Essence Magazine:
At the tender age of 21 and after only two short years in the music industry, Monaleo is already making waves with her brazen bars, slight southern drawl and cool-girl swag.
With sexually liberated, take-his-money rap reigning supreme on the airwaves, Monaleo stands out with a truculent tone and an unabashed attitude. Her single “Beating Down Yo’ Block,” an homage to fellow Houston rapper Yungstar’s hit 2000 single “Knocking Pictures Off the Wall,” has been going strong for more than a year. Her most recent hit, a collab remix with Flo Milli titled “We Not Humping,” makes it clear that with Monaleo on a track, the dukes are up.
“My sound is very aggressive—it’s assertive, it’s powerful,” Monaleo says of her self-assured delivery. “You’re always going to feel where I’m coming from. It’s emotional.”
Monaleo photographed by Munachi Osegbufor Sept/Oct 2022 Issue at DUST Studios on Monday, June 27th in Los Angeles, CA produced by The Morrison GroupPhotographed by: Munachi Osegbu Styled by: Miso Dam Production: The Morrison Group Hair: JStayReady Makeup: Caitlan Marsh Nails: Alex Jachno using Chanel Le Vernis at Opus BeautyShot At: LME Studios
Born Leondra Roshawn Gay and raised in Texas, Monaleo (her name is an amalgamation of Mona Lisa and her nickname, Leo) got her start in hip-hop by pure happenstance. Accompanying her younger brother to a studio session she had gifted him as a birthday present, she ended up hopping inside the booth to fool around on the mic. Already with a bit of a following on social media, she posted the clip of herself rapping—and was swarmed with commenters impressed with her skills. Only 18 at the time, she started to explore the possibility of a career in music, keeping at it until she landed her first viral hit in early 2021.
Though her tough-as-nails stage persona matches well with her no-holds-barred braggadocio, there’s a relatable vulnerability bubbling beneath it all. This draws fans and admirers to Monaleo all the more, many of them stopping her in public to lavish her with hugs, tears and their own personal tales.
“It’s been a very interesting transition, because my life prior to being a rapper was the literal complete opposite,” she explains of her newfound fame. “I was very introverted. I never left my house for anything. On top of me not leaving my house, I never left my room.”
Greeting fans and meeting new people is a challenge—though a welcome one for Monaleo, who is open about suffering from severe
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