AFTER kick-starting her wildly successful career with a viral video that asserted her as hip-hop’s “icy girl”, rapper Saweetie has been hard at work on her debut studio album. Unfortunately, a high-profile lover’s quarrel and some questionable sales-numbers have recently thrown a wrench into all of her best laid plans. But long before all that would come to fruition, Saweetie was born Diamonte Valentin Harper on July 2nd, 1993 in the city of Hayward, California. Largely raised in the Bay Area, Saweetie earned her eventual stage name from her grandmother, who used the loving term of endearment as a nickname. And even though she had herself a couple of industry contacts thanks to her mom’s former reputation as a model who popped-up in a few iconic hip-hop videos back in the day -- including DMX’s “What These B*tches Want” and Nelly’s “Ride wit Me” -- Saweetie says that it was always her intent to make it on her own merit. Saweetie grew up listening to the classic rap-stylings of artists like 2Pac, Biggie, and Lil Kim – which meant that by the time she was thirteen, she was already writing her own lyrics in a journal that she kept in her room. Shortly thereafter she’d perform for one of the first times ever at a high-school talent show taking place during Black History Month. But knowing that she needed a back-up plan just in case – Saweetie also made sure to place an emphasis on completing her education. After graduating from Monterey Trail High School in Sacramento County, she began her post-secondary education at San Diego State before eventually transferring to the University of Southern California.