Top of My Game
After beating down the block and throwing bows, Monaleo aims to save lives with her message of resilience.
Interview: Kyle Eustice
Editor’s Note: This story appears in the Summer 2025 issue of XXL Magazine, on newsstands now and available for sale on the XXL website.

Monaleo just had an epiphany. Shortly after returning from Mexico in late April, where she
celebrated her 24th birthday cruising on a yacht and swimming in the ocean’s crystal blue waters, she tweeted, “My third eye is open. Something shifted for me yesterday. Sometimes you just gotta stop giving a f**k and focus on what you can control.” Her time spent in another country gave her a fresh perspective and renewed confidence. During the trip, she recorded a loose yet bold cover of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” with the lyrics, “Tell me why these h*es don’t like me/Why they hate me so much?”

It’s a fair question. The Houston native has been on an upward trajectory since the 2021 release of her viral single, “Beating Down Yo Block,” which has amassed over 50 million streams on Spotify and was certified gold by the RIAA in 2023. That same year, she followed up with her debut album, Where the Flowers Don’t Die. By 2024, she created a lit anthem, “Don Who Leo,” anchoring her sophomore effort, Throwing Bows. This year, the certified spitter has been dropping collabs with Foggieraw (“Prairie View”), That Girl Lay Lay (“Off Top”), Mello Buckzz (“Move Pt. 2”) and KenTheMan “First (Remix).”

But behind the glamorous photo shoots, glitzy music videos and Instagram Stories is Leondra
Roshawn Gay, a young woman who hasn’t always been so outwardly confident and often
questions her value. While painful at times, looking back at some of her formative life experiences has helped give her the strength to share openly about her struggles with mental health via her music and interviews.

Speaking to XXL in May via Zoom, it’s clear that the recent Columbia Records signee is at a
crossroads in her life. The “shift” she mentioned seems to have lit a fire under her. Here, the mom to Khalick, 2, and soon-to-be wife to fellow rapper Stunna 4 Vegas, opens up about saving lives, being at the top of her game, ageism in hip-hop, rooting for Doechii and getting married.

XXL: What are you most proud of that you’ve accomplished so far in 2025?

I’m just proud that I got up every single day. This year started weird for me.

How?

It was just slow in a music sense. I’ve been trying to figure out musically where I want to
land. The recording process has been kind of wonky because I’m trying to figure out what is it that I want to talk about. How do I be more intentional with my music and while still keeping my fan base?

You celebrated your 24th birthday on April 24. What did you do?

Yes, I went to Mexico this year and last year, too. It had to be all pink and a big, grand experience. I just wanted to celebrate, be free and be liberated. I wanted to feel like I’m content, happy and satisfied with who I am and where I am. That’s my goal for 24 ’cause every year, it’s just constantly me tearing myself down for not being as far as I would like to be or as big as I would like to be.

Before I was a rapper, it was stuff like, “I got an 89 percent instead of 90.” It’s just ridiculous sh*t, and I never let myself celebrate. I want to focus on what’s in front of me.

Does getting older scare you or excite you?

It excites me. I always tell people I can’t wait to be in my 30s because I feel like the women I meet that are in their 30s are so level-headed and not emotionally all over the place. I feel like I’m so f**king unhinged right now. The older ladies just be chillin’ and they’re so sweet, beautiful and nice. They’re graceful in their auras and
that’s what I’m going for.

Why do you think hip-hop shuns the older generation instead of embracing them like rock does?

They’re ageist. I’m going to speak for Black women, specifically. We’re the most disrespected people on the face of this earth at times, and we don’t really get much grace with anything. We can’t get a little bit older. We can’t get wrinkles.

We can’t go get work done either because we’re f**king changing our appearance. God forbid you gain some weight or have a baby. It’s never-ending. It’s one of those goalposts that’s constantly being moved.

Listen to Monaleo’s “Don Who Leo”

There was a moment of clarity you had over the last few months. What was that?

Something shifted for me to where I was like, I don’t want to be so critical of myself anymore. I just want to allow myself this space and the opportunity to grow. I’m outside of the parameters that people put on me. It was like, F**k it. Nothing matters.

You mentioned you don’t feel like you’re as far as you should be. Where do you place yourself among the other women rappers in the game right now, and why do you feel like you’re the MVP currently?

We’re all on the same playing field, but I think rap is competitive, and it’s supposed to be. It’s a sport at the end of the day. I feel like I’m one of the top lyricists out of my class. I put in real time, effort and energy into writing my music. In terms of pure, raw talent and energy being transmuted, that energy can’t be replicated. It’s what separates me from some of my peers, but I think everybody is great in their own individual way.

What moved you to write such a kind tweet about Doechii being a superstar and nobody fitting the role better than her earlier this year?

I love Doechii. Me and Doechii have been cool for a while, maybe three or four years. I always felt like Doechii was supremely talented. She’s one of the artists that I really respect. She puts a lot of time, effort and energy into her art, and she has real skill and talent. I felt inclined to
publicly show her some love.

I feel the narrative with Doechii is getting lost. A lot of people are insinuating things about her that aren’t true or just trying to discredit her. I’ve literally watched her grow from the ground up. I saw her very early on in her journey, and she’s been a monster in terms of people not being able to f**k with her.

I think it’s ironic that she’s having her moment and a little two-faced because the people on the internet pretend like they’re championing for Black women and darker-skinned women. But when a darker-skinned woman gets some good looks—and she’s getting some very well-deserved opportunities—all of a sudden people want to sh*t on her. It’s just strange and unwarranted. I wanted to cut through the bullsh*t ’cause it was starting to piss me off.

Why?

I’m very passionate about this because I see it with woman after woman. They did it with Sexyy Red. They do it with Latto. They do it with Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla. They do it with every female artist, and they’re gonna do it with me when I have my moment. Like, I’m not bigger than the program. I know the time is coming, too.

It’s one of the things that frustrates me about being a woman in rap. Everybody feels like they have the right to speak openly and freely and be critical of you under the guise of constructive
criticism, but it’s really just outright hatred.

“I WANT TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE AND REALLY CREATE A SPACE WHERE PEOPLE FEEL COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO TALK ABOUT THE S*!T THAT THEY’VE BEEN THROUGH.”

Do you feel like there is competition with women in rap?

Yeah, of course. We’re super competitive because naturally you feel the pressure from the outside world. It’s particularly even more competitive than it is with male rappers. I feel like male rappers, they all have their own lane. They’re all allowed to exist at the same time. It can be a thousand niggas with the name Lil Whoever the F**k.

No shade to those rappers because they’re all phenomenal and doing their thing, but they are allowed to just simply exist versus female rappers. They only feel like it can be a certain few at a time. Then you have the added pressure of having to be drop-dead gorgeous, beautiful, sexy, have big, fat, juicy boobs and long hair.

Every single day, you gotta wake up like that and be extremely talented. You have to shoot these crazy-a*s, elaborate music videos and come up with these crazy, elaborate performances, while niggas can stand on stage half high off of pills and drugs and whatever the f**k else that they’re doing and can barely recite the words. We’re out there in f**king platform heels, tight-a*s clothes, corsets and push-up bras.

Watch Monaleo’s “We On Dat”

You’ve been so honest about your mental health journey. How do you navigate those moments when you feel depressed?

I’ve had a really long period like that in my life. Before I became a music artist, for a while, I was really trapped and conflicted. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t really see myself living past a certain age. Once I just got older, I was just like, Well, damn, what do I do now? I kind of put it off.

People would ask me growing up what I wanted to be, and it was just so many different things. I could never put my finger on it. But I always felt like I had enough time to figure it out until I graduated high school. That’s when it got the roughest for me. I really did not know how
I was gonna get out of that.

But once I took that energy and put it into a creative outlet, I feel like the energy was transmuted; it was converted into something positive because there was so much energy. Even though it was negative and heavy, I just needed somewhere to place it. Thank God I got in the studio one day for sh*ts and giggles and really just turned it into a thing for me.

How does this come through in the new music you’re creating?

It’s not a cash grab for me. It’s not like a trendy topic to speak on, then let it go and be on some totally different sh*t. It’s a way of life. It’s the way that I live my life ’cause I’ve really gone through some tough sh*t.

I really been in some dark places that I didn’t even know I was going to get out of, so it gets really serious for me. I want to make sure I honor that part of my life with a lot of respect, and I want to make sure I convey the message as clear as possible. I don’t want it to feel corny or forced. I want it to be like, as organic as possible and authentic and genuine. ’Cause I want to really reach people like deada*s, like for real, for real, in a real way.

I want to connect with people and really create a space where people feel comfortable enough to talk about the sh*t that they’ve been through. And we can all move forward together as a pack. I don’t want to lose any more people to suicide. I don’t want to lose anymore when somebody dies.

This is something in private that I feel I’ve actually never spoken about. I feel obligated or responsible for not being loud enough with my message because I feel in my heart of heart—from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head—that I’m gonna be one of those people that can really spread the message and save people’s lives.

You and Stunna 4 Vegas have a son together. How did becoming a mother change your perspective on life?

Becoming a mom is one of my fondest memories. When I think about my life, it’s one of those things that I’m just like, I can’t believe I did that, and I want to relive it all the time. But unfortunately, I don’t think I should have a million kids, but it was such a wonderful experience.

It was a pivotal moment in my life. When you have a child, you gotta get a little more serious because you have a baby that depends on you. I did grow up a lot that day, but I grew up for the better. I grew up for not only him, but for me as well.

How great is it to be with somebody in the same profession as you?

Stunna is an amazing partner. I say partner because we really share the load. In areas that I lack, he’s there to pick up the slack and vice versa. He’s a great dad, and he’s so hands-on, and he’s excited to be a dad. He grew up without a dad, so he feels like part of his life’s purpose is to be a good dad because he didn’t get that experience.

And you got engaged?

We got engaged two years ago. People are just now finding out.

So, there’s going to be a wedding later this year?

Yes, exactly. I can’t wait to document the process.

Listen to Monaleo’s Throwing Bows Album

The summer 2025 issue of XXL magazine featuring Monaleo’s interview is available to purchase here. The issue also includes interviews with all 12 members of the 2025 Freshman Class and producer Cardo Got Wings, as well as conversations with Key Glock, Larry June, Aminé, Nardo Wick, Tech N9ne, X-Games snowboarding champion Zeb Powell and more, plus a look back at what the 2024 XXL Freshman Class has been doing and a deep dive into who’s the biggest and best XXL Freshman ever.

See the 2025 XXL Freshman Class Artists and Producer