Latina hip-hop artist Vonna Jewelz has been dubbed an "Artist to Watch" by Urban Daily, called a "force to be reckoned with," and has been compared to a "young MC Lyte."

Also known as "V Juicy," the female emcee, whose mother is Puerto Rican and father is Panamanian, has been coached by J-Roc, King Logan and BK Brasco — and most notably, mega-producer Timbaland, who has worked alongside Grammy-winning artists Justin Timberlake, Jay Z and Nelly Furtado, among others.

Jewelz spoke with Latin Post about what it's like to be a Latina breaking into the music industry, working alongside one of the best producers in the business, as well as her admiration for the late Puerto Rican salsa legend Hector Lavoe, who also lived in New York City.

While Jewelz has hit many high notes throughout her career, there have been a few low notes in her personal life, which have in turn given her style more depth and made her lyrics more fierce.

Being from what she calls, "the B-Boroughs" — Brooklyn and the Bronx, New York — Jewelz had a tumultuous upbringing, coming from a single-parent home where she was often uprooted and endured periods of homelessness.

To escape the hardships, she found solace in writing poetry. With the help of her longtime friend, who is now known as rapper Babs Bunny, she realized that her words were powerful and could translate into the world of hip-hop and rap.

"I found peace writing poetry," Jewelz told Latin Post. "I transferred poetry into rap, so that is how I got my start; I just love music."

Babs Bunny went onto to gain national recognition when she was chosen by hip-hop artist and producer Diddy for the show "Making of the Band."

With a tough yet feminine exterior, Jewelz proves that she's not just a pretty face, but a tough cookie that has a story to tell —and she's going to tell it her way.

"Vonna Jewelz could easily rely on the captivating qualities of her appearance but insists that her music be the focal point of her talent. With a style that can hold a serious message and be both lyrically and musically playful at the same time, she is adamant in delivering a story of self-worth and mental fortitude rather than material possessions and sexual innuendos," said her manager.

After releasing her mixtape in 2011, she caught the attention of her current management as well as Timbaland's sister. To prove that she truly had the lyrical chops, Jewelz held a rapping-Skype session, and just two days later she flew to Miami to work in the studio with the highly sought-after producer.

"I connected with Timbaland, I think just by the grace of God," she said. "Him hearing my music, giving me advice and coaching me — and after that, it's just been amazing since then.

"Just him telling me to work at my craft, know who I am, stick to my guns and be prepared for opportunities. Always be prepared and be on at all times," she added. "I appreciate all the time that I spent with him. We have three songs together. I am just really excited to have someone like that in my corner for mentoring, for beats and all of that good stuff."

In addition to the hip-hop beats, Jewelz hopes to bring some Latin beats to the mix.

"As far as me being a Latina, in general, I really haven't been able to tap in musically like I have wanted to," she explained.

Besides Timbaland, Jewelz draws inspiration from the iconic salsa legend Hector Lavoe.

"He had this kind of style with his music, with salsa, and all of that during that time period," she said. "I didn't want to go into reggaeton. I want to find a way to infuse Hector's sound to hip-hip and if Tim [Timbaland] could jump on that or any producer could help me reach that sound.. that's something that I would personally like to do as a female rap artist with a Latin background."

"I speak poquito [a little] Spanish," she laughed. "I really should be more fluent, but I'm not. It's something that bothers me... I would like to incorporate it more on a larger scale... Infusing more of that 'Latin flavor' in my music." On the flip side, she jokes that being of Puerto Rican and Panamanian descent gave her her good looks.

How has her journey been as a Latina emcee trying to break into the industry?

While she says the female hip-hop division has "grown tremendously" in the last three years, she adds: "Being a female emcee and breaking into the industry is challenging. You really have to work hard, and believe in yourself, play the game, have good music, and just be able to ride with the best of them. It's not easy, but you have to keep pursuing and know that you have something to say and I'm going to make you listen.

"The industry itself, they don't back females like that, I don't know what that's about... when you have 50 guys out and you have one or two girls out. I think they think that females are more emotional, more expensive. I am supporting the female hip-hop divison and I say everybody that is out there pursuing, keep pushing and be persistent until something happens."

Having recently performed at the South by Southwest music festival, Jewelz is currently working on her EP titled "Having Fun & Boosting." Her first single, "#FckEm," was released in April 2014. She is scheduled to perform in Japan and across the U.S., where she hopes to make her mark and gain more of a following.

@VonnaJewelz is on Instagram and Twitter.

Check out her video, "Flow Crazy."