Baltimore rapper Rye Rye took some time off to have a baby, but now she’s back. VEVO catches up with M.I.A.’s partying protégée at SXSW in Austin, Texas, to chat about her debut album Go! Pop! Bang! due June 29, staying in her comfort zone, and working with the “Paper Planes” hitmaker and producer Diplo.

“Sometimes she’s a mother, sometimes she’s like a big sister, sometimes she’s like a best friend,” says Rye Rye about her Grammy-nominated mentor. “To me it’s like an honor ’cause she’s so different. It’s cool to be different.”