2012–2016: Early output, Cum Cake, S.T.D (Shelters to Deltas), and Audacious Harris released her first music video, "Money" onto her official YouTube channel in August 2012. She was only 15 at the time of its release—the original video has since been deleted. In October 2015, the official music video for her song "Vagina" was released on YouTube via YMCFilmz. According to Cupcakke, she wrote the song because she was inspired by
Khia's
dirty rap song "
My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" from 2002. One month later, Harris released "Deepthroat" on her own channel. Within weeks, the two videos went viral on YouTube, Worldstar, and
Facebook. The songs later became singles for Harris' debut mixtape,
Cum Cake, which was released in February 2016. Its release was also supported by further singles such as "Juicy Coochie", "Tit for Tat", and "Pedophile". A writer for
Pitchfork, which included it on "9 Rap Mixtapes You Might Have Missed This Year", called the mixtape a "well rounded introduction to a skilled writer" and said it used songs "about love, loss, and hardship with its more explicit tracks to create a full profile of the up-and-coming Chicago rapper". "Pedophile" was also specifically noted for its "blunt commentary" on
sexual assault. The album was preceded by the single "Picking Cotton", which was described by
MTV News as "a
protest song about
racist cops". In an interview Harris stated that she made the song "LGBT" "...strictly for the
gay community to know that they are loved and don't need to feel judged."
2017–2018: Queen Elizabitch, Ephorize and Eden In February 2017, Harris released "Cumshot", which served as the lead single to her second studio album. On March 7, English singer-songwriter
Charli XCX premiered her song "Lipgloss", which featured Harris. The song was later included on XCX's mixtape,
Number 1 Angel, which was released on March 10. Her second studio album, titled
Queen Elizabitch, was released on March 31, 2017.
The Fader described it as "the type of nasty rap that made her a viral sensation, alongside all-out
pop bangers like '33rd' and the confessional
a cappella freestyle 'Reality, Pt. 4'."
Stereogum also noted that the album "sees CupcakKe engaging with the
current political climate and radio trends in a way that could help her cross over to a more mainstream audience". On April 7, 2017,
Queen Elizabitch was removed from online streaming services and digital music stores due to an illegal backing track that Harris had purchased from what she described as a "shady producer". She soon announced on
Twitter that
Queen Elizabitch would be re-released on April 16. She then released the singles "
Exit" and "
Cartoons" in November 2017. Her third studio album,
Ephorize, was released on January 5, 2018.
Exclaim! called it "her most polished work to date" and noted that "she still slides in plenty of deliciously dirty one-liners throughout the new record."
HotNewHipHop commented that "
Ephorize might be one of the most introspective bodies of work she's dropped off to date."
Pitchfork called it Cupcakke's "best album yet, with terrific production and a barrage of raps that reveal Elizabeth Harris to be far more than her hilarious and absurdly raunchy one-liners." She released music videos for the songs "
Duck Duck Goose" and "
Fullest". The former features her "showing off an extensive collection of
dildos as well as a souvenir
Statue of Liberty. On November 9, 2018, Harris released her fourth studio album,
Eden. She released music videos for the lead single "Quiz", and for the following singles "Hot Pockets" and "Blackjack".
2019–2023: Hiatus and standalone singles in 2019 On January 8, 2019, Harris was reportedly taken to a hospital in Chicago after tweeting that she was going to commit
suicide. In a tweet posted the next day, Harris wrote "I've been fighting with
depression for the longest. Sorry that I did it public last night but I'm ok. I went to the hospital & I'm finally getting the help that I need to get through, be happy, & deliver great music. Thanks for all the prayers but please don't worry bout me." On January 11, 2019, the single "
Squidward Nose" was released, and on February 21, a music video for the song featuring
John Early premiered. On April 17, 2019, Harris released a remix of
Lil Nas X's song "
Old Town Road", titled "Old Town Hoe", on her YouTube channel, and its music video the following day. In September 2019, Harris made several posts on social media criticizing several artists such as
Camila Cabello (she accused Cabello of racism) and
Shawn Mendes, followed by her retirement announcement in an
Instagram Live video. She stated, "This live is going to be the last video that y'all [will] see of me. I am completely done with music". She said that she would no longer be releasing music to the public and that she would be removing her music from all streaming platforms. She stated that she was disturbed to see children in videos and young people at her shows singing along to her explicit songs, and felt she was corrupting the youth with her raunchy songs. Harris also told fans that she has a "very bad gambling addiction" and that she had lost $700,000 at a casino in September 2018. Harris' Instagram and Twitter accounts were deactivated after the livestream ended. On March 6, 2020, Harris released a new single, "Lawd Jesus". Harris uploaded her first video to YouTube since her previous deletion of all videos on her channel the previous year, with the double video for singles "Grilling Niggas" and "Lawd Jesus", on May 13, 2020. On June 1, 2020, Cupcakke released the single "Lemon Pepper" with half of the proceeds going towards the Minnesota Bail fund. Another single, "
Discounts" was released on June 26. The song received critical acclaim, peaking at number 78 on the
UK Singles Downloads Chart and number 80 on the
UK Singles Sales Chart, becoming her first single to do so. "Discounts" also reached number one on the US
iTunes chart, which is her first song to do so. She is also the only female rapper to have a number-one song on the iTunes chart with no label. On December 16, 2020, Harris received significant media attention after releasing "How to Rob (Remix)", a
diss track. It was released on YouTube and sees Harris take aim at
Megan Thee Stallion,
Lizzo, and Lil' Kim, among others. It is her first song to be certified by the RIAA. In June,
Rolling Stone magazine reported that Harris will be co-hosting the upcoming
OutTV reality show
Hot Haus with
Tiffany Pollard, which will mark the rapper's TV hosting debut. Harris said of the casting decision, "As soon as I heard what this show stood for, owning your sexuality and talent, I knew I had to be involved." Later that same year, her songs went viral on
TikTok, mainly in the form of remixes; she later joined the platform because of it to promote her single 'Marge Simpson'. On May 31, 2022, Harris released the singles "Good Puss (Remix)" with
Cobrah, "PTPOM (Shemix)" with
Tay Money & ShantiiP, "H2Hoe", and "HDBG (Shemix)" with
Erica Banks and Tweeday, in release order. In December, she would jokingly get her lawyers to combat cupcakKe remixes. Within 2023, she would release two more songs before her return in 2024, both being "Lizzo Shemix" with
Layton Greene & Moone Walker, and "ABRACADABRA" with
Borgore and
Chase Icon.
2024–present: Dauntless Manifesto and The Bakkery On June 23, 2024, Harris announced her fifth studio album,
Dauntless Manifesto, marking her return to the industry after a six-year hiatus from full-length projects. Released independently on June 28, 2024, the album was a critical success. Lucas Martins of Beats Per Minute praised its diversity in "flows, production, and genre," while Sam Franzini of Clash described the work as "dizzying" and "consistently surprising." Fernando García of Jenesaispop highlighted the balance of sexually charged lyrics with a "strong conviction for social justice," specifically citing "Dementia" and "Grilling Niggas II" as standouts. While
Anthony Fantano offered a more mixed review, noting that the serious moments sometimes felt "out of place" against her established lyrical "script," Arthur Diaz of SLUG deemed it her "most thoughtful project." Singles such as "Backstage Passes" and "Little Red Riding Good" achieved significant viral popularity on TikTok. To support the release, Harris embarked on the Dauntless Manifesto Tour. The tour featured three legs: the first two spanned the
United States and
Canada, while the third extended to the
United Kingdom,
Ireland, and
Norway, concluding on January 22, 2025. This was followed by the CupcakKe Live tour, which ran in two parts from March to May and August to December 2025. On June 9, 2025, Harris released "One of My Bedbugs Ate My Pussy" as the lead single for her sixth studio album,
The Bakkery. Announced on October 17 and released on October 24, 2025, the album was noted for its genre fluidity, incorporating elements of hip house,
hyperpop,
afrobeats, and
electropop. Critics from Legends Will Never Die praised the project as her most "hilariously written" work, showcasing a "sharpened witty pen" that examined power, money, and body politics through the lens of desire. The album's reception was largely positive, appearing on several "Best Albums of 2025" lists. Acclaimed tracks included the 2000s-inspired "Alcoholic," the
hip house-influenced "UFO," and the rap-heavy "Ballerina Coupe" and "Akeelah." The song "Moan-a Lisa" was specifically lauded by fans for its vocal performance and production. In February 2026, Harris launched The Bakkery Tour, which achieved major commercial success, selling out every date across its North American run through April 2026. == Philanthropy ==