Princess Nokia Essentials

Wielding diverse sounds, emotional transparency, and a dark sense of humor, Princess Nokia is one of the most original voices in New York hip-hop. Born Destiny Frasqueri in 1992, they recorded their first songs in the early 2010s, but rose to fame with their 2016 sophomore album, 1992, which crystallized their knack for playful self-love and stylistic shapeshifting. On “Tomboy,” they buck conventional beauty standards with self-affirming lyrics, a kinetic flow, and a raucous hook. “Gemini,” from 2020’s Everything Is Beautiful, is more subdued as they cruise a jazz-inflected beat with slow, deliberate couplets breaking down their astrology sign. While Nokia can operate in linear raps, they can sift through other genres, too, whether it’s emo electropop (“For the Night”) or gentle melodic rap ballads (“lo siento”). Fusing disparate influences with flexible vocals and plenty to say, Nokia renders human multitudes with rare eclectic flair.