Boricuas in the diaspora, like those in the island, are working hard to leave their mark in the music and entertainment industry. One of these to be making her way in a different and creative fashion is New York-based Destiny Frasqueri, better known as Princess Nokia. After creating some waves with her full-length debut 1992 Deluxe and performing in the 2018 edition of Coachella, Princess Nokia has been one of the hottest artists to keep an eye out for. Recently, the young musician released a short EP, “A Girl Cried Red,” that further demonstrates her bravery towards experimentation and being emotionally transparent. (cover for “A Girl Cried Red”) In 1992 Deluxe, Princess Nokia provided listeners a mere glimpse to her emotional side as well as her identity as a goth. However, in “A Girl Cried Red” the young musician puts in full display this part of her personality. Starting the project with “Flowers and Rope,” Frasqueri mixes her 2000s emo and hip hop influences into a track about fighting loneliness and depression while touching on the subjects of regret and disappointment. She then moves on to “Your Eyes Are Bleeding,” a melodic trap influenced and auto-tune sung ballad exploring similar themes as the previous entry. As the project hits its third track, we get “For the Night,” a hypnotic hip hop track with mainstream appeal that sees Nokia using regular and mumble rapping to touch on the matter of using money as a coping mechanism to battle depression. Finally, Frasqueri finishes the first half of “A Girl Cried Red” with “Look Up Kid,” an emo-pop-punk tune that wants to motivate listeners living through difficult times to “look up” and never give up. (picture of the artist as found on her Facebook) The second half of “A Girl Cried Red” starts with the instrumental “Interlude,” which presents Nokia using live instruments such as acoustic and electric guitars as well as drums. The EP then moves to “Morphine,” a trap inspired emo tune about how many subdue to drug use as a way to cope in times of depression. While the entire project features Nokia exploring her emotional side, the following song, “At the Top,” sees her going back to traditional hip hop territory as she raps about her come up as an artist in such a difficult field. However, “A Girl Cried Red” closes with another emotional track in “Little Angel,” a melodic rock ballad about the loss of a friend who was courageous enough to be who he was and lost his life because of it. (picture of the artist as found on her Facebook) “A Girl Cried Red” is an interesting experiment where Princess Nokia bravely puts in full display her emotional side while mixing it with her love for hip hop. However, while all the lyrics come from a right place, they are not as creative as those found in 1992 Deluxe. While the project may be seen as a step backward for some, it is actually great to see young artists like Nokia challenge themselves in a time where many are afraid to come out of their comfort zones. Furthermore, the EP serves as another addition to the growing sub-genre of emo-rap while providing yet another glimpse at the subject of mental health in hip hop.
Listen to “A Girl Cried Red” on Spotify
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AuthorFernando E. E. Correa González is the author behind over 30 self-published poetry books. He has been published by literary magazines & journals [Id]entidad, El Vicio del Tintero, Sábanas Magazine, Smaeralit, The Occulum, Tonguas and Hound Magazine. Other than writing, Correa is also the host of FENCast, a podcast dedicated to documenting the Puerto Rican independent art scene. Aside from this, he experiments with filmmaking, photography, drawing, painting, multimedia and transmedia. He currently lives in his native Puerto Rico. Archives
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