The Break Presents – Maiya The Don

Maiya The Don is a true student of the game. She represents the hip-hop legacy of Brooklyn to the fullest with a powerful pen game and pristine punchlines. Maiya's first taste of hip-hop mainstream success arrived in the form of her 2022 Sisqo-sampled track "Telfy." The confidence-inducing anthem has raked in over 7 million streams and Spotify. Her debut mixtape, Hot Commodity, has been met with cosigns from the likes of Lil' Kim, Ty Dolla $ign and Mariah Carey, among others.

The BK MC comes through XXL's The Break Live for an interview about her new single "Mean It," being hand-picked by Latto for the first-ever all-female XXL Cypher Lab, the current state of lyricism in rap and more. Watch the interview below.

Age: 22

Reppin': Brooklyn

Instagram: @maiyathedonn

TikTok: @maiyathedon

Notable Releases: Songs: "Telfy," "Dusties," Flo Milli's "Conceited" featuring Maiya The Don and Lola Brooke; Mixtapes: Hot Commodity

Label: Independent

Currently Working On: Untitled project dropping in 2024.

Influenced by: "I would say everybody. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Missy Elliott, Drake. I just love everybody."

When did you first start rapping?

"I started rapping seriously like two years ago. Before then, I would do little raps to battle my brother. We would freestyle and rap battle. We used to do stuff like that while watching the Freestyle Fridays on 106 & Park."

What are your thoughts on why women are dominating hip-hop the way they are?

"I think what it is now is that we're just finally getting the respect that we deserve. For a long time, women in hip-hop were used as an accessory. Women were used as like, 'Here's the sex appeal, here's how we're going to get women to listen to our music.' Now, it's about us being the music. We have something to say."

What's your creative process behind writing your rhymes? 

"I write. I find that writing a verse, you're more intentional. The best things come out of putting pen to pad and really putting thought behind it. Going in the studio and just freestyling, it's cool, but not everybody is Hov and I want everybody to get out of that trend and start rapping again."

Watch the full interview below.

Follow Maiya The Don on Spotify.

Standouts:

"Mean It"

"Telfy"

"Dusties"

"Truth Is Freestyle"

Hot Commodity