The New York rapper exposes the many layers within herself
Geminis are often known for having two sides. The two personalities usually conflict with one another but find their way into the same person without much hassle. Princess Nokia gives an ode to their zodiac sign to create the double-set album, Everything Is Beautiful/Everything Sucks. After the release of their debut album, 1992 Deluxe, Princess Nokia has made a name for herself as the gender non-conforming, Nuyorican, urban feminist bruja. Years later, they still continue to portray those roles. Everything Is Beautiful/Everything Sucks gives people another look into the layers of Princess Nokia and the duality in which they portray.
The first of the double-set album is Everything Is Beautiful. Here is a focus on the more feminine and sensitive side of the gender fluid artist. The neo-soul and jazz fusion within the album gives listeners standout tracks, like “Sugar Honey Iced Tea (S.H.I.T)” and “Soul Food y Adobo.” The former boasts lyrics of jealousy and dislike coming from Nokia’s haters as they proclaim in the chorus, “these bitches don’t like me,” over an upbeat jazzy production with a funky bassline. “Soul Food y Adobo” truly brings the Nuyorican out of the artist as they discuss different cultural elements that play a role in their everyday life and the environment in which they grew up. The remaining songs feel like they were inspired by Nokia’s favorite artists just mashing with her own life and experience. Everything Is Beautiful provides fans with several songs to just relax and vibe to.
Everything Sucks is a complete counterpart to its other half. Created primarily within one week, the album’s opening track titles, “Harley Quinn,” “Crazy House” and “Welcome to the Circus” only showcase a portion of the oddity and aggression Nokia will bring forth. Even so much as to scream, “Fuck You” for ten seconds in the first track and including creepy child-like sounds. The track that has really garnered attention is “I Like Him,” which is now a prevalent Tik Tok sound used by those who frequent the site. The bass follows a simple pattern with a piano playing a basic melody and the sound of a phone dialing at the forefront of the production. Their carefree confidence oozes through with lyrics such as, “I do whatever the fuck that I want” and “I do not see you taming me.” Everything Sucks, while not as completely emo-rap centered as A Girl Cried Red, definitely is a 180-degree turn from their other half with the angsty and frantic production.
Princess Nokia makes it known that there are many parts to their personality than meets the eye. From the moment they stepped on the scene to now, they’re constantly representing and bragging about their culture, identity and career moves. Everything Is Beautiful/Everything Sucks gives people another insight into who they’ve always been. They say in “The Conclusion,” “I hope that when you listen to this album, you just listen and find it in your heart to listen to the words and rhythm and excerpts from my diary that were my mental prison.” People are getting more raw emotions and vulnerability from Princess Nokia, adding to the already unique personality they exude.
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