Video: Princess Nokia - "Tomboy"

Small titties, big bellies, the allure of cannabis, gold chains, sweat pants and a Blues Clue's sample in the hood. Destiny AKA Princess Nokia AKA A Stripper Named Equality, AKA Wavy Spice is back. We talked at length about her convictions as an African-Taino warrior when we covered her Honeysuckle breakthrough, "Orange Blossom"- our #71 song of 2015. Now, we can begin having broader discussions about the impressive and appetizing cultural musings Destiny has been offering through anti capitalist, anti colonial, anti patriarchal social healing initiatives such as Smart Girl Club, We Are Brujas, and of course, the reason we even pay attention, the music. The breadth of these conversations has been revitalized as attached to Destiny through the power house that is "Tomboy". Everyone can fuck with this jam.

Engines ignite. Vintage (1990s) family portraits adorn the wall of Destiny's housing project apartment. Black & Brown girls of many shades delight in sororal street subversion, in sweat pants. The fashion throughout "Tomboy" is decidedly baggy 90s.  Blunts of modest proportions are smoked in public spaces, in a family kitchen with dirty plates chilling in the sink. Girl on girl love is mutual, adorned in gold. The chains that decorate their diverse bodies are precious and gaudy, relics of quinceañeras, bodas, and bautizos. Coal plants in the background act as menaces of anthropogenic global ecocide & Destiny pisses off abuelita- intergenerational skepticism. "Tomboy" is a tour de force that will continue inspiring editorial think pieces and street turn ups alike. "Tomboy" is a party jam- the type of cultural ammunition that we enter Summer 20,016 with.

Video: Destiny - "Orange Blossom"

Née Destiny Nicole Frasqueri, we were introduced to Wavy Spice through the wormhole (the hypothetical connection between regions of space-time) that coalesced cybernetic Barrio beats with Indigneous identity- the #Taíno_Banger of "YAYA". Our girl evolved & adopted the moniker of Princess Nokia, unleashing "Versace Hottie"- the hard-femme / sex positive / anti-snitching / resting bitch face anthem of chicas pesadas everywhere. The Boricua Lolita's next hit "Bikini Weather / Corazón En Afrika" (featured on Club Fonograma's best yet compilation Papasquiaro) recaptured the ideas brewing behind "YAYA" and captivated our imagination with ancestral drums, oceanside nightlife, and a woman's voice reminding us to speak to los espíritus. "Bikini Weather / Corazón En Afrika" was among the best tracks on the afrosurrealist Metallic Butterfly, a record that elevated us to the 'fifth dimension- the metamorphosis of the 22nd Century'. Metallic Butterfly went on to become our 19th best album of 2014.

But our girl has the ability to transmogrify so now she's back, this time as simply Destiny (who rumor has it has yet another alter ego, a stripper named Equality). Shot and edited in the realm of VHS tape nostalgia, "Orange Blossom" is the latest visual offering from the forthcoming Honeysuckle, following the delightful & empowering (& Video of the Year contender) "Soul Train". Invoking the soul of disco divas of days gone by, "Orange Blossom" sounds like a 1970s vintage dream. Destiny says Black & Brown liberation & expressions of joy & happiness were at the forefront of her psyche during the making of Honeysuckle. "I am a proud Afro-Latina and Native American woman, and there are many aspects of my pride. It's not just a deep cultural pride; it's a pride in my ancestors" she recently told VICE. "People expect us to forget and not over-exaggerate the pain and sadness of oppression and genocide, and I think that's bullshit. I have an obligation—not only to the women in the last two generations of my family—but to my ancestors, so that they are proud. I incorporate my love for their values in my work. I'm black as hell, and I'm so prideful to be a black woman."

The #PopInsurrection of 2015 is going in harder, more precise, and uplifting all of us who are paying attention. Conversely (popular culture can reveal a lot about the psyche of the society we are living in) the racist & colonizing efforts of the likes of Miley Cyrus are considered the pop du jour and factions within the ruling classes are talking about rounding up all the Mexicans (in essence calling for concentration camps) & building the Great Wall of Trump with live drone shows that will require a two drink minimum. It will be the voices that have been historically and systemically eradicated and silenced since the dawn of colonialism and white supremacy that will continue making those foundations tremble. Destiny, a queer Indigenous Afro-Latinx womn is one of those voices, a true Pop Prophet willing to challenge everything, even our notion of what a diva can think, feel, say, and be. Continue falling in love with Banji Girl Realness by watching this super dope interview from 2012 where (then Wavy Spice) looks amazing, reveals she has eczema and licks a lollipop that leaves her tongue matching not just her yellow butterfly hair clips, but also her eye shadow.

Fonocast #16: New Kids on the Block

Fonocast #16: New Kids on the Block

by Blanca Mendez, Monika Fabian, Glòria Guirao Soro, and Jeziel Jovel

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Download Fonocast 6

• Kana Kapila - "Sangre Joven"
• vàlius - "Kim"
• Interpretators - "Why Here and Not Somewhere Else"
• Irene Diaz - "I Love You Madly"
• Meridian Brothers - "Desesperanza"
• Los Chinchillos del Caribe - "No me pueden parar"
• Princess Nokia - "Versace Hottie"
• Kat Dahlia - "Clocks"
• Ibi Ego - "Hookie"
• Trillones - "Vacío"