FEATURE:
Spotlight
PHOTO CREDIT: Braylen Dion
who is one of the greatest Hip-Hop names of the moment, I wanted to highlight the stunningly amazing Lola Brooke. I am a new convert to her music, but I am enjoying reading about her and how she has got to where she is now. An extremely powerful artist, this is someone that everyone needs to be aware of. I am going to source some interviews so that we have some background and useful information about an artist who is going to be among the leading pack this year. NOTION chatted with Lola Brooke in September. Someone who wanted to be a rapper since she was a child, it is so rewarding to see her on the edge of glory and a huge breakthrough:
“Brooklyn-based rapper Lola Brooke has known she wanted to become a rapper since she was a child – and though finding her voice and power has been a journey, it’s one that’s made her the uncompromising artist she is today.
Lola has spent the past few years perfecting her flow and crafting her sound in the city, inspired by the culture around her and rap icons from Missy Elliott to Eve, Busta Rhymes to 50 Cent. With praise from the likes of Foxy Brown and Meek Mill, she’s already taken over her local scene, and is poised to skyrocket in the rap world – and not just in New York.
Following her latest energy charged track “Gator Season” and ahead of her performance at NY festival Rolling Loud this weekend, we caught up with the rapper to chat about her influences and journey so far, as well as what she loves about performing live and what’s next.
Hey Lola! For anyone who doesn’t yet know, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into music?
What’s up y’all. I’m Lola Brooke, your new favorite rapper coming out of Brooklyn, New York! I’ve been making my presence known in music for quite a while. Some may know me from my track “Don’t Play With It,” but a few more of y’all will know me for this takeover that I’m about to make… it’s about time [laughs].
As far as the beginning, I remember knowing at eight years old that I wanted to be a rapper. I remember one summer that I spent in Birmingham [Alabama] at my grandmother’s house, and a music video from the group Kris Kross came on (she had on one of those throwback music channels)— from that point, I told my grandmother I wanted to be a rapper, and the rest is history…
What artists did you listen to growing up and how have they inspired you?
Sheesh, there’s so many people to name… I listened to Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Meek Mill, Eve, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, and DMX. I’m missing a few more, but they all inspired me because they all came into the game unapologetically and dared to be different. That’s how I’m coming, so they all are huge inspirations.
What makes your sound different?
My sound is different and familiar at the same time. I’m from New York, so I still have that Brooklyn-grounded, well-rounded Bed-Stuy aura. Of course I put my own twist on my delivery, but once you hear me speak, nine times out of ten, you’ll pick up on where I’m from.
How has your journey been breaking onto the scene?
Man, it’s been a challenge, and sometimes…honestly—depressing. But overall, the results and the outpour of love I’ve received along the way always overshadow anything I’m going through. It’s all about the process. I wake up every day knowing it’s a reason for everything”.
BROOKLYN spotlighted the amazing Lola Brooke in November. Saluting an aspiring queen of Kings county Rap, her Brooklyn pride and determined ambition comes with rugged flow and savage bars. This is someone whose music is going to cause shockwaves and influence so many others coming into Hip-Hop. She is a startling talent who is all set for icon status. If you are not familiar with her work, I would definitely encourage you to check it out. Brooke is someone whose rapping voice is so commanding and holds this incredible passion, confidence and electricity:
“Your rapping voice is so different from your talking voice. Which one is most like you?
I talk how I rap, but when I rap, I have a little pitch to it — similar to if I’m arguing with somebody. That’s how my rap voice came about. It’s my argumentative tone. So, don’t piss me off! But now, I don’t have to be mad to sound like that; I can just be on tracks and do my thing.
How did “Don’t Play With It” come about?
I was tired of people playing with me, for real. That’s really what it was.
The lyric that everyone loves is the line “I don’t even got me a hundred bands, I’m still gonna make me a hundred Ms with a hundred plans.” Talk about that.
Girl, I’m broke. I’m always going to make it. I still pay my bills, nobody takes care of me. I make sure I get up to cater to whatever I need to cater to pursuing this career.
Did something specific happen that inspired you to make this song?
Nothing ever bothers me, but I do take notice of a lot of things. I was in the house, [producer] Dizzy Banko was playing me some beats over the phone, and I think I was just like “This is the beat! Send that to me right now!” I went straight into it. I was listening to that and I was like “Don’t play with it, don’t play with it, don’t play with it!”
Was it originally a freestyle?
It was a freestyle. I didn’t have a pen, paper, or my phone. I was walking back and forth in the house, and I was like, “Don’t play with it, don’t play with it” and I just kept going. When I finally got to the studio, I probably switched some things up, and that’s how it came about.
Is that how most of your songwriting process goes — pacing around the house, letting the lyrics come to you?
Yeah, I’ll be at home and listen to a beat, get familiar with the beat, and then I go to the studio. I’ve already created the energy, so when I get to the studio, it’s time to go crazy. It’s like a K.O. moment.
What inspires your lyrics?
I just want to be heard, like, “Hello, I’m here! It’s me, Lola!” I’m so small and I feel like I’m in such a big world. I know they can’t see me, but they’re going to hear me at least.
Do you feel seen now?
I kind of do now. It feels good because it’s not the idea of being seen, it’s to be understood.
It sounds metaphorical. Is there any real-life danger reflected in any of your music?
I’ve been through situations where I felt unsafe. But there was something already embedded in me to figure it out and hold it down when you can’t get to people that most likely will always be there for you. I always say that Black women are the least protected and Black men are the least respected. So we have to have each other.
How much of your music comes from lived experience?
I’ve been around domestic violence, I’ve seen crimes, I’ve seen a lot. But the only thing I love about it is what it taught me and it didn’t fully traumatize me to where I feel disabled. It made me stronger, it made me aware of things. So now I’m always on point.
Having gotten popular recently, do you feel more or less vulnerable?
I feel a little more vulnerable because everything is so crazy. I enjoy being alone, I enjoy having my own space. But I have a lot of brothers and they always have my back. There’s some people out here willing to hurt you just because of the success you’re reaching; they want to reach it too. You have to be aware of everything.
When did rap become a passion for you?
When I saw 50 Cent’s “Wanksta” video, that’s when I fell in love with rap. It was so New York. It was the visuals. I was like, “Wow, I want to do that too.”
Do you think you’re starting to get there now?
Yeah, I’m starting to get there. That’s why I have to pay homage to 50 Cent as much as I can. “Gator Season” is a homage to 50 Cent as well. Even if I didn’t want to tap, I just knew I wanted to be a hip-hop dancer or something dealing with hip-hop–just due to him. He made it feel so fun and free”.
There is one more interview that I want to get to before concluding this feature. In a year where so many incredible artists will change and evolve the scene and add their mark, Lola Brooke is going to be right there in the mix. Gaining success on TikTok with Don’t Play With It, HNHH shone a light on a someone who is among the most eclectic and flexible artists. In the sense Broke can switch sounds and persona pretty easily. It is hard to define her music and whether it is Drill, Rap or something else. She is so fresh and versatile. That means her music is always surprising and nuanced. It never gets boring or predictable – as can be an issue with so many other artists:
“You emerged as a fierce rapper with strong lyricism but you’ve shown a more versatile sound with “On My Mind.” Why is it important to showcase your versatility at this point?
It’s important to showcase it because it’s me. I want the people to know who I am, I want them to know me. Not 100%, of course, because it’s impossible for the world to know me 100%. They don’t hang out with me or know the things that I deal with daily by my side. They just get to see what I go through.
But, I do feel that is very important as an artist to get the people to know who you are so that when they out there defending you – ‘cause your fans, they gonna go out there and make sure you get whatever you need. Whatever you deserve. You need to make sure that when they go out there, they know how to represent you.
So that’s why it’s so important for me to just tap into different genres of music because, at the end of the day, this is really how I feel. And I never want my fans to be confused about something because I don’t do it enough and I don’t want them to feel like I’m just trying things. I’m not just trying it. This is actually who I am.
PHOTO CREDIT: Felicia Abbam
What drives you to be that creatively unapologetic and fearless?
I would say my upbringing. My mom was so very solid and strong and she always told me, “if someone was to tell you something, you go research it. You don’t ever believe it.” Or she’d say, “Don’t ever take no for an answer.”
She would send me out to the store and I would be like, “they said they didn’t have anymore,” and she’d be like, “so why you ain’t tell them to go in the back and see if they have some in stock in the back?” I’d be like, “I don’t know” and she’d be like “don’t ever let no one tell you no unless you know for sure.” So now, when I do my music, it’s like, I don’t care what you think or what you say, because at the end of the day, what I’m saying is accurate because my mom always made sure that I went and researched if it was or not. And even if I am wrong, I’m still human and I make mistakes. So I shouldn’t be so apologetic to everything because we’re here to make mistakes. Before you walk, you gotta crawl.
You come from a place that obviously has such a strong hip-hop history, so I wanted to know for yourself, who are the artists in your area that inspired you?
I could say Kim, Foxy, Jay-Z, Biggie. Top four right there. I mean, it sounds biased I know but that’s what it is really.
For sure. You’ve been described as the new face of New York. I wanted to know, what kind of pressure comes with that title?
There’s no pressure at all because I’m so Brooklyn, that It’s just my demeanor. It’s just in my aura. It’s just in me. I don’t know who else to be but Brooklyn. I don’t know. It’s just so in me to the point where I forget that it’s so much in me. People remind me and are like, “yo, you sound like the most average Brooklyn girl that I could have ever in my life imagined, like, you’re so Brooklyn.” And I’m like “for real?” And then I get home and I’m like, “yeah, for real. I’m Brooklyn, for real.” It’s no pressure, just be yourself. Brooklyn raised me so it’s no pressure. Like I said, even if I make mistakes, I know they gonna have my back because they know I’m fighting for them. So they gonna make sure I correct it on the next go around.
As someone from Brooklyn, how would you differentiate Brooklyn drill compared to music coming from other boroughs of New York?
Ok so… the difference really is the tempo. That might be about it. It might just be the tempo. It’s just that – Brooklyn drill is like a New York swag on UK beats. And then you got Chicago drill, and that’s just Chicago drill. Like, that’s their lane. They have their own little beat selection like you know when it’s Chief Keef. You know when it’s a G Herbo beat. You just know. That’s their thing over there. But with Brooklyn, it’s mixed in with UK. It’s a UK beat with Brooklyn swag. That’s it. And then, the Bronx drill is a different tempo. Now, I should say that. The Bronx has the different tempo. No matter how the beat is, it’s how they cadence is on the beat. [Starts mimicking the Bronx drill flow]. It’s just a different cadence.
Outside of rap music what else would you like to do with your career in the future?
I wanna get into acting. I wanna be an actress, for sure. Like, I wanna be on a movie screen for sure.
I think I heard you discuss that you tried to land a role on Power. Am I far off with that?
No, I was telling them, ‘what’s up? Lemme get an audition or something’ [laughs]. Nah, I never applied or did shit for any part of Power but, if I get the chance to – yes, I will be there. I’m just letting them know like, “Hey look, I’m here. If you need me call me”.
Someone who will continue to put out great music and also appear in acting roles (I am pretty sure), it is going to be an exciting year for Lola Brooke. She is such a phenomenal artist, I can confidently recommend to everyone, knowing full well they will love her music and want to follow her going forward. You might not have heard about her until now or know too much about her, but you sure will do…
SOON enough.
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