Princess Nokia | photo by Milah Libin | courtesy of the artist
Princess Nokia provides a vivid glimpse into the life of an NYC teenager in video double feature “Bart Simpson / Green Line”
New York City native Princess Nokia has dropped a double feature video for “Bart Simpson” and “Green Line”, both from her recent release 1992 Deluxe, which is out now via Rough Trade Records. The record is an expanded edition of her mixtape release from last year, named after the year of her birth.
A talented lyricist and promising storyteller hailing from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Princess Nokia — aka Destiny Nicole Frasqueri — creates a very specific image of an NYC high schooler in the present day in the video for “Bart Simpson.” The seamless transition from the monotonous and predictable public high school setting to a packed apartment filled with Nokia and her homies smoking Js and sipping 40s is marked clearly by the lyrical themes which proved a fitting backbone for the video. Nokia goes from “scribbling on doodle paper / trying hard to pay attention” to “puffin on a skimpy j / staying at her grandmas house” without any hesitation. Nokia is proud of her up-bringing and ever-willing to give her fans a sneak peek into her lifestyle.
The second part of the video which is the visual for “Green Line,” a six-train adventure from the heart of Queens all the way back down to the Lower East Side. Nokia highlights the sense of freedom one has when they really know how to navigate NYC: “For $2.50 I could go anywhere I want / Even if they check my bag, hiding weed from the cops / I was on the 6, green line chick.”
Nokia is of Puerto Rican descent, and to aid in the relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Maria and Irma on her native island, she has started a GoFundMe linked here. She also just announced a full fall tour — dates below — and November 18, Princess Nokia will be taking the stage at Coda, which will be a must-see. Tickets and more information on the show can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar.
Tour Dates
09/29 – Brooklyn, NY – Villain
10/10 – Zaragoza, ES – Sala Lopez
10/11 – Madrid, ES – Sala Mon Live
10/12 – Barcelona, ES – Razzmatazz
10/13 – Sevilla, ES – Monkey Week Festival
10/15 – Atlanta, GA – Afropunk Festival Atlanta
10/31 – Athens, GR – Gagarin
11/01 – Lausanne, CH – Le Romandie
11/03 – Liverpool, UK – Liverpool Music Week
11/04 – Paris, FR – Pitchfork Music Festival
11/06 – Brussels, BE – Botanique
11/07 – Stockholm, SE – Kraken
11/09 – Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg
11/10 – London, UK – Brixton Electric
11/11 – Aarhaus, BE – Voxhall
11/13 – Berlin, DE – Huxleys
11/14 – Copenhagen, DK – Vega
11/15 – Oslo, NO – Parkteatret
11/16 – Minneapolis, MN – Cabooze
11/18 – Philadelphia, PA – Coda
11/22 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile (2 shows)
11/23 – Vancouver, BC – Celebrities (2 shows)
11/24 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theater
12/15-17 – Houston, TX – Day For Night Fest
12/29 – Kaiwaka, NZ – Northern Bass Festival
12/30 – Lardner, AU – Beyond The Valley Festival
12/31 – Claremont, AU – Origin NYE
01/01 – Sydney, AU – Field Day Festival