Photo courtesy of Biz 3

“Stupid-pretty ladies have a strong mind, a bad-girl personality and keep their head on their shoulders,” says nineteen year-old rapper Dominique Young Unique of her newest dance-rap track “Stupid Pretty.” Her “statement meets slang” ethos is telling of the kind of playful pop sensibilities the Tampa-native puts into her work. She’ll readily admit to diva-worship (she tells us Beyoncé and Rihanna are big inspirations) while maintaining a lyrical street style that’s endearingly young and true-to-self. It’s an approach that’s most easily comparable to that of Baltimore MC and M.I.A. protege Rye-Rye; both share a pop aesthetic that revolves around catchy hooks, sassy teenage provocations, and a clear love for fashion and dance-offs.

On this remix of “Stupid Pretty” by I.R.O.K. (a.k.a. Intergalactic Republic of Kongo), a group helmed by Young’s keyboardist and hypeman Jan Blumentrath, she describes him as ” a crazy bitch,” in reference to his style. “I love watching them play. He bites the heads off children in the audience.” While her band-mate’s rendition doesn’t conjure up any images that are quite so violent, it certainly does venture towards the dark side. The original’s hip-hop-friendly backtrack of driving bass and bright synths are replaced with a glitchy, tribal drumline, chopped vocal samples and a sinister male on the chorus of “I’m a pretty girl,” essentially morphing Young’s rap into a vogue-worthy club track — a place we can only assume Young feels quite comfortable in.

The original version of “Stupid Pretty” appears on a mixtape of the same name, which Dominique Young Unique’s recently released for free. Download it here.