Cash App Studios launched in 2021 as an initiative to support and empower independent artists in owning the rights to their work through a non-invasive financing model. As a pledging benefactor for the arts, Cash App Studios aims to equip artists across creative industries with the financial support they need to produce unbridled and imaginative work. Artists that partner with Cash App Studios receive an investment in their project while retaining full ownership and distribution rights of their art. Creators are connected with key industry resources such as recording studios, production houses and publicity teams to further elevate their projects. Rallying artists Victoria Mońet, Monaleo, Mikey Alfred, Reggie, Jacquie Lee, Angelnumber8 and Cristoforo Donadi to the forefront, Cash App Studio presents a liberating frontier for up-and-coming artists stifled by the music industry’s lack of access, funding and exposure. In Cash App’s efforts to dismantle the barrier of entry into creative disciplines, the platform champions the importance of funding art and its creators. Visit the platform’s website and learn more about how Cash App Studios is shape-shifting creative industries and inspiring new avenues of access and ownership. Read more about each artist below.
Victoria Mońet
Victoria Mońet‘s solo project Jaguar (2020) imagined funky R&B anthems entirely of her own making and demonstrated the singer’s vocal prowess alongside poetic, self-actualizing lyrics. Mońet teamed up with Khalid and SG Lewis on “Experience,” a glittery, disco-infused dance track set to an accompanying music video shot at the old-school skate rink, Moonlight Rollerway, in Glendale, California. Earlier this year, the singer performed at the BET pre-show ahead of the 2022 BET Awards. Her viral #SomeCutChallenge currently has TikTok creators in a chokehold with over 44 million dance challenges and more than 1,000 hashtags happily in the pipeline. Fans would be remiss if they didn’t acknowledge the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter’s credits on 2019’s thank u, next. Arguably the biggest single off of the album, “7 rings” garnered Mońet two Grammy Award nominations for Album of the Year and Record of the Year. Mońet has lent her talents to Fifth Harmony, Chloe x Halle, Doja Cat, Chris Brown, Machine Gun Kelly and many more. More recently, Mońet has dropped singles “FCUK” and “Coastin,” following the release of Jaguar.
Monaleo
At 21 years old, Monaleo is one of many female artists dominating Houston’s rap scene. Monaleo has made headway for her glossy, ‘90s-inspired production and quick-tongued swagger as she dethrones patriarchal constructs — all while securing her bag and fame in stiletto pumps. “Beating Down Yo Block” solidified a viral moment on TikTok and earned the artist over six million likes on her page. In her most recent single “We Not Humping,” Monaleo teams up with Alabama rapper Flo Milli to exchange biting lyrics and blush-worthy one-liners over a bombastic beat produced by Diablo and Aryay. Monaleo is gearing up to drop a full-length solo project next year.
Mikey Alfred
Mikey Alfred founded Illegal Civilization (also known as Illegal Civ) in Northern Hollywood in 2008. The skateboarding company and namesake brand also operate as a studio, producing video content alongside its teen-approved streetwear apparel and skate decks. Since its inception, the company has fronted a handful of documentaries, music videos and short films depicting skate and fashion subcultures throughout California. Gracing Hollywood’s silver screen, Alfred co-produced Jonah Hill’s directorial debut Mid90s. Released to critical acclaim, the film saw Alfred and Illegal Civ friends — Sunny Suljic, Ryder McLaughlin, Na-Kel Smith and Olan Prenatt — weather the storm of adolescent skate culture in 1990s Los Angeles. From there, Alfred went on to produce his feature-length debut, North Hollywood.
Reggie
Rap fans would be wise to keep an eye on Reggie. The artist is an exciting act to follow for his Houston-made drawl and the moody, striking visuals presented alongside his work. The single “SOUTHSIDE FADE” released in 2020 and its accompanying music video — posted in August — have amassed over 350,000 views on YouTube since. A good portion of the video was shot in Reggie’s hometown with neighborhood friends. “SOUTHSIDE FADE” unpacks matters of identity and representation through confessional and impactful lyrics, and the rapper shines a light on communities dear to him and familial figures responsible for his growth as an artist.
Jacquie Lee
Jacquie Lee is a born and raised Jersey girl. Fans of NBC’s singing competition The Voice may notice the pop artist from Season 5. A year after her TV debut, Lee signed to Atlantic records and has since released four albums: Broken Ones (2014), The Only One (2017), Infinity (2020) and Rinascita (2020). Lee masters a buttery-smooth croon reminiscent of Amy Winehouse and Adele. Her lyricism often explores the bounds of love with fluttering and warming crescendos set against jazzy, R&B-infused melodies.
Angelnumber8
Staten Island’s up-and-coming artist Angelnumber8 grew up listening to Wu-Tang Clan and West African dancehall — the same influences later translated towards the artist’s spacey 2019 EP Soundmath. The project was led by a music video for the lead single “Frozen River,” a mellow listen injected with lo-fi electronic beats. Angelnumber8 also dropped his first LP Digital Tribal in 2022 which continued to showcase the artist’s impressive range of instrumentals paired with rhetorical anecdotes and witty lyricism. Ultimately, his work provides new energy and life to the bedroom pop genre.
