rug from me,

and so, all of a sudden, it felt like I

was kind of in the ocean, and having to learn to swim.

Instead of drowning, it's like I created "To Myself"

with my homies, and everything has been phenomenal so far.

I would not trade anything for the world.

♪ I made it seem like I was fine ♪

♪ When I saw you that last time ♪

The album itself is a reminder to me

to remember what the source is for all of my happiness,

for all of my fulfillment, ultimately comes from myself,

and it's not a cute process, it's not pretty, it's not easy.

This isn't gonna be the last time my heart is broken,

in one way or another, and I've kinda learned

to embrace it, because when things go left,

it usually means (beep) is about to go right.

(gently intense hip-hop music)

Oh, man, tour life is lit.

I learned a lot about being on the road with Ari Lennox

and being on the road with Snoh Aalegra.

It's a different feeling when you're

headlining, because it's just a feeling

of, "Y'all really came here for me.

"You know my music, I have affected you in some way.

"My music that I wrote for my own personal,

"I had to do this for me, is helping other people."

And every night before I go on stage,

I pray, I thank God, because it's just,

I couldn't have asked for such an amazing

experience, to be around people

that I love, and that love me.

My bandmates have been with me

for the better part, oh my God,

we would be performing in bars and shit in Atlanta

just to do it, or just rehearsing just to do it,

because we all love music.

Everybody on board with me, I love so much.

Being in so many different cities,

back to back to back, the wearing on your body,

I guess that's the kinda low for me.

I always kinda get sick, no matter what.

I'm learning how to preserve my immune system,

and it's a beautiful process,

not eating gas station food and goddamn eating salads.

And ginger shots are almost as lit as tequila shots.

So I'm evolving, (laughs) for lack of a better word.

I'm evolving, okay, and it's wonderful.

(gently intense hip-hop music)

(laughs) I'm about to make some (beep) up,

'cause I am not gonna (laughs) say that (beep).

- [Woman] Just say it.

- (laughs) Rapid fire.

My first celebrity crush was James Franco.

I'm not ashamed.

I still (laughs) have a crush on him.

(offscreen crew laugh)

- [Woman] That's another thing.

- Yes.

- [Man] Sorry.

- If I wasn't a singer in reality-reality,

like shit just didn't work out

and I didn't have all of the string of events that happened,

I'd probably be working at the smoothie shop

that I was working at still, which would be lame,

but it would also be fire, because they had CBD oil,

so I would put CBD oil in my smoothies,

and it was a vibe.

I have slid in DMs before, who hasn't?

We're grown.

And celebrities have slid in my DMs,

but I'm grown and plead the Fifth.

Period.

A dream collaboration of mine?

Quincy Jones, because he's the GOAT.

I feel like that would be fire.

Or the guy that made "Akira."

Look it up, it's only the greatest anime film of all time.

I don't know what I would do.

I wanna be the voice of an anime character,

so, putting that gem in the universe.

(gently intense hip-hop music)

Making it for me looks like being recognized

by my peers, by those that I look up to and respect,

but I feel like this is the beginning for me,

so making it would just be achieving

more success, more sold-out dates,

making songs that last throughout time,

that other artists wanna sing, that outlive me,

having a catalog that outlives me,

I think, is making it, and that's the part

that I guess I won't see, but if I do the work now

and I continue how I'm doing now,

I can foresee me being able to see the fruits of my labor.

Everything that I do, I am absolutely

in love with the process and the journey that I'm on.

(intense hip-hop music)