Monaleo was studying mortuary science at Prairie View A&M, aiming to become a funeral director, when 'Beating Down Yo Block' went viral in 2021 and redirected her entire life. She'd grown up singing in church choir and playing piano and flute, never actually planning to rap — that came later, after taking her younger brother, the rapper Yung Rampage, to a recording studio for his birthday in 2019.
The song itself samples a track her brother is connected to and was written while she was recovering from an abusive relationship, which gives its aggressive, taunting energy a specific real weight. It passed three million Spotify streams and 3.3 million YouTube views almost immediately, enough to put her degree on permanent pause.