18 DECEMBER 21-27, 2023 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Going Viral BY JULIANNA O’CL AIR If you doomscroll on Instagram Reels long enough, you might stumble on a video of an older woman showering her younger part- ner with lavish gifts, set to Colorado rapper Schama Noel’s campy track “Sugar Mom,” from his album Two Can Play That Game, which was named Westword’s Best Hip-Hop Album of 2023. From designer watches and stacks of Gucci boxes to fl ashy cars and high- tech presents, it’s just the latest Instagram trend: Stick a fi lter over your girlfriend’s face, make her look eighty years old and then post it on the internet (I’m sure she’ll be pleased). Noel has been tracking the trend since the fi rst video, fi lmed in India, popped up in his feed in April. “I woke up one morning and saw a video that had like, two, three million views using the song,” he recalls. “A week or two later, someone else went viral in India. And that gave me the idea of the template that they’re using, because I wasn’t familiar with the age fi lter at that point in time.” This isn’t the fi rst time one of Noel’s creations has gained prestige online. Back in 2013, he launched his career by posting original verses emulating the style of such rappers as Drake and Cardi B on Twitter us- ing the handle RapLike. His account quickly grew in popularity, leading Noel to his fi rst manager and helping him form tentative connections in the industry. But his internet fame didn’t translate into real-life opportunities as smoothly as Noel hoped it would. He dropped his fi rst two tapes, God’s Playlist and Eternal Feels, Vol. 1, in quick succession, but neither garnered the recognition he craved. And while a few of his RapLike bars reached media accounts like the Shade Room, Complex magazine and MTV, they were often reposted without giv- ing him credit. Despite his large Twitter (now X) following, he felt discouraged. In 2015, Noel released his third album, Ear Candy, but was quickly overwhelmed by the impending fame he was striving for. In a previous interview with Westword, he recalled, “That was the moment that I felt the entire world was really small. Everything felt extremely magnifi ed, like everyone in the world was watching me. I was getting sleep paralysis, and I just felt a very dark energy.” “Sugar Mom” is only his second song to go viral (the fi rst was a remix of Travis Scott’s “Goosebumps” that blew up on Sound- Cloud). Noel says the track is intentionally more commercial, upbeat and pop-inspired; he created the widely appealing banger in hopes that it would gain traction online. “I’ll make the most obnoxious song I can, and I’m sure something will happen,” he laughs. “Also, my ex at that time was just a little older than me. She was like a year older than me, and she did make way more money than me. So in the back of my mind, maybe that could have been it.” But despite the building attention, he doesn’t feel the same suffocating pressure he faced back in 2015. This time, the rapper has the tools, support and experience to capitalize on the viral “Sugar Mom” trend in a way his previous self wouldn’t. “I’m way older, and I have a strong foun- dation, a strong group of friends and a good sense of self now,” he refl ects. “I think back then, if all of these videos kept going viral, I would have put my page on private, because I felt extremely alone then, like everyone I knew didn’t see me as a person. They just saw me kind of as a number, like, ‘Oh, he’s starting to blow up,’ like the Shade Room, Complex magazine, all these articles posting me. “Right now I’m in a much better mental space. It defi nitely comes from just being around the right people,” he adds. “You know the saying ‘Iron sharpens iron.’ So I’m just with people who are equally as motivated and passionate and strong-willed as I am.” The chokehold “Sugar Mom” has on In- sta Reels is already opening doors for Noel. Other infl uencers have noticed the trend and created viral videos, effectively pushing the track to an ever-expanding audience. A small investor turned friend named Sebastian Montoya noticed the trend and contributed money for more promotion. Noel plans to make a “Sugar Dad” remix and a sped-up version of “Sugar Mom,” and is look- ing for opportunities to collaborate with other Colorado artists and infl uencers. He’s also “try- ing to get [the song] on commercials. There’s a section where I say ‘I made her feel twenty when she was double that.’ Just that section could be used for a reverse-aging cream,” he says with excitement, more promotional ideas already percolating. In other words, he is going to milk the trend for all it’s worth. For Noel, going viral again is a relief. “The possibilities are endless right now,” he says. “So it feels kind of surreal, because I created it for that purpose...to be a meme and get me this attention. But I also created it to make a point. I’ve said so many more powerful things than this, and it’s this that got the attention. But we still have a long way to go, and I’m defi nitely not satisfi ed.” “Sugar Mom” is available on all streaming platforms. MUSIC “Sugar Mom” is Schama Noel’s second track to go viral. CLEO MIRZA
