If there’s one artist at Field Day 2018 to not miss, it’s Princess Nokia. Her unabashed and unapologetic nature provides the perfect platform for some of the most ferocious music in hiphop at the moment.
Busting through from the New York underground and her hometown of Harlem, Princess Nokia (25-year-old Destiny Nicole Frasqueri) has been producing music since she was 16. Growing up in a foster home after she lost her mother to AIDS and her grandmother shortly after, Destiny has learned to be thick-skinned and tough from a very young age.
Her very first single, ‘Bitch I’m Posh’ brought her into the spotlight through Soundcloud, and from there she produced hiphop entrenched in feminism, identity, and self-worth.
Princess Nokia doesn’t conform to the ideals of what women in popular music should look like – she’s comfortable in her own skin and wears whatever the hell she wants.
In her clip for ‘Tomboy’, she sports baggy clothes and clear skin, forcing everyone to focus more on her lyrics, which consistently hits back at patriarchal systems, and explores her identity as a queer woman, a tomboy, and a bruja (a Spanish witch, leaning into her Puerto Rican roots).
She’s not just into barrier-smashing music, either. Destiny runs a podcast called Smart Girl Club where she talks about her life, modern and urban feminism, and self-care.
Each episode is about an hour in length, and she spends her time going through life affirmations and sharing words of strength and wisdom with her listeners. The more recent episodes from 2017 feature just Destiny and a mic, powering through her thoughts, declaring that urban feminism is about being unapologetic about having and expressing feelings.
This is a clear message that I put myself first before anyone. I love myself first before anyone. I take care of my needs before anyone. This exclusive new attitude about one’s self, trust me, goes a long way. Because as women we are forced to simply accept the hand that the dealer of life wants to shuffle to us.
Her set at Field Day is sure to be empowering, so if you want to start 2018 on a strong note, make sure you hit up The Island stage at 3:25pm to catch her in action.
