'I was apparently too dark & ugly to make it' - Gigi Lamayne slams industry ‘traitors’

Rapper Gigi Lamayne has lambasted the SA hip-hop industry for being “traitors of the culture” and said she was “apparently too dark and ugly” to be successful in the industry.

The rapper left tweeps shook earlier this week when she took to Twitter with a series of tweets to expose the industry.

Her rant was seemingly sparked by her belief that SA rappers are still trying hard to mimic American hip-hop and often disregard embracing their African identity.

“I’ve had to fight since I joined this industry. Your artists are worse though. They are traitors to the culture. I was apparently too dark and ugly to make it, now people wanna smile? Why?”

“Your industry is the pits SA,” she added.

Gigi told her fans that she's had to fight hard to prove herself in the industry.

Here are more of her thoughts in tweets below:

Gigi has been rapping since she was 16 and in the music industry for almost a decade. Over the years the rapper has shared her opinion on the industry and, recently, the effect it had on her mental health.

In 2018, Gigi made headlines after she was hospitalised for depression.

Fans feared the worst when she tweeted her birth date and a death date, which read: “7 July 1994 — 3 November 2018".

The rapper, who has previously opened up about struggling with depression, also shared another tweet, “The end”, prompting fans to worry that she may be suicidal.

Five months after being hospitalised, Gigi opened up about some of the emotions she felt in the days and hours before her breakdown.

Speaking to DJ Fresh on Metro FM, Gigi said that in the build-up to the breakdown she had become “tired” of competing with others and trying to please everyone.

“I had just had enough. I had enough of the industry. I had enough of constantly competing or being put up against people. I had enough of trying to be perfect all the time. It was just like either she is gaining weight, or she's losing weight, or she's too dark. There was too many expectations.”