Princess Nokia, also known as Destiny Nicole Frasqueri, is a New York based rapper who has recently been garnering international attention due to her unique artistic style. She raps mostly about life as an intercity kid; her music can be described as ‘90s style or alternative hip hop.

Formerly known as Wavy Spice, she released her full-length debut album, Metallic Butterfly, on May 12, 2014. The album included some of her most popular songs including “Dragons,” “Nokia” and “Yaya.” These songs illustrated her ability as both a rapper and a singer.

In an interview with Bullett Magazine, Nokia explained the reason behind her name change from Wavy Spice to Princess Nokia that came along with her new song, “Nokia.”

“As Princess Nokia I can project the multidimensional aspects of myself that I could not express with the name Wavy Spice,” Nokia said. “I can venture into any realm of music or character of my choosing without confusion.”

Through the name Princess Nokia, she hopes to make music that people from all over the world can be impacted by, regardless of who they are.

“I’m making worldly music, music that will talk to all kinds of people,” Nokia said. “Labels no longer matter. My new music is cosmic and three dimensional.”

Not only is she making music that people can connect to, her music videos also bring a sense of empowerment, challenging the societal norms of female strength and sexuality.

With her latest EP release, “1992”, which was released in September of 2016, Nokia makes urban feminism a central theme.

In her music video for the song, “Kitana,” Nokia and her friends are displayed in white T-shirts and either sweat pants or basketball shorts boxing on a court blacktop. Nokia portrays her and her friends in a more masculine light, defying the normal misogynistic views of the female appearance and strength.

Nokia also created an urban feminist podcast called Smart Girls Club with collaborator Milah Libin who designed the music video for “Dragons.” The podcast aims to celebrate women regardless of their size, shape and sexuality.

Along with the sense of female empowerment she displays, Nokia sticks close to her roots as an Afro-Nuyorican, Puerto Rican woman who grew up between Spanish Harlem and the Lower East Side of New York. Her music ranges from tribal hymns to words of inspiration and upliftment for women of color as well as life as an intercity kid, possessing a very unique sound.

“I was obsessed with individualism early on,” Nokia said in an interview with PAPERMAG. “The idea of being like everyone else killed me inside.”

Nokia’s free spirit also gained the attention of XXL magazine. Each year XXL magazine features the best of the new upcoming hip hop artists. Named the 2017 XXL Freshman Class, Princess Nokia recently posted her pitch on why she deserves a spot in this year’s class through her ability to achieve success despite being an independent, unsigned and self-managed artist.

Nokia’s fierce personality and individualism is inspiring as within every song, concert and podcast she encourages her fans to be themselves and speak their minds.