Lizzo — Underground Rapper to Grammy Body-Positivity Icon

Lizzo released three albums to almost no commercial attention before "Truth Hurts" (originally released in 2017) went viral on TikTok in 2019 and hit #1 — two years after release. Cuz I Love You earned her three Grammys. She played a 200-year-old crystal flute from the Library of Congress on live TV. She became the face of body positivity in pop culture, gracing the cover of Vogue and headlining festivals worldwide. Then former dancers filed harassment lawsuits in 2023, complicating her brand. The transformation from unknown Minneapolis rapper to cultural icon took 8 years of persistence before TikTok made it happen overnight.