“When I began my spiritual journey almost 6 years ago at 19 years old, I had much to learn about the mysteries of life, indigo phenomenon, clairvoyance, magic, the reclamation of afro diaspora, conscious evolution and vibrational oneness.”
[Princess Nokia]
Destiny Nicole Frasqueri, an indigenous woman with a spirited intellectual background, projects her vibrational energy unto the harmonic world of music. Formerly known as Wavy Spice, Destiny transformed herself into Princess Nokia to encompass every aspect of her multidimensional being. Prior monikers were shed for this Boricua feminist, “Princess Nokia” a woman who possesses a vast range of flexibility that shines throughout her musical catalogue.
As a multicultural individual, Princess Nokia celebrates her queer and feminist identity without burden and with complex empowerment. Her liberal worldviews and complexity sprouted early and have blossomed throughout her fruitful life. Her warm and unyielding voice deciphers the encounters and dilemmas of urban realism. Princess Nokia is beautifully imperfect and accepts her flaws as apart of a distinct and natural aura.
“My new music is cosmic and three-dimensional, and it will really speak. [Whether that’s to] Banjee girls in Harlem, teen brides in the Middle East, gay boys in East Asia. Labels no longer matter.”
Clearly, Nokia represents innate self-discovery that refuses to compromise to social constructs. This twenty four year old independent artist dismisses male dominance via the substance and messages being construed within her bodies of work. Frasqueri’s embodiment of the present moment directly correlates to a myriad of defining cultural entities that molded her into a Nuyorican queen.
Initially, she experienced an affinity for the punk rock scene at a young age.
“It was radical, it was fun, it was aggressive, and it had a tone that matched my heart.”
RiotGrrrl, DIY Punk Rock Scene
Much of her punk, DIY roots could be attributed to the babysitter who looked after her around age seven. The babysitter would play music from the likes of Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson and others which led to Nokia’s early identification influences and enticement from the punk rock scene.
Nokia continues to express her inner femme cyberpunk and rave roots to the present day. The DIY punk rock scene is permanently embedded within the soul of Princess Nokia. “Riotgrrrl” influenced her beliefs in activism, feminism and socio economic awareness. At her concerts, Princess Nokia demands that women populate the front row in order to create a space for openness and feminism. Much like hardcore radical feminists, Bikini Kill, Princess Nokia handles her concert atmosphere with influential sovereignty.
The Expressive Empowerment of Feminism
Princess Nokia embodies her moment and her unorthodox movement has shifted the paradigms of hip-hop music. Her assertive nature and spunky, outspoken character serves as a testament to the absolute longevity she strives for. As a child that dealt with abuse and the struggles of foster care, Nokia ascribes her tumultuous past as an uplifting force that drove her to strive for prosperous empowerment.
In fact, Nokia created the “Smart Girls Club” as a way to spread infectious vibes that create positive affirmations, messages and supportive spaces for women. Within this space, Nokia stresses the importance of owning and expressing your personal narrative with pride. Nokia is determined to shape and shift her career on her own terms, within a male-dominated industry. Often times, she counteracts misogyny with art, empowerment and confident vigor.
Green Line Chick
Princess Nokia is redefining the hip-hop genre with her diverse worldviews, multicultural backgrounds and matriarchal representations. In her most recent release, 1992 Deluxe, Nokia remixed and remastered songs from mixtape, 1992, while supplementing the original with eight additional records. The self-proclaimed, “Bruja” celebrates mystic women by delving into the use of brujeria and santeria to connect with a higher power (Yoruba deities).
Undoubtedly, this rugged MC experienced her fair share of adversity during her upbringing. Not everything proved to be piss and vinegar, though. As a juvenile, Nokia’s grandmother would take her to places like Symphon Space and Carnegie Hall. The extensive wealth of cultural capital amassed from these buildings provide wondrous insight for a budding creative. Besides that, Frasqueri experienced the cultural significance of Taino pow-wows and traditional ceremonies with praise, embrace and respect.
Furthermore, in her adult life, Destiny continues to represent her remarkable cultural backgrounds by frequenting pow-wows such as “Drummers Along the Hudson.”
As her music continues to progress, Princess Nokia refuses to sacrifice the intention of her artistic creative vision. She will not contort herself in order to conform toward an assigned aesthetic. She is spunky, bitchy, outcast and misfit. Her belief in the motif of sisterhood illustrates that women of color deserve to shine as regal queens.
Calvin Klein and Champion each featured her in their fashion campaigns, respectively. Much like Aaliyah, Princess Nokia’s baggy clothing and “Tomboy” demeanor strike an immediate resemblance.
“Humanism, life, earth, planetary spirituality… all those attributes and dire parts of life should be explored.”
FreshNewsNow 