Here she comes: Lola Brooke is the aspiring queen of Kings County rap

By Marisa Kalil-Barrino

When Lola Brooke chants, “Here I come!,” she isn’t lying. The 718 Princess combines an assertive sound with success-driven lyrics and a brash swagger that screams Brooklyn — and female empowerment.

Although she’s been rapping since she was 8, 2022 has been a milestone for Brooke: Her ulta-catchy, hard-hitting single “Don’t Play With It” racked up 2-plus million streams on Spotify; she rocked four stages at SXSW; slayed at Rolling Loud, and on the heels of her performance of the song on YouTube’s performance series From the Block, she went viral. “Here I Come” dropped earlier this month with a ferocity that is both hardcore and deeply rooted.

Inspired by a range of rugged artists from DMX to 50 Cent to Bed-Stuy legends Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown, Brooke brings lyrics rooted in her Brooklyn upbringing.

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Brooklyn Magazine caught up with Brooke over a Saturday brunch at the Williamsburg Hotel Restaurant about growing up in Bed-Stuy, her love for New York City, her career going forward, and what she is bringing to a (still) male-dominated industry.

This interview has been lightly edited for flow.

Tell me about growing up in Bed-Stuy.
It’s mad fun because everybody’s outside in Bed-Stuy. In the summertime especially, you’ll find everybody on their porch; backyard cookouts, front yard cookouts, and everybody chilling on the corner by the pizza shop. You got parks. It’s like no matter what you do when you go outside, there’s family out there. Even though it gets crazy with violence and things like that, for some reason as kids, us growing up out there, we get to overlook it because there were so many other things that we could focus on. But at the end of the day, we always had to look over our shoulders.

How did growing up in Bed-Stuy influence your music?
I love Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown — we’re actually all from the same neighborhood. Sometimes, when I make music, I listen back to it, and it doesn’t surprise me how much we sound alike because we’re from the same area. It’s just in us, not on us … so I give them a lot of credit. Brooklyn overall takes a lot of credit.

Your rapping voice is so different from your talking voice. Which one is most like you?
I talk how I rap, but when I rap, I have a little pitch to it — similar to if I’m arguing with somebody. That’s how my rap voice came about. It’s my argumentative tone. So, don’t piss me off! But now, I don’t have to be mad to sound like that; I can just be on tracks and do my thing.

How did “Don’t Play With It” come about?
I was tired of people playing with me, for real. That’s really what it was.

The lyric that everyone loves is the line “I don’t even got me a hundred bands, I’m still gonna make me a hundred Ms with a hundred plans.” Talk about that.
Girl, I’m broke. I’m always going to make it. I still pay my bills, nobody takes care of me. I make sure I get up to cater to whatever I need to cater to pursuing this career.

Did something specific happen that inspired you to make this song?
Nothing ever bothers me, but I do take notice of a lot of things. I was in the house, [producer] Dizzy Banko was playing me some beats over the phone, and I think I was just like “This is the beat! Send that to me right now!” I went straight into it. I was listening to that and I was like “Don’t play with it, don’t play with it, don’t play with it!”

Was it originally a freestyle?
It was a freestyle. I didn’t have a pen, paper, or my phone. I was walking back and forth in the house, and I was like, “Don’t play with it, don’t play with it” and I just kept going. When I finally got to the studio, I probably switched some things up, and that’s how it came about.

Is that how most of your songwriting process goes — pacing around the house, letting the lyrics come to you?
Yeah, I’ll be at home and listen to a beat, get familiar with the beat, and then I go to the studio. I’ve already created the energy, so when I get to the studio, it’s time to go crazy. It’s like a K.O. moment.

How did Billy B come on board?
It’s not a remix, it’s the original song. A lot of people think it’s just me on the song, but I picked her because I relate to her so much. She’s another artist from Brooklyn. East New York to be exact. I feel like she gets it, and a lot of people overlook her as well as they overlooked me. I felt like we could have this moment together to go crazy and be heard with her.

What inspires your lyrics?
I just want to be heard, like, “Hello, I’m here! It’s me, Lola!” I’m so small and I feel like I’m in such a big world. I know they can’t see me, but they’re going to hear me at least.

Do you feel seen now?
I kind of do now. It feels good because it’s not the idea of being seen, it’s to be understood.

In “Gator Season,” another recent video, you incorporate so much blood and gore. Where did that come from?
When it comes to movies, I like action and adventure. I like horror movies because they make me feel like, “You can’t fuck with me, I’m that girl!” In the video, I wanted to show that I was protected by my brothers. I wanted to show that even if they’re not around, I’m good by myself as well. I had a scene by myself saying “You bleed like I bleed. I’m not scared of you.”

It sounds metaphorical. Is there any real-life danger reflected in any of your music?
I’ve been through situations where I felt unsafe. But there was something already embedded in me to figure it out and hold it down when you can’t get to people that most likely will always be there for you. I always say that Black women are the least protected and Black men are the least respected. So we have to have each other.

How much of your music comes from lived experience?
I’ve been around domestic violence, I’ve seen crimes, I’ve seen a lot. But the only thing I love about it is what it taught me and it didn’t fully traumatize me to where I feel disabled. It made me stronger, it made me aware of things. So now I’m always on point.

Having gotten popular recently, do you feel more or less vulnerable?
I feel a little more vulnerable because everything is so crazy. I enjoy being alone, I enjoy having my own space. But I have a lot of brothers and they always have my back. There’s some people out here willing to hurt you just because of the success you’re reaching; they want to reach it too. You have to be aware of everything.

When did rap become a passion for you?
When I saw 50 Cent’s “Wanksta” video, that’s when I fell in love with rap. It was so New York. It was the visuals. I was like, “Wow, I want to do that too.”

Do you think you’re starting to get there now?
Yeah, I’m starting to get there. That’s why I have to pay homage to 50 Cent as much as I can. “Gator Season” is a homage to 50 Cent as well. Even if I didn’t want to tap, I just knew I wanted to be a hip-hop dancer or something dealing with hip-hop–just due to him. He made it feel so fun and free.

Who else inspires you?
[Record label] Team 80 Productions. A lot of people think it’s just music, but when it comes to my team, it’s not just music. It’s personal as well. I’ve been groomed to supreme confidence.

Who’s your number one dream collab?
Meek Mill; that’s my dream collab right there. That’s my boy. He’s the one that helped me find the hunger in my music, what makes me want it so badly, what I’m going through, and figuring out how not to be scared to express it.

Do you think you’re having an impact on Brooklyn, or New York’s music scene?
Yes. As a female, I do things that guys do, but I make it look sexy. And that’s something that is not easy to do because this is a male-dominated industry. So when women do it, it always has to be so sexualised. But I’m coming in like, “You want to ride bikes? I can ride bikes too and make it look sexy.”

Tell me about your newest single and video “Here I Come.”
Don’t play with me, because I’m coming. I wanted something that was still in the same pocket as “Don’t Play With It,” but more fun. My music is a chant, even if nobody’s chanting with me. The lyrics came about because I wanna be boisterous. I want other people to feel boisterous. There was a time when I had confidence in myself. I just didn’t know how to use it.

Any plans to go on tour?
I would love to. That’s what I’m working towards, making sure I have a lot of material to actually go on stage with. The best thing about being a rapper is being on stage. What’s so crazy is that when I’m on stage, I don’t see anyone. I might feel nervous before getting on stage because I always want to give a good show, but as soon as I get on stage, it all goes out the window and I just go crazy. I would love to go on tour with anyone who’s made a big impact on music in general, but I don’t have a special pick. I would also love to pack out an arena by myself.

Has it been an adjustment to have more and more fans?
I don’t know if it’s something anyone can expect, it just starts happening. I’m pretty nice. I know I’m loud and aggressive, but I’m really a sweetheart. When people show me love, I like to show love back because I’m very appreciative of them acknowledging me. There’s a lot of kids growing up that don’t feel like they’re getting any type of attention at home and get it when they go outside. I felt like that. So, I’m grateful for the attention that comes to me. When I was growing up I was crying out for attention. My mom was a hard-working woman. I never hated her for it and I knew she had to do it because it was just me and her and nobody else. I was old enough to understand that, and I’m glad that I did because she’s actually a great mom. Now, it feels really good because she’s my biggest supporter.

What goals do you have beyond music?
I just want to be a phenomenal entertainer; not just in music. I want to be an actress and I might start getting back into drawing because I used to go to school for drawing. I actually have a whole portfolio of drawings. I just want to be able to take care of my family and impact my hometown. I am who I am because of New York City. I want to be the new face of New York City. When they think of NYC, they think about Jay-Z or Biggie. I want them to say Lola Brooke.