Courtesy of BigSteppa Mori

Over the past few years, BigSteppa Mori, 21, has spent many of her days preparing food in WashU dining halls — all while steadily rising to fame as a rapper.

Mori, as she is known off-stage, began working at Bear’s Den (BD) in early 2022, where she often prepared and distributed half-and-halfs or egg sandwiches alongside her father and sisters. She later moved to Collin’s Farms after it opened at the Law Café. She prepared lunchtime salads there with her two sisters. 

During the pandemic, Mori took up rapping as a way to pass the time. Now, her most popular song, “Westside Story,” has about 76,000 streams on Spotify, and the music video for the song has nearly 300,000 views on YouTube. She has also accumulated about 75,000 followers on Instagram.

Mori described her music style as “raunchy,” “kind of hood,” and sometimes a mixture of the two. 

She added that many of her songs focus on relationships and interactions with men but also seek to boost female confidence. She said she hopes people will listen to her music when they are gearing up for a challenge. 

“I want to make music that you listen to when you go to the gym or when you’re about to go do something tough,” Mori said. “I want people to listen to it before that and have it lift them up.”

Mori recently reached a milestone in her music career by collaborating on a track with famed rapper NLE Choppa. 

Choppa, whose songs have amassed over 6.5 billion streams worldwide, noticed her music on social media earlier this year and contacted her on Instagram. Mori said she was shocked but excited to hear from him. 

“One day I said I still don’t know if this is him [texting me], and then somebody FaceTimed me,” she said. “I’m like, ‘wow, this is really him’ … I love him!”

Mori said Choppa spoke to her via FaceTime when he was on tour in Memphis, Tenn. She later traveled to Memphis to meet him. When the two were together, Choppa told her he wanted to be featured on one of her songs, so he quickly recorded a verse in the studio to add to one of them. 

Mori said she’s unsure when her song with Choppa will be released, but the two plan to release a music video along with it. 

Sophomore David Ciorba said he first met Mori when she worked at BD, and the two have been friends ever since. 

“Despite her very provocative music, Mori is a very kind and thoughtful person,” Ciorba said. “She’s very interested in your life. She’ll ask you questions about what you’ve been doing. ‘How are you?’ And she’s always ready for a laugh.”

Wyatt Byers, a sophomore who worked at Collin’s Farm alongside Mori, said that he learned of Mori’s music career achievements through her two sisters. 

“[Mori] kind of rarely talked about [her music],” Byers said. “She’s very humble about the whole thing.” 

Ciorba agreed that Mori is humble and easygoing. 

“I would definitely say that the persona she uses in music is not the one that I see in person,” Ciorba said. “And I wonder if that’s a means of expressing the unapologetic version of herself or if it’s more of a persona; I don’t know. But I really love her.”

Despite the successes she has experienced in her career so far, Mori noted that they have also posed some unexpected challenges. Mori said that one of the most difficult aspects of gaining traction as an artist is the constant demand some people have for her to release new music. 

“It’s challenging because I can get overwhelmed real fast … ” Mori said. “When they put you on this high pedestal and expect you to act a certain way, oh my gosh, sometimes I just hate it.”

She added that interacting with large groups of fans and new people can be difficult for her due to her struggles with social anxiety. This anxiety is compounded by uncertainty about whether others have her best interests at heart.

“When I come across certain people and certain situations, I don’t know how to handle it,” she said. “That’s why I try to keep my family close, because a lot of people try to take advantage.”

Mori said despite the pressure she feels as an artist, she likes knowing that she positively influences people. 

“I go out in public now, and people want to take pictures,” she said. “I didn’t even know I had that kind of impact.”

Mori recently stopped working at Collins Farms to focus more time on her music career. Ciorba said he sees a positive side to her leaving her job at WashU. 

“I think that perhaps this job has been holding her back from reaching her full potential,” Ciorba said. “I’m excited to see where she goes, although I hope that she stays in St Louis. I mean, if she gets big, I hope that she keeps St. Louis in mind.” 

Mori said that she has enjoyed working at WashU because she can connect with students like Ciorba, but she is also excited about focusing on her music. 

Throughout the challenges she has faced, she has leaned on her family, which she says is her strongest and most reliable support system. 

Her younger sister Amori said that Mori’s successes in rap are felt by the whole family, and she is excited to see where Mori’s music will take her.

“This is something that we’ve always talked about and wanted,” Amori said. “We’re gonna get no sleep, but I think it’ll be fun.”

Editor’s note: David Ciorba is a Forum Editor for Student Life and was not involved in the writing, reporting, or editing of this story.