Lola Brooke in Her Own Words: Redefining Femininity
By Taylor HonoreOct. 22 2024, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
Brooklyn rapper Lola Brooke offers a candid account of her evolution as a woman and an artist—including the songs that shaped her identity, the challenges of embracing femininity in a male-dominated industry, and how she protects her peace in a candid conversation with Bombshell by Bleu.
From navigating a male-dominated industry to redefining her sense of femininity, Lola Brooke has mastered the art of self-preservation. In her own words and on her own terms, the Brooklyn rapper is rewriting the rules of the rap game, one bar at a time.
Born and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a neighborhood synonymous with hip-hop legacy, Brooke isn’t worried about carrying the weight of her predecessors—she’s foraging her own lane.
“The greats do what they're best at, and that's their story,” Brooke shared in an exclusive interview with Bombshell by Bleu. “But I don't feel no pressure because my story is my story. I'm not trying to fill nobody's shoes but mine.”
Brooke initially started writing rhymes for fun, but by 2022, the entire world knew that she was not one to be played with. “To be honest, doing music was a hobby for me; I just turned it into a job,” she told us.
Following her viral TikTok success, not only is Brooke keeping that same energy, but she’s protecting it, too. She’s mastered the art of staying true to herself, both in life and in the booth.
BLEU: Can you share some songs that have defined different stages of your life?
Brooke: Mary J. Blige’s “My Life” makes me reflect on myself and know that nothing is perfect, and some days you're going to have some gloomy, rainy days, but the sun eventually will shine. And I'm going to go with “Cannon” by Lil Wayne because that was the first song that I actually kept playing back to back just to learn the metaphors. I wanted to know what a bar was and what the punchline was. And I would just play that song on my way to school every day.
BLEU: The music industry, especially hip-hop, is notoriously male-dominated. What specific challenges and biases have you faced as a woman in this space, and how have they shaped you?
Brooke: Just hearing unnecessary opinions from people—people trying to put you in a box because of their own experience or things that they seen others go through. As a female artist, they tend to put a storyline on you that they’ve already seen before. But what I learned from that was [to stand] strong on who you are because the more you believe in yourself, the more people respect you and believe in you as well.
BLEU: How do you define femininity, and what role does it play in shaping your identity as an artist? How has your understanding of femininity evolved?
Brooke: Growing up, I was a tomboy—so me finding myself as a young lady was knowing that I'm pretty, even when I don't feel pretty, looking in the mirror a lot, just building supreme confidence and building it in other people as well. The more you’re around people that uplift themselves, [the more] you will do it naturally. I just look at it as just being nurturing. That's a woman's natural state—is just being nurturing. And I nurture a lot of things and people in my own way.
BLEU: Can you tell us more about that?
Brooke: Like with music, I nurture music in a way of taking it seriously and really creating a storyline and creating a picture that people can follow along with, and nurturing people as in being supportive—whether it's just being an ear for them to want to talk to or a shoulder for them to lean on.
BLEU: So, how do you nurture yourself?
Brooke: I nurture myself by self-reflecting and taking time away from people. I isolate myself a lot. I'm a loner; I'm an Aquarius. And on top of that, I'm the only child. So, I isolate myself from a lot of negativity, or sometimes just in general, just so that I can reflect.
BLEU: This is Chapter 30 for you, and the future looks so bright. How do you see yourself evolving as an artist and a person?
Brooke: Taking care of my family. I've watched my mom take care of me by herself for so long that it's just in my blood. I feel like it's in my DNA to be a provider. So, the more that I can provide, the more I know that I'm growing. Not just financially though—mentally as well, just maturing. Music is cool and all, but I feel like I gotta feed my inner self first.
BLEU: What are your biggest fears about the future?
Brooke: Not being able to applaud myself when everything is completed. Not giving myself enough flowers, even if the world is giving [them] to me.
BLEU: What goals do you have for yourself outside of music? What can fans look forward to?
Brooke: [I want to be] a businesswoman—in petite merch for women because I be going through it trying to find clothes. I always gotta find a tailor; I'm just over it! I'm into skincare as well. So, who knows, cosmetics might be a thing for me, too.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
