Teyana Taylor Says Beyonce & Jay-Z Co-Sign Her Career + Explains How She Branded Sneakers & Hats

G.O.O.D. Music’s Teyana Taylor is gracing the cover of VIBE Vixen‘s Premier Fashion Issue. The 21-year-old Harlem native was recently on the ‘net, for noting that she perhaps started the ‘tomboy chic’ look that Rihanna sometimes rocks. If you’ll recall, the two threw a few subliminal twitter shots at each other, but the spat quickly died down. Fast forward to the present day and Teyana’s chatting with Vixen about her edgy style, why she deserves more credit and working with ‘Ye . Peep a few excerpts below.

On if she created her tomboy chic,edgy style:

“Do I think I created this style? No. Did I bring it back? Yes! I branded snapbacks and sneakers. I made it sexy again. I’ve always been on my 90s shit, my tomboy shit, my sneakerhead sh*t. I do feel like I influenced [the style]. I made it okay for female artists to be comfortable in their skin, to be comfortable in street wear, to not always be glamorous 24/7. I would like to think I inspired a lot of artists.”

On how she began her look at an early age and being called ‘gay’ because of her style:

“I was 16; I was dressed my age. I had my Jordans, my fitteds, my snapbacks. I was typecast for being age-appropriate. Once I got older and matured more, it was still a ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ situation. When I was dressed in my streetwear, I was gay. Then, I do one shoot, show some skin and now I’m not a virgin. I can’t win for losing.”

On A-listers like Beyonce and Jay-Z giving their stamp of approval on her career:

“I deserve more credit because it wasn’t like I could be a socialite and be comfortable with that. I’m designing, I’m helping ‘Ye design his line, I’m dancing, but people don’t want to see me do good. You can go to YouTube and see I have a million things that I’ve choreographed that is so blind to people. I’m not worried because the right people know what I do. When people like Beyoncé and Hov come up to you and they tell you to keep pushing, that’s what inspires me. Beyoncé came up to me like, Oh my god, I love “Her Room.” I’m so proud of you. That’s all that matters; I see Hov and his nickname for me is either Lil Swag or Superstar. It feels good to sit in the room with Bey, Hov, Spike Lee, and John Legend, and Ryan Leslie, just in a room talking kicking our feet up drinking wine. I’ve been around too much greatness to let anyone put me down.”

Read the full interview here.