Who is Monaleo?
Singer-songwriter and rapper Monaleo – whose real name is Leondra Roshawn Gay – came into the limelight after her single “Beating Down Yo Block” went viral on social media platforms in 2021. The song had over three million streams on Spotify and nearly 3.5 million views on YouTube in January 2021.
According to complex.com, Monaleo’s single is in 48th place on the list of 50 best songs in 2021, and Jessica McKinney said: ‘Monaleo’s rowdiness is infectious, giving the track an addictive quality. Houston is birthing some of the hottest new talents to watch right now, and Monaleo is one of them.’
Monaleo says that her stage name comes from a combination of her name Leondra and Mona Lisa.
Early life and education
Monaleo was born under the zodiac sign of Taurus on 24 April 2001, in Houston, Texas USA; she holds American nationality and her ethnicity is African-American. She once said that the most annoying question that fans and journalists ask is about her zodiac sign, since most of them assume that her stage name has the word ‘leo’ because her zodiac sign is Leo.
Although born in Houston, Monaleo was raised in Missouri City, Texas by her parents, about whom nothing is known. She has a younger brother, who is also a rapper known as Yung Rampage.
Speaking of her educational background, she attended The High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, in River Oaks near Houston, and upon matriculating in 2019, she enrolled into the Prairie View A&M University, a public historically black land-grant university in Prairie View, Texas, however, she paused her studies and focused on her music career.
For six months in college, Monaleo studied mortuary science and thought she’d be a funeral director, saying that she was fascinated by death and by funerals. However, after she realized that she would relate each corpse she saw to a living relative or herself, she quit her studies.
Rose to prominence
As mentioned, in 2021, after releasing her single “Beating Down Yo Block”, Monaleo became one of the most popular young rappers almost over the night; she wrote this song while struggling with a bad break-up, thus many girls found themselves relating to it.
Monaleo has shared with her fans that she had issues with her mental health, and that she’s made a few suicide attempts, apparently a call for help. ‘I really have struggled with depression and I still am currently struggling with anxiety, and body dysmorphia. It’s my life,’ she said, adding that she had her first suicidal attempt in 4th grade.
She is now an advocate for people who deal with anxiety and depression, and spoke about her experience for Suicide Awareness Month on the radio station The Box, Houston.
Monaleo uses her music as a healing process to overcome anxiety but you wouldn’t know any of this listening to her music since she sounds so strong and full of self-confidence.
After her first hit, she released the song “Girls Outside”, a flip of the soulful “Outside” by the late rapper MO3, and later released “Suck It Up”, and the music video for this song has amassed nearly 2.5 million views on YouTube.
Her newest single is “We Not Humping”, released in May 2022.
Monaleo reveals that she asked Flo Milli to be on ‘We Not Humping’ before the song was even released. https://t.co/KtyytV9ZXm pic.twitter.com/2n6rAwQU5E
— MONALEO’S FIRST PROJECT OUT NOW 🚨 (@themonalette) July 27, 2022
Presence on social media platforms
Monaleo is active on her Instagram account, which has been followed by nearly 350,000 people, on which she’s posted over 150 photos, mostly featuring her work and her everyday life, including several related to mental health.
She also has a Twitter account, established in July 2015, which has gained over 100,000 followers, and on which she’s tweeted over 35,000 times.
Monaleo’s TikTok account has been followed by over 300,000 people, and all of her videos combined have amassed nearly 6.5 million likes.
Her eponymous YouTube channel, launched on 15 June 2011, has been subscribed to by over 150,000 people, and all of her videos combined have gained nearly 40 million views.
Her most viewed video is the official music video for her song “Beating Down Yo Block” which has been viewed nearly 20 million times.
Love life and relationships
There have been various rumors concerning both Monaleo’s love life and her sexual orientation, however, in her interview with DJ Smallz Eyes 2, she shared that she is bisexual.
She hasn’t spoken about her previous relationships, and hasn’t revealed the names of any man or woman with whom she dated, but shared that her breakthrough song was inspired by her relationship and break-up from her abusive ex-boyfriend. ‘I was trying to restore confidence, hope, and optimism back into myself, that’s why the lyrics are so powerful’ said Monaleo.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CiTEkXlOH29/
In September 2021, rapper Stunna 4 Vegas whose real name is Khalick Antonio Caldwell, posted a video in which he talked about how he started dating Monaleo. In May 2022, he was the guest on the podcast “On The Radar Radio”, and shared how much he loves her, saying that they are happy together.
On Valentine’s Day 2022, Monaleo shared on her Instagram some photos and videos featuring the two of them, with the caption saying that he’s her first love.
As of August 2022, Monaleo is in a relationship with Stunna 4 Vegas, she hasn’t been married or engaged, and doesn’t have children.
Age, height, and wealth
Monaleo’s age is 21; she has long, black, curly hair and brown eyes, weighs around 120lbs (55kgs) and is 5ft 6ins (1.68m), with vital statistics of 34-24-35.
Before Monaleo signed for Stomp Down Entertainment Incorporation, a Houston-based record label, she partnered with Cash App Studios, which allowed her to retain ownership of her work, and receive financial backing from the payment platform.
According to sources, as of August 2022, her net worth has been estimated at over $1 million, most of her wealth earned thanks to her music career, including collaborations with famous brands such as Block Inc. and Trill Fit. According to starstat.yt, Monaleo earns around $15,000 per month from her YouTube channel,
