# Saucy Santana
**Saucy Santana** is the stage name of an American rapper from Florida whose sexually direct, club-oriented rap and meme-ready catchphrases made him one of the most visible openly gay artists in hip-hop. Born in [Bridgeport, Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/bridgeport-connecticut), in 1993, he grew up in [Tallahassee, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/tallahassee-florida), and began releasing music in 2019 after working as a makeup artist for the Miami rap duo [City Girls](https://www.edgepedia.org/city-girls).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1993, Bridgeport, Connecticut[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/saucy-santana-mn0004075288) |
| Given name | Reported as Rashad Michael Harris by AllMusic[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/saucy-santana-mn0004075288); Forbes and Allure identify him as Rashad Spain[2](https://www.forbes.com/sites/cmalone/2022/01/19/2022-belongs-to-saucy-santana/) • [3](https://www.allure.com/story/saucy-santana-florida-girl-aesthetic) |
| Breakout single | "Walk Em Like a Dog," released July 4, 2019 on SoundCloud; a million plays in a week[4](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/saucy-santana-interview-city-girls-material-girl) |
| First album | *Keep It Playa*, December 2021, 16 tracks, with features from Rubi Rose, Kali, BeatKing, and City Girls[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/saucy-santana-mn0004075288) • [4](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/saucy-santana-interview-city-girls-material-girl) |
| Label | Signed to RCA Records; "Booty" with Latto (June 10, 2022) was his first release after signing[5](https://cdn-p.smehost.net/sites/8e1f40b762984a27a20f577d99b7ac97/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/BREAKOUT-HITMAKER-SAUCY-SANTANA-RELEASES-BOOTY_June-13-2022.pdf) |
| Viral formula | Songs that spawn TikTok trends: "Material Girl" stayed viral into late 2021 and early 2022[3](https://www.allure.com/story/saucy-santana-florida-girl-aesthetic) |
| Television | Love & Hip Hop: Miami and College Hill: Celebrity Edition[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/saucy-santana-mn0004075288) |
| Latest chart entry | "Quiet on the Creek" (July 17, 2026) debuted at No. 45 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart[6](https://www.thefader.com/2026/08/24/saucy-santana-quiet-on-the-creek-meaning-meme-interview) |
## Early life and path into music
Santana spent his early years in Bridgeport, Connecticut, before relocating to Florida at age ten.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/saucy-santana-mn0004075288) He describes an upbringing far from the poverty narrative common in rap: his father was a celebrity bodyguard and his mother a general manager, and he grew up in a large house on five acres.[3](https://www.allure.com/story/saucy-santana-florida-girl-aesthetic) He came out at 17, recalling that some family members struggled to understand him at first.[7](https://www.ajc.com/accessatl/2022/06/saucy-santana-talks-rise-to-stardom-authenticity-and-influence/)
His first trade was makeup. He ran a boutique in Perry, Florida, doing makeup and selling hair extensions and clothes, then moved an hour away to Tallahassee for a bigger market.[4](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/saucy-santana-interview-city-girls-material-girl) He met the City Girls through his best friend, [Yung Miami](https://www.edgepedia.org/yung-miami)'s cousin, and did their makeup for shows in [North Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-florida). His Instagram exchanges with Yung Miami, including the catchphrase "Caresha please!", built the following that later carried his music.[4](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/saucy-santana-interview-city-girls-material-girl) • [13](https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/1173528362/stay-in-your-lane-shawty-saucy-santana)
Rapping started almost by accident in early 2019: a weekly podcast with friends needed a theme song, and the studio session led listeners to ask whether he could rap. After a freestyle over "Thotiana" went viral, he wrote "Walk Em Like a Dog" as his first single, released on July 4, 2019, and reached a million plays in a week.[4](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/saucy-santana-interview-city-girls-material-girl)
## Music and virality
**The TikTok era.** Santana's songs spread through short-form video rather than radio. "Material Girl," recorded in 2019 and released in 2020 on his debut mixtape *Imma Celebrity*, went viral on TikTok roughly two years after it came out; its hook "material gworl" (the Florida pronunciation of "girl") became a widespread catchphrase.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/saucy-santana-mn0004075288) • [3](https://www.allure.com/story/saucy-santana-florida-girl-aesthetic) • [4](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/saucy-santana-interview-city-girls-material-girl) He says the virality is not engineered: he does not write songs with a trend in mind, because deliberate attempts to go viral come out corny.[4](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/saucy-santana-interview-city-girls-material-girl)
His first studio album, *Keep It Playa*, arrived in December 2021.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/saucy-santana-mn0004075288) In June 2022, as his first release after signing to [RCA Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/rca-records), he released "Booty" featuring labelmate Latto; within weeks the song was tagged in over 342,000 TikToks, and in August 2022 he performed it on *The Tonight Show* for his late-night television debut.[5](https://cdn-p.smehost.net/sites/8e1f40b762984a27a20f577d99b7ac97/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/BREAKOUT-HITMAKER-SAUCY-SANTANA-RELEASES-BOOTY_June-13-2022.pdf) • [3](https://www.allure.com/story/saucy-santana-florida-girl-aesthetic) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/saucy-santana-mn0004075288) Later in 2022 he teamed with Madonna on "Material Gworrllllllll!", a remake of his own song.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/saucy-santana-mn0004075288)
The run continued with singles such as "Bop Bop," "Whole Family" (with [Flo Milli](https://www.edgepedia.org/flo-milli)), and "Bounce," the last of which led his album *Haute Sauce*, released in September 2025.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/saucy-santana-mn0004075288) In 2026 the phrase "quiet on the creek", coined in a 2024 Instagram livestream with Yung Miami over a fish platter, spread on TikTok in early July; Santana released it as a single on July 17, 2026, and it reached No. 1 on TikTok music and debuted at No. 45 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart.[6](https://www.thefader.com/2026/08/24/saucy-santana-quiet-on-the-creek-meaning-meme-interview)
His sound draws on early-2000s Florida rap, citing Trina, Jacki-O, and [Khia](https://www.edgepedia.org/khia) as influences, and he describes his style as "women empowerment" anthems mixed with "talking trash," rapping, in his words, "from a female standpoint."[8](https://time.com/6190527/saucy-santana-interview/) • [9](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/lgbtq-hip-hop-artists-spotlight-express-queer-joy/story?id=101716136)
## Visibility as an openly gay rapper
Santana identifies as gay and has been visibly queer from the start of his career, which he and commentators treat as a distinguishing feature in a genre whose mainstream has historically marginalized queer men.[8](https://time.com/6190527/saucy-santana-interview/) • [10](https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/saucy-santana-interview) In 2022 he was one of the faces of Coach's annual PRIDE campaign, landed [Teen Vogue](https://www.edgepedia.org/teen-vogue) and PAPER magazine covers, performed at the [BET Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/bet-awards) and the Video Music Awards, and toured with Lizzo; a collaboration with [Lil Nas X](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-nas-x), "Down Souf Hoes," was announced that year.[11](https://time.com/6218199/saucy-santana-lgbtq-history/)
Collaborations with straight male rappers have drawn attention. When IDK featured him and Jucee Froot on "Pinot Noir" (2023), IDK received anti-LGBTQ backlash on social media and publicly defended the feature, and the two discussed homophobia in hip-hop in a joint interview.[12](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/idk-and-saucy-santana-talk-homophobia-in-hip-hop) • [9](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/lgbtq-hip-hop-artists-spotlight-express-queer-joy/story?id=101716136) Santana has described industry doubts during early label meetings about whether a feminine, dark-skinned, openly gay rapper could be sold, and he frames his success as opening a door for his community.[13](https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/1173528362/stay-in-your-lane-shawty-saucy-santana) • [11](https://time.com/6218199/saucy-santana-lgbtq-history/)
## Television and public profile
Beyond music, Santana has appeared on reality television, including *[Love & Hip Hop: Miami](https://www.edgepedia.org/love-and-hip-hop-miami)* and *College Hill: Celebrity Edition*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/saucy-santana-mn0004075288) His persona, makeup-forward glam, long nails, and rapid-fire catchphrases such as "material gworl" and "walk him like a dog," has made him a fixture of internet culture as well as of rap coverage.[13](https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/1173528362/stay-in-your-lane-shawty-saucy-santana) • [3](https://www.allure.com/story/saucy-santana-florida-girl-aesthetic)
A note on identification: sources disagree on his legal name. AllMusic gives Rashad Michael Harris,[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/saucy-santana-mn0004075288) while Forbes, Allure, and TIME print Rashad Spain,[2](https://www.forbes.com/sites/cmalone/2022/01/19/2022-belongs-to-saucy-santana/) • [3](https://www.allure.com/story/saucy-santana-florida-girl-aesthetic) • [8](https://time.com/6190527/saucy-santana-interview/) and ABC News printed Justin Harris.[9](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/lgbtq-hip-hop-artists-spotlight-express-queer-joy/story?id=101716136) The stage name, birth date, and place of origin are consistent across sources.
## References
1. [Saucy Santana Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/saucy-santana-mn0004075288)
2. [2022 Belongs To Saucy Santana, Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/cmalone/2022/01/19/2022-belongs-to-saucy-santana/)
3. [Saucy Santana Breaks Down His Beauty Routine and the "Florida Girl" Aesthetic, Allure](https://www.allure.com/story/saucy-santana-florida-girl-aesthetic)
4. [Saucy Santana On City Girls, Material Girl & TikTok Fame, NYLON](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/saucy-santana-interview-city-girls-material-girl)
5. [Breakout Hitmaker Saucy Santana Releases New Single "Booty," press release PDF](https://cdn-p.smehost.net/sites/8e1f40b762984a27a20f577d99b7ac97/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/BREAKOUT-HITMAKER-SAUCY-SANTANA-RELEASES-BOOTY_June-13-2022.pdf)
6. [Saucy Santana is done being quiet on the creek, The FADER](https://www.thefader.com/2026/08/24/saucy-santana-quiet-on-the-creek-meaning-meme-interview)
7. [Saucy Santana talks rise to stardom, authenticity and influence, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution](https://www.ajc.com/accessatl/2022/06/saucy-santana-talks-rise-to-stardom-authenticity-and-influence/)
8. [Rapper Saucy Santana Knows He's Always Had That 'It' Factor, TIME](https://time.com/6190527/saucy-santana-interview/)
9. [LGBTQ+ hip-hop artists use their spotlight to express queer joy, ABC News](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/lgbtq-hip-hop-artists-spotlight-express-queer-joy/story?id=101716136)
10. [Saucy Santana Is The Musician, The Meme, The Moment, British Vogue](https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/saucy-santana-interview)
11. [Rapper Saucy Santana Is Opening a Door For His Community, TIME](https://time.com/6218199/saucy-santana-lgbtq-history/)
12. ["We're Breaking That Stigma": IDK and Saucy Santana Talk Homophobia in Hip-Hop, Interview Magazine](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/idk-and-saucy-santana-talk-homophobia-in-hip-hop)
13. [Stay in your lane, shawty: Saucy Santana, NPR via NCPR](https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/1173528362/stay-in-your-lane-shawty-saucy-santana)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › Southern US rap (Atlanta, Memphis, Houston, New Orleans, Florida) › Gulf Coast and Florida rap*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license