Who Is Nettspend? Meet the 18-Year-Old Rapper Who Walked a Miu Miu Runway

Rising Gen-Z rap star Nettspend, born Gunner Shepardson, is a classic example of internet virality propelling young artists into fame. Before he turned 18 this past March, Shepardson already signed a huge contract with Interscope Records, released his first album Bad Ass F*cking Kid, and walked Miu Miu's Fall/Winter 2025 show at Paris Fashion Week.

It's been a long time coming for the Virginia-born teen, who left school in ninth grade to pursue music and live the musician lifestyle. With lyrics about coming up in Virginia, girls (of course), and substances, we are getting a peek inside the psyche of the next generation of musicians. 

When asking the average Nettspend fan what draws them to the rapper, the answer is likely to be something surrounding his "aura." The Gen-Z-ified term refers to the version of swag and style, which Nettspend has come to master. Take his debut performance at Rolling Loud back in March: The rapper rolled onto the stage with his arm around his girlfriend, Mazzy Joya, and a level of nonchalance that exuded a bona fide auramaxxing.

Fans flocked to his concert in the thousands to hear his hit songs from "Shut Up" from his new album to "Shine n Peace," the song that made him famous on X (formerly Twitter) in 2023. From Richmond, Virginia, to Paris, people can't get enough of the long-haired teen ushering in a new era of internet hits. Keep scrolling to learn more about who Nettspend is through a handful of fun facts.

He loves to skateboard.

In an interview with i-D, Nettspend revealed he once dreamed of being a famous skater, but he's settled on music instead. 

He was photographed with Anna Wintour at Vogue World.

At Vogue World in Paris last summer, the young rapper was introduced to the magazine mogul. Through in his interview with i-D, he shared that he went up to Wintour and simply said, "What's up?"

His girlfriend? Model Mazzy Joya.

Mazzy Joya is Nettspend's girlfriend. The young couple has been photographed courtside at a Lakers game and joined him onstage at Rolling Loud, dancing and waving around the American flag. 

He has a well-rounded taste in music.

In a recent interview with GQ, Nettspend showed off his iPod Nano and said that in the case of an apocalypse, he'd bring the discographies of Babyfather, Yung Lean, Willie Nelson, and, maybe, Mazzy Star with him.

Some of his biggest hits were taken offline last summer after an alleged copyright infringement issue.

Nettspend's single, "That One Song," takes samples from the Deftones' "Entombed." Just days after it was picking up stamina online, it was taken down, along with some of his other hits allegedly due to a copyright infringement issue. He has not made any public comments on the matter, but Nettspend fans were quick to cause a scene on each's related subreddit.