Chanel West Coast's Rise To Fame: ‘Fantasy Factory’ To ‘Love & Hip Hop’

After meeting Rob Dyrdek back in 2008 through MySpace and mutual friends, Chanel was offered a gig in his Fantasy Factory reality show. While she started off as Dyrdek's receptionist, the L.A. native got the chance to show off her lyrical prowess in the show, which aired for seven seasons from 2009 until 2015.

As In Touch recounts, the artist proved her worth in a rap battle with pro skater Steve Berra early on in the show. Her positive exposure lead to Chanel's acting debut in 2011, in the sitcom The Hard Life Of RJ Berger.

According to her IMDb, she followed it up with a role as a voice actor in Dyrdek's animated series Wild Grinders between 2012 and 2015.

After her success in Fantasy Factory, Chanel was signed on to Dyrdek's 2011 comedy clip show Ridiculousness, which the star is still co-hosting to this day. The show's 23rd season premiered this October. Click here to find out how much she makes per episode.

While Chanel has been rapping since she was 14, the star didn't kick off her music career until 2009 with her debut single, "Melting Like Ice Cream." After briefly signing with Atlanta record label Zone 4 and then going solo for a while, she was signed by Lil Wayne to his record label, Young Money Entertainment, in 2012.

A year later, she released her first mixtape, "Now You Know," collaborating with famous artists, such as Snoop Dogg, French Montana, Ty Dolla $ign, Robin Thicke, and Honey Cocaine. Her second mixtape, "Waves," featuring YG and B-Real, was released in 2015.

In 2014, Chanel thrilled fans by announcing an upcoming studio album, slated for 2016. Although the project was delayed a few years, she carried on making music, releasing three singles in 2014: "Blueberry Chills," "New Feeling," and "Miles and Miles."

Fast forward to October 2020, and her debut studio album, America's Sweetheart, was finally out. However, she was far from idle in the meantime, putting out several songs, including "Bass In The Trunk" (2015), which was featured on Fantasy Factory, "Nobody" (2018), and "I Be Like" (2019).

Last September, the rapper paid a sweet birthday tribute to Lil Wayne, sharing an endearing snap of the two together, given below.

"Thank you for believing in me when so many have doubted me!" she wrote in the caption. "You are truly the GOAT and where that term even came from! (Facts) Hip-hop and music period owes so much to you."

Just when we thought she'd done it all, Chanel broke new ground as a Maxim model, with the magazine heavily promoting her in 2017. She also did modeling work for Dyrdek's clothing brand, Reckless, and eventually went on to found her own clothing brand, LOL CARTEL.

“I’m really good with my angles in pictures, but I do watch what I eat,” Chanel told HollywoodLife back in 2019. “I think finding the right clothes that flatter your body is everything because in the past, I wasn’t as aware.”

As her music career was taking off, Chanel continued to work in television. In 2017, the star joined the cast of Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood, during the VH1 show's fourth season.

While Chanel didn't stay on for a long time -- she only made 10 appearances on Love & Hip Hop -- she was definitely excited about being on the show.

“It’s really cool to finally be on a show where I’m able to show more of my life and who I really am as a person," she told In Touch. "I’ve been on TV for years, but I’ve always been kind of a side character. And it hasn’t really shown my music at all. And being a part of Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood — I’m showcasing my music and I am so excited about that.”