The unapologetic beauty of Princess Nokia A look inside the style of the female rapper that is redifining femininity
Princess Nokia is a proud Afro-Latina who embraces her culture and addresses the racism and sexism she experienced in her life. Born in Manhattan, she made her way from East Harlem to the Lower East Side until finally landing in the Bronx. She brings her feminist, non-binary, good-vibes to every instrumental she gives words. She identifies as a Bruja (a witch, ndr) and a tomboy, a classic New York Boricua shorty, a queer woman who isn’t burdened but empowered by her complexity. To her is very important to have a female community, she hopes what girls convey from her words is that ‘It is ok to be unapologetic as long as you do it with dignity’. She admitted that she likes Marvel comics because characters look like her and women don’t have roles that make them look too sexual.
The most iconic line of her famous hit, "Tomboy", is a great starting point to get into Nokia's mind and understand the message she wants to send: "I could take your man if you finna let me / With my small tits and my fat belly. " She undertakes a more masculine presence for her "Tomboy" video, then embraces her powerful feminine persona in her "Young Girls." In “G.O.A.T” she raps about how successful she is and is the greatest of all time. Her latest track “Balenciaga” sees her getting fully naked and never ashamed. Her confidence is transparent through her lyrics.
As we anticipated here, after three long years, Princess Nokia is ready to make her comeback to Italy with an unmissable show next March, 3 in Milan at Santeria Toscana. Tickets for the show are available here.
MAKEUP
The following G.O.A.T. she was wearing a bandana under a cap and a bikini top under an oversized football jacket for Nokia’s breakout full-length debut “1992 deluxe”. In Paris, though, she’s been seen cosplaying as a chic French girl: she looked right at home sitting outside a café, cigarette, and espresso in hand. Nokia may be dressing like a jeune fille right during Paris Fashion Week with a fresh pair of Chanel sneakers and a rosy Equihua blanket coat, which designer Brenda Equihua makes from San Marcos blankets, but she’s still finding ways to pay tribute to her Latina heritage, too. "Flava," is an immensely empowering ode to self-love and sisterhood that begins with a monologue on how those concepts exist in today's mainstream media.
"You don't know what it is to be me, and I don't know what it is to be you. That is because we are made different from each other. But all girls are meant to shine. All girls are meant to be something special in this world, even when they told they not supposed to be," she whispers in a voiceover that addresses the cultural appropriation of urban beauty. "First they make fun of you. Then they want to be you".
The music video's monologue is set to hazy, neon-lit close-ups of Nokia and her girlfriends doing each other's hair in your dream teenage bedroom. From the video cuts to a subversive remix of uptown opulence, showing the four girls strutting down 5th Avenue in pearls, pastel skirt suits, and color-coordinated hats — except for trans model Maya Monès, who has streaks of pink and yellow embedded into her waist-length braids. Definitely an inspiration for your next look.
