School, college and other closings for Monday

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Savannah McConneaughey got her start in music like most four-year-old rap stars: by watching 

. Her dad, Reggie, was impressed by how quickly she memorized songs. Soon, he started posting videos of her singing on 

“I was like ‘yo, this little girl's amazing,’” the older McConneaughey told NPR's 

His daughter raps about everything from playing with him to what she's learning in school. “I like to rap about my ABCs and my 123s,” Savannah said. “It makes me happy.”

 show Savannah, who goes by “therealvanvan” on social media, freestyle rapping with some encouragement from her dad. Some of the videos have scored millions of views. 

In “Playing Outside Everyday,” she dances to the beat while rapping the lyrics “My name is VanVan / Ain't no time to play / Playing outside, everyday.” It's her most popular TikTok post, with more than three million views.

McConneaughey said his daughter picks out her own beats to serve as a backing track to her songs. As for the lyrics, McConneaughey insists they're Savannah's own work — no ghostwriting from dad here. 

“She just kind of comes up with what she says,” he added. “Sometimes, the pattern might throw her off, so I help her get back on beat.”

As she eases into her newfound fame, Savannah says she likes watching people react to the videos online. “Everyone's dancing and singing to it,” she said. “It makes me happy.”

Her dad, who runs the TikTok account, often tags the videos with race-aware hashtags like #brownskingirl and #blackgirlmagic.

“My daughter's a beautiful young lady, and I want to make sure that people will see how beautiful she is,” he said. “She's beautiful to me, beautiful to her mom. Her spirit is beautiful.” 

The McConneaugheys say they want to avoid rushing a potential career for Savannah, all too aware of the pitfalls of stardom at such a young age and the struggles that can ensue.

“We are the decision makers when it comes to those kinds of things,” said Savannah's mom, Kenya. “We want to make sure that we keep her innocent and make sure she stays her sweet little self.”

There's a lot in the works for Savannah — she just recorded a studio version of “Playing Outside Everyday” and she'll be making a music video soon. She's also starring in the upcoming film 

. But when asked what she was most excited about this year, the young star only had one thing in mind.

“I'm excited to be a big sister!” Savannah exclaimed. 

Arts and Culture

Music

NewsPartners

Mansee Khurana

Author

Meet VanVan, the four-year-old rapper who is giving Nicki Minaj and Doja Cat a run for their money. She's getting millions of views on TikTok and Instagram.

VanVan, 4, raps about her ABCs and 123s

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox