| LightSkinKeisha | |||||||||||
| Birth Name: | Samantha Deshaun | ||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 4 September 1994 | ||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Decatur, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Other Names: | Big Bank Beisha | ||||||||||
| Years Active: | 2014–present | ||||||||||
| Children: | 1 | ||||||||||
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Samantha Deshaun (born September 4, 1994), known professionally as LightSkinKeisha, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, and influencer. She started her online career in 2014, posting comedic videos to Instagram and YouTube, several of which went viral.
She released her debut single as a rapper, "Weather", in 2017. After signing with L.A. Reid's record label Hitco in 2018, she released six mixtapes from 2018 to 2023: That's Just the Bottom Line (2018)—which featured her breakout singles "Believe Dat" and "Ride Good"—Act Up SZN (2019), Talk That Talk, Clones (both 2020), Break the Bank (2021), and Thought I Was Done? (2023).
On television, she appeared on the ninth season of the reality television series (2020) and made her acting debut as BruShandria Carmichael on the Starz television series (2020–present).
Samantha Deshaun was born on September 4, 1994[1] in Decatur, Georgia[2] and raised in Atlanta by a single mother along with her seven siblings.[3] She started cheerleading competitively at age 7 and competed for 13 years until she began working in the service industry.[4] [5]
LightSkinKeisha's stage name was inspired by the character Kisha from the 1998 film Belly, whom she described as "dark-skin Kisha".[6] She first became popular as an influencer for comedic videos she posted to her Instagram and YouTube accounts starting in 2014, wherein she discussed her relationships and everyday life.[7] A video of her rapping about "burnt pussy lips" went viral and soundtracked twerking videos on YouTube and Dubsmash. Her debut single as a rapper, "Weather", was released on SoundCloud in the summer of 2017 and gained traction on the service. She released her single "Treadmill" in June 2018 along with an animated web series for the song.[8] Her song "Believe Dat" was released in August 2018 with a music video filmed at Magic City.[9] In 2018, LightSkinKeisha was signed to the L.A. Reid-owned record label, Hitco. Her debut mixtape, That's Just the Bottom Line, was released in December 2018 and included "Believe Dat" and her breakout song "Ride Good" featuring B. Smyth.[10] [11] On July 26, 2019, she released the mixtape Act Up SZN on streaming through Hitco.[12]
LightSkinKeisha was nominated for the iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New R&B Artist in 2020.[13] LightSkinKeisha released the mixtapes Talk That Talk and Clones in February and September 2020, respectively, with "B.R.A.T." (featuring Blac Youngsta) released as the lead single of Clones. She was featured on the Saucy Santana song "Back It Up", which was released as a single from his debut album, Pretty Little Gangsta, in August 2020 with a music video.[14] She released her mixtape Break the Bank in 2021, which was preceded by the singles "Blue Hunnids" and "Freaky Dancer", which featured Trina. Her single "Pop Shit Queen" was released in February 2022.[15] She released the project Thought I Was Done? in May 2023.
LightSkinKeisha appeared on the reality television series in its ninth season in 2020.[16] [17] Also in 2020, she began starring on the Courtney A. Kemp-created Starz crime drama television series as BruShandria Carmichael, an outspoken college student, and appeared on the show's first three seasons.[18]
LightSkinKeisha's music is hip hop and R&B. Chris Kelly of The Washington Post wrote in 2019 that LightSkinKeisha's music "offer[ed] sexually empowered lyrics and the outsize swagger of [her] male counterparts".[19] Aleia Woods of XXL described her rapping flow as "in-your-face", while The Source wrote that she had a "demanding attitude" in her music.[20] Robyn Mowatt of Okayplayer wrote that LightSkinKeisha's music was "filled with brash soliloquies and catchy lines paired with bouncy trap beats".[21]
LightSkinKeisha has stated that she was homeless in early 2018 and alternated between living in hotels and in her car.[22] LightSkinKeisha got engaged to rapper Coca Vango in 2022 and married him in January 2024.[23] Their son, Amin, was born on January 14, 2024.[24]
| Details | ||
| That's Just the Bottom Line |
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|---|---|---|
| Act Up SZN |
| |
| Talk That Talk |
| |
| Clones |
| |
| Break the Bank |
| |
| Thought I Was Done? |
|
| Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B/HH Air. [25] | |||
| "Weather" | 2017 | — | rowspan="3" |
| "Cash Shit" | — | ||
| "Treadmill" | 2018 | — | |
| "Believe Dat" | 39 | Thats Just the Bottom Line | |
| "Ride Good" | 26 | ||
| "I'm Gucci" | — | ||
| "Hey LightSkin" | 2019 | — | |
| "On Read" | — | Act Up SZN | |
| "PBWA" | — | Talk That Talk | |
| "Queen Kong" | 2020 | — | Clones |
| "B.R.A.T." | — | ||
| "FDH" | 2021 | — | Break the Bank |
| "Sheesh" | — | My Love | |
| "Drama" | — | ||
| "Blue Hunnids" | — | Break the Bank | |
| "Margarita" | — | ||
| "Freaky Dancer" | — | ||
| "Pop Shit Queen" | 2022 | — | Thought I Was Done? |
| "Play Me" | — | ||
| "Gimme Head" | — | ||
| "Ass on Me" | 2023 | — | |
| "Fine AF" | — |
| Year | Album | |
|---|---|---|
| "Poppin' Champagne" | 2017 | |
| "Sassy" | 2019 | Trappin Like Zacc |
| "On His Face" | The One | |
| "Atlanta" | ||
| "Back It Up" | 2020 | Pretty Little Gangsta |
| "Falling Apart" | ||
| "It's a Vibe" | Its a Vibe | |
| "Top Bitch" | 2021 | SMD |
| "I'm Dat Girl" | 2022 | rowspan="2" |
| "Outside" |
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Do It" | 2018 | Latto | Mulatto |
| "Light Skin Like Keisha" | Ace Cino | Mafia Life | |
| "Okay Bitch" | Tokyo Vanity, Tasha Catour | B.A.P.S | |
| "Snow" | Coca Vango | Jugg Baby | |
| "4 Play" | 2019 | L.I. Tha Great | The Collective Project |
| "Nasty Wit It" | Nechie | SSN: Southside Nechi (The Full Story) | |
| "Freak Freak" | Coca Vango, Renni Rucci | Mr. Vango | |
| "Gymnastics" | Trip Rexx | Lopsided | |
| "PowerPuff Girls" | 2020 | Kelow LaTesha, Rico Nasty | TSA |
| "Bankroll" | Coca Vango | From Rags to Jugg Riches |
| Year | Title | Role | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Wild 'n Out | Herself | Episode: "Ski Mask the Slump God/LightSkinKeisha" | |
| 2020 | Herself | Recurring (season 9) | ||
| 2020–2024 | BruShandria Carmichael | Recurring role; 22 episodes | ||
| 2022 | The Real Housewives of Atlanta | Herself | Episode: "The Edge of Fashion" |