20 Questions: Princess Nokia
The left turns of rap powerhouse Princess Nokia have been strangely addictive. Born Destiny Frasqueri, the Nuyorican artist first came through under the moniker Wavy Spice with the deliciously-titled 2012 track Bitch, I’m Posh, before dipping into club music experiments, honeyed pop, then rugged hip-hop on her breakthrough album 1992, before seizing on the emo revival with A Girl Cried Red. She returned this year with the loose, genre-swerving double albums Everything Sucks and Everything is Beautiful, proving her ability to shapeshift once more. For 20 Questions, she offers a glimpse into her bustling mind.
What’s your biggest fear?
I fear nothing.
What’s the weirdest DM you’ve ever received?
The occasional unwarranted penis which I block immediately.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
“The worst thing in life is wasted talent.”
What makes you feel nostalgic?
Walking through Harlem, hanging out in Jefferson park, playing pool and going to Central Park.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do?
Being away from my family during tour.
What’s the weirdest party you’ve ever been to?
LOL, I won’t say ‘cause I’m not a gossiper.
What’s the biggest realisation you’ve had in the past year?
I’m a bad bitch!
Proudest moment of your life?
Learning Spanish and developing a wonderful relationship with my grandma.
Favourite salsa song?
Anacaona by Cheo Feliciano.
What’s your worst habit?
Scratching my eczema and being a burnout.
Favourite song of all time?
Send Me on My Way by Rusted Root.
Signature dish to impress at a dinner party?
Rice, beans and tostones.
Who’s inspiring you right now?
Leslie Jordan and CLEOTRAPABACK.
What’s your earliest childhood memory?
Watching my mother decorate my bedroom with an entire Little Mermaid theme. She was so beautiful, I miss her.
R&B or emo, for the rest of time?
R&B. I love my emo music, but if I never heard Boyz II Men and Ashanti on a drunk night out, I’d really be missing out on a great part of my culture.
Weirdest thing you’ve seen happen in a club?
Back in my raver days, there used to be a guy who frequented raves who would wrap himself up in a rug. He let people step on him all night. I don’t want to kink shame him though, he just loved asphyxiation, but holy fuck it was funny… here I am shaking my ass, and I look down and there’s a man just on the floor…
What would you want written on your tombstone?
“I’m coming back for you bitches in the afterlife.”
What’s your favourite lyric you’ve ever written and why?
“Time and time again/ I started wars in the heads of men/ I am a woman/ I do not break, I bend”.
What piece of advice would you give young Destiny?
Focus on your schoolwork and graduate school, please Des.
What instantly cheers you up?
My dad. He’s the greatest human being alive.
Everything is Beautiful and Everything Sucks is out now via PLATOON
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