OVERVIEW: Natelegé Whaley is a culture copywriter, journalist, and community-centered creative. Currently, she is a freelance writer and editor-for-hire. Previously, she was copywriter with META’s @InstagramforBusiness, the Bandcamp Soul columnist, staff writer for Mic.com and BET.com, and contributing writer for the Supermajority News.
JOURNALISM HIGHLIGHTS: Whaley has contributed to Teen Vogue, Pitchfork, Billboard, Eater, Vice, Vibe, and more. Whaley's journalistic work covers Black women's identity, hip-hop's impact on the wider culture, reproductive justice, and human interest stories related to excessive policing and racism.
RECENT COPYWRITER ROLE: As a former B2B copywriter and editorial strategist for META’s @InstagramforBusiness, she developed storytelling and content, while working on a cross-functional team, to support the growth of businesses using Meta’s tools. Her impact included developing and leading the creation of social video content, infographics, and blogs, from ideation to publishing, that helped businesses build awareness and drive sales. She also scouted business creators to feature on the Instagram for Business channel, and collaborated with them to develop content as inspiration for other businesses.
ON SUBSTACK: Whaley continues to write about music and culture on her Substack publication Scene Serene. Her signature essay series “Parallels,” in which she finds bridges between music from the past and present, has garnered significant engagement. In September 2025, Substack listed Whaley’s publication as “no. 36 rising in music” on a list of 100 top music publications on the app. Her top 3 most read essays include: “parallels: SZA's and Stevie Wonder's "Saturn"“ (2024); “Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake, according to Black women (2024)” and “parallels: women sampling women in music (2025).”
FEATURE JOURNALISM: Some of her impactful feature stories include: “We Aren’t Alone: On TikTok, Black Girls Find Visibility—And Racist Hate” for Bitch Media (2020); “Rico Nasty and the Importance of Black Women's Anger in Rap” for Pitchfork (2019); and “These female rappers don't want to be defined by industry sexism. They're setting their own rules” for Mic (2018). Check out her portfolio for more reads.
In the wake of social uprisings in 2020, Whaley spoke openly about the mental health challenges Black journalists face reporting about racial injustices for the New York Times.
ADDITIONAL BRAND WORK: In 2019, Whaley expanded her writing expertise to branded content and copywriting for tech and music brands. Since then, she’s worked with RED BULL MUSIC, on various content marketing projects, such as event recap blogs. For SONY MUSIC, she developed and wrote scripts for videos celebrating legacy recording artists’ (Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Nas) album anniversaries. She contributed a New York City guide to BBC StoryWorks’ “Moving to America Made Easy”, a Juneteenth guide to Ceros Originals, and curated “Discover 8 Great Black Indie Publications” for Pocket. In 2021, Whaley was the copywriter for launch campaigns for Grow with Google’s HBCU Career Readiness program and Grow with Google’s Black Women Lead initiative.
IRL GRASSROOTS/COMMUNITY STRATEGY: Whaley is also a community-centered creative. In 2018, she co-founded Brooklyn Recess, a double-dutch collective preserving double-dutch culture in Brooklyn, New York, through fitness events and content. In 2010, she launched Hearts Converse, a platform providing a safe space for young adults to discuss relationships, life, and culture with discussions circles and storytelling, which is now archived.
EDUCATION: Whaley is a proud graduate of the Howard University School of Communications where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. She also has a certificate in front-end web development from General Assembly.