From the time Chanel West Coast was a kid, she's been larger than life with a one-of-a-kind talent. She came into this world ready to make her mark. If you want to get to know who Chanel West Coast is now, you have to look at where she's been and where she's going—and she's going places.
You've seen Chanel West Coast on Ridiculousness and Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, but don't let that fool you. A sharp, sweet woman with a vivacious personality and a sassy attitude, Chanel is all about her music. Recording is her true love, and it's fueled by her skill at self-expression.
Chanel is Chanel, a wild child with a unique aesthetic, an irresistible sense of fashion, and the ability to connect with people on a personal level. She's a force to be reckoned with – and it's time for a reckoning.
Chanel West Coast: The Beginnings
As a kid, Chanel West Coast wasn't much different from how she is now. Her personality has always been big, brash, and beautiful. Born Chelsea “Chanel” Dudley, she's been surrounded by music her entire life. During her childhood, she spent half of her time with her mom in Los Angeles and the other half with her DJ dad in New York City.
Her dad used to bring 8-year-old Chanel along with him while he spun the 1s and 2s at packed nightclubs. With those credentials, she was meant for recording greatness from the beginning. She loves to tell stories about the thrill of hiding beneath the DJ booth so that nobody saw her. As she likes to say, “I've always been around music, and I knew it's what I'd do for the rest of my life. I didn't have a choice.” That's who Chanel West Coast is.
Makin' It Happen with Music
Her family nurtured Chanel West Coast as a kid and continued to do so as she began to pursue her dreams. At a young age, she took dancing and singing lessons with the full encouragement of her family. Those lessons paid off. Her next step was to enter and ultimately win competitions with competitive hip-hop dance teams, all of which fueled her love of performing and her affinity for hip-hop.
Chanel finally got the chance to display her musical talent in the booth when she stepped up to the mic in Marvin Gaye's legendary studio in the Hollywood Hills. By the age of 17, she had her own music page on MySpace during the height of its popularity. That's also when she took on the moniker of Chanel West Coast. Her desire then, as it is now, was to share her music with the world. Turns out that MySpace was just what the doctor ordered to send her musical career into the stratosphere, and she rode the MySpace wave straight to the top of the music industry.
In 2012, an enormous opportunity presented itself: Lil Wayne, founder of Young Money Records, invited Chanel to come to Miami to hear her music and meet her in person in the studio. He loved what he heard, shook her hand and instantly initiated Chanel into the Young Money crew. Chanel then dropped her first video for “Keep Spinnin.” After “Keep Spinnin” she released her next single “I Love Money” because that was the song that got the most reaction from Lil Wayne in the studio. “I Love Money” premiered on Worldstar hip-hop and became an instant hit for Chanel. To follow it up, she dropped her first official single “Karl,” her first single from her Now You Know mixtape, along with a high-fashion, highly provocative music video that would've made Lagarfield himself beam with pride. Chanel West Coast sashayed and slayed through that video, and she hasn't stopped since. She never stops grinding.
Her Young Money affiliation led to an award for Best Group at the 2014 BET awards. Chanel continues her relationship with Lil Wayne, but she releases her new projects on an independent level.
Droppin' Hit After Hit
If only Chanel West Coast as a kid could see herself now. Her first mixtape was just the start. Her second mixtape, Waves, dropped in 2015, coming in hot with a fresh single, “I Like New ft. YG.” She's debuted a succession of sick singles in the years following, including “Bad Things” (2016), “New Bae ft. Safaree” (2017), “Nobody” (2018), “I Be Like ft. Dax” (2019), “Anchors” (2019), “Black Roses” (2020) and 2020's “No Plans.” You can hit up Chanel’s TikTok to check out the #NoPlansChallenge and join in.
Chanel has expanded beyond music, too. She’s a successful entrepreneur, and you can browse her clothing line, LOL CARTEL, to see for yourself.
You can still catch Chanel West Coast on new episodes of Ridiculousness as well as a ton of reruns of Ridiculousness and Fantasy Factory, and if you’re more in a music mood make sure you go stream her music available on all platforms.
Who is Chanel West Coast and what comes next? As your girl herself says, “The sky isn't the limit, it's only the view.”
