Concerts

Catch Princess Nokia’s genre-bending set at Paradise Rock Club

Princess Nokia. Amy Harris / The Associated Press

1 minute to read

Reinvention is the name of the game.

The New York rapper Princess Nokia, on her single last year, “Gemini,” all but explains her constant state of genre-bending evolution: “I’m really prone to changes / I’m really indecisive and I really f****** hate it.”

But if there is something definitive about 29-year-old Destiny Frasqueri — her non-rapper name — it’s this: Behind the cascade of shapeshifting, there is a singular vision.

After nine years in the business, Princess Nokia has inked her first record deal with Sony Records following success in carving out her own freedom as an independent artist.

“I think my mission and goal in this business was always to be a representation of strong independent ownership and creative legacy,” she told NME in April.

Hailing from the Bronx, Princess Nokia was infused with the diversity of genres and musical scenes that span the spectrum in her home city — drawn to hip hop, yes, but also punk and the soundtracks of New York’s queer nightclubs.

“I was a part of all these different spaces that one maybe doesn’t surround themselves with when coming up in the rap world,” she told the music news outlet. “It all adds to the colourful lived experience and I’m happy that that weirdness helped me cultivate a place for people in this world.”

On the verge of the COVID crisis in February last year, Princess Nokia dropped two releases: “Everything Sucks” and “Everything is Beautiful.” Now she’s bringing both, at long last, on the road, with the full grandeur of that dichotomy on display, including a stop at Allston’s Paradise Rock Club.

“Her live shows are colourful in every sense of the word, from the eclectic outfits of her fans to her high-energy performances,” NME puts succinctly, for those who haven’t been before. “Mosh pits are a given and Nokia has been known to pause shows to bring all the girls to the front to rap to them directly.”

Join in the fun — and maybe do a little shapeshifting yourself.