Lola Brooke proudly reps her Brooklyn rap roots everywhere she goes — whether she's hopping on stage with some of the biggest names in music (Lil' Kim, Future, Ciara) or trending online with a viral hit. Her love for hip-hop began with hometown icons like JAY-Z and others, but it snowballed into a buzzy career after her introductory smash single "Don't Play With It" hit big in 2021. Since then, she's dropped a handful of other tracks, toured with A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, and landed herself at festivals like Rolling Loud and Hot 97's Summer Jam. With all the success Brooke's seen so far, hip-hop has a lot to do with that.
What does it mean to be a part of today's generation of hip-hop?
It means everything to me, because without the greats, I wouldn't be here. I would love to shout out all the artists that's continuing for us to even continue to get to the 51st [anniversary].
"It means everything to me, because without the greats, I wouldn't be here."
Which hip-hop artists did you listen to growing up?
50 Cent. I remember when I first seen the "Wanksta" video, I was small, really young. I just kept saying to myself, "This is cool," because the things that he had in his videos was things that I'd seen outside; things that I could relate to. So I was very much influenced by it. [Also,] DMX for sure. I'm going to be biased [and say], of course, JAY-Z. I feel like people should already know because I'm from Brooklyn.
What do you hope to see for the future of hip-hop?
Honestly, hip-hop changes so rapidly, I really don't know what there is to look for. I just know that it'll still be there.
