Awkwafina, the stage name of Nora Lum, grew up with more classic influences. The first-generation Chinese-American studied classical and jazz music as a teenager. During this time, though, she began to start creating rap music as Awkwafina. It remained in the background, though, as she studied Mandarin for two years in China and then finished her college career at SUNY Albany studying journalism. Even after she graduated in 2011, her rap career was firmly in the background as she went down a career path consisting of editorial and public relations jobs. She broke through in 2013, though, as Awkwafina became a more known commodity on YouTube. In early 2014, she released her first album Yellow Ranger. Later that year, she started acting, joining the cast of comedy series "Girl Code" (MTV 2013-15) in its third season. That helped open doors to more acting roles, and she appeared in Seth Rogen-starring comedy "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising" (2016) and the indie film "Dude" (2016). She rounded out in 2016 with voice-over roles in "Storks" (2016) and "Regular Show" (Cartoon Network 2010-2017) before being cast in the female-starring "Ocean's Eleven" spin-off "Ocean's Eight" (2018), alongside Sandra Bullock, Rihanna, and Anne Hathaway.