Lay Bankz

After gaining widespread attention through social media clips featuring energetic dance routines paired with her 2022 breakout single “Left Cheek (Doo Doo Blick)” and the 2023 follow-up “Na Na Na,” rapper/singer Lay Bankz reveals her versatility as an R&B performer on the 2023 debut EP Now You See Me.

Born in Philadelphia, Bankz drew balanced creative fuel from hometown figures such as emcee Beanie Sigel and dance collective the Dollarboyz alongside global icons including Beyoncé and Aaliyah. Equal parts vocalist and emcee by age ten, she issued her debut track, the 2019 single “Passion,” at fifteen. Momentum built in 2022 once she joined Artist Partner Group and dropped “Left Cheek (Doo Doo Blick),” an empowerment anthem whose profile rose after she paired it with original choreography in online videos. The same approach drove “Na Na Na” the following year, a rapid pop/rap cut built on a sample of Louchie Lou and Michie One’s “Rich Girl.” The track led online viral rankings and inspired hundreds of thousands of user-generated clips replicating her choreography. Following two featured appearances during summer 2023—a remix of Ciara’s “Da Girls” and NLE Choppa’s “It’s Getting Hot”—Bankz released her first EP, Now You See Me, which drew praise for its hip-hop entry “Ick,” another viral success, and the R&B cut “Flowers,” a tribute to Philadelphia rapper PnB Rock, who was shot and killed in 2022.