Rapper Saweetie is showing us that she doesn’t just drop bars, she sets boundaries too.
The “My Type” rapper joined in conversation with powerhouse figures like Kelly Rowland, Elaine Welteroth, and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for Jubilee Media’s Recipe for Change: Amplifying Black Women series. In a clip shared with PEOPLE, Saweetie shed light on her own journey with mental health and the importance of maintaining what she’s coined as the Three Bs: balance, breaks and boundaries.
“Balance, not only do we work hard, but we need that love, that girl time, that support because if we’re always working, we’re not watering that other side of us,” she said in the clip. “I feel like everybody is like plants — we all need to be watered. And if we’re not watered we’ll wilt.”
“Breaks, I always tell the young entrepreneurs, the young go-getter … team no sleep? No, that’s not cute,” she continued. “No, please get your rest, drink your water, replenish yourself mentally physically, spiritually, all that — cause I’ve done it before.”
The rap star added, “And then boundaries, set your boundaries. I’d have a long workday and if it was someone’s birthday, I’d feel like I had to go, but I had to create boundaries. Whether you’re mad or not, just know that I love you. I respect you, but I can’t do it. Because if I’m drained, I won’t be able to serve you — and I love serving people. But those are things that I learned ’cause I was burnt-out.”
The Icy Girl went on to share how her struggles with mental health led her to this profound realization and reflection, “I had, like, three mental breakdowns, and I was like … I’ll never get to the point of, ‘I can’t do this no more’ because I thank God for my blessings. But I literally just — I was dying inside.”
“And I feel like as strong women, especially Black women, we have to establish that — not only with the world but with our team,” the 28-year-old rapper added. “Because while we’re leading, I know that we try not to show weakness, vulnerability — but that’s not weakness. I was taught at a young age, ‘Don’t show no weakness, don’t cry, don’t complain but we need to express ourselves.’ But I feel like because we’re such strong women, our team is like ‘Oh, she can do it. She can do it.’ And it’s not a negative it’s a positive but hey I’m a human too.”
Destiny’s Child alum, Kelly Rowland shared her admiration for the vulnerable moment, expressing her appreciation for the generation behind her who have normalized important conversations around our mental well-being. “This is what I love about y’all’s generation. Y’all talk, and y’all making everybody else talk too.”