Loe Shimmy is a walking sex magnet. Pin him anywhere on God’s green earth — actually, let’s use New York, since that’s where he had a swarm of eager, bodacious twenty-somethings yearning for the Florida rap star. If you ask Shimmy, it’s just another day in his life: which is also why he titled his new project Pretty Girls Run the World.
“I’ve always had a female fanbase,” Shimmy said last week on Zoom. “I just made sure I dedicated this one to them. This one, I’m not boxed in. I wanted to show them I can do anything. This one, I showed them we all do this genre with this s–t.”
Known for his intoxicating hits like the Hot 100 entries “For Me” and the Don Toliver-assisted “3 AM,” Shimmy’s instincts for catering to his female audience have always been spot-on. His nose for hit records continued when he enlisted R&B lothario Brent Faiyaz for the remix of “For Me.” After touring with Sexyy Red in 2024 and Lil Baby in 2025, Shimmy’s stock ballooned, allowing him to tag-team alongside Drake on the Habiti standout “I’m Spent.” Bolstering an already-impressive resume, including 2025 XXL Freshman honors, Shimmy has his eyes set on long-term dominance.
Released today (July 24), Pretty Girls Run the World is an eclectic collection of woozy anthems tailor-made for his ever-growing female fanbase. To jump-start its release, Shimmy rolled out singles like “Body Dangerous,” “Bag Rite” and “No Mileage.” Adding singing to his arsenal, Shimmy isn’t done fine-tuning his game, planting his flag across multiple genres by tapping Latin star Eladio Carrión and Afrobeats standout Ayra Starr for upcoming collaborations.
“I’m ready. I got gas for all of them,” Shimmy says of his quest to conquer every genre. “I be ready. I just be sitting here recording and spamming. Every time we accomplish something, we’re trying to go to the next level after that.”
Billboard spoke with July’s Hip-Hop Up & Comer Loe Shimmy about Pretty Girls Run the World, what collaborating with Drake and Brent Faiyaz taught him about women, and working with Tay Keith.
You usually record hundreds of songs before narrowing them down into an album. When it came to Pretty Girls Run the World, what made the final records stand out, and was it difficult deciding what didn’t make the cut?
It was hard to narrow down, but me and my team got it done. We just picked the ones that made the most sense at the moment. The recording process for all of them was crazy.
You’ve said you eventually want to challenge yourself by making music in every genre. Which genre excites you the most right now to where you can see yourself making an entire album?
I’m f–ked up by [Afrobeats], for sure. Me and Ayra [Starr] finna drop a song.
Working with artists like Drake and Brent Faiyaz, what have you learned about making music that resonates with women?
I ain’t gon’ lie, them boys taught me different beats, different loops and to just try s–t. My voice can do so many different things that I ain’t try. Like Drake, for instance, with “I’m Spent” — I gotta try more beats like that. With Drake, he helped me unlock a whole new [thing]. So I’m going there. New flow unlocked.
You’ve said there’s a lot more singing on this album. What does tapping into your melodic side allow you to express that straight rapping doesn’t?
It just got that feeling, you know what I’m sayin’? It got that feeling in it — that soul in it. It just got what’s missing, you know? It makes the ladies move. It’s just sexy as a motherf–ker.
Before his passing, you teamed up with Tay Keith on “5 Star Freak.” What was the chemistry like between you two in the studio, and what did he bring out of you creatively?
I was in Nashville and he had sent some beats. Out the gate, I got on that b–ch. I called him at like 2:00 in the morning and was like, “N—a. Listen to this.” I played it and that s–t was going. He was like, “I’m pulling up right now!” He pulled up on me and we was just vibing. Good n—a. Chilling. He left me with a whole pack. 50 beats.
So you’re still sitting on some heat.
I’m sitting on some Tay Keith like a motherfu–er right now. It’s going. I’m just glad I got to meet bro and make some art with him. It was a good vibe. We made a hit. S–t gon’ go. We got another one coming.
You lost your brother a few years ago. In what ways do you still honor him through your music and carry his legacy with you?
Like we’ve been talking about: just keep going. No stopping. Just keep my head up and keep grinding. No pity from a king.
You went from touring with Sexyy Red in 2024 to Lil Baby last year. How has being on those stages changed your confidence and approach as a performer?
Everything’s changed. I’m turnt-up right now. I’m feeling it right now. Music-wise, getting on stage, everything. Like making the music and getting on stage, that’s the fun part. That’s when you get to see your work. The stage show is all the work you’ve put in. That’s your reward right there when the crowd’s singing it. Ain’t no better feeling than that. They don’t know the process of how you make it, but they seen it from me. Ain’t no better feeling than that.
You’ve been active on the rap scene since 2020, but it’s really been the last few years where your stock has taken off. How’s life back at home in Florida since your rise?
Everything is better. I showed them I ain’t stopping and they just respected me. Ain’t no quitting. I’m here to stay, here to keep putting on for my side, my section, keep repping where I’m from and we gon’ keep the sh-t going. We’re gonna help other artists and do the s–t like that.
If you can describe Pretty Girls Run That World in one word, what would it be and why?
Man, I can say “groovy.” “Sexy.” “Melodic.” It’s hard to describe it in one word ’cause there’s so many genres.
I heard you got busy on a Latin record.
Yeah. I’m going there. I’m going there on this one. It’s something for everybody to like.
Is there an artist on the Latin or country side you’d want to work with?
On the Latin side, I have a song with Eladio Carrion. Hard. I’m gonna keep dancing on them.
