One afternoon, Shyniece Thomas, known professionally as the rapper Lola Brooke, was in her Brooklyn apartment contemplating the pitfalls of being a rapper. “Sometimes you don’t feel safe — in your own hometown — all because of your occupation,” she says. “I was just pouring my heart out about how I felt, and how others might have been feeling.”
Brooke, who hails from Bedford-Stuyvesant, was first inspired to rap by 50 Cent’s 2002 song “Wanksta.” Being from Brooklyn fits her well; smooth self-regard and tight-lipped maturity — qualities popularized by the Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and even Pop Smoke — are her calling cards. Yet she comes across as strikingly vulnerable on “God Bless the Rappers,” the track she recorded that day, reeling off the names of artists who have died before their time: “They say the most dangerous job is for the rappers.”
Asked if she ever feels overwhelmed by those negative feelings, though, Brooke says no, sounding almost amused by the question. “Things don’t bother me,” she says. “I’m just aware of things.”
It might be tempting to compare Brooke to Ice Spice, who’s opened up a wide lane for drill music with a pop perspective. But Brooke is gruffer, more insular. She’s also a craft wonk; her music is more in line with Nineties rappers like Foxy Brown than with any style that is popular at the current moment. “I am always in my own bubble,” she says. “Even if something is trendy, I don’t tunnel-vision in that.”
That said, Brooke is well aware of the ways that music gets to listeners today. Her 2021 breakout single “Don’t Play with It” went viral on Twitter before finding its way to TikTok and Instagram, racking up millions of plays. “The platform is important, but you shouldn’t depend on it,” she says.
Her 2023 studio debut, Dennis Daughter, puts any ideas of her simply being a viral sensation to rest. The record is fully formed, opening with a ghostly track titled “Intro (2023 Flow),” where Brooke sounds like a woman of angst and harsh memories. The next song, “I AM LOLA,” has a quicker BPM, bouncing melodically as its chorus rings out. Throughout the record, Brooke gives you multiple sides of her personality. On one hand, she is stern, the daughter of a neighborhood drug dealer who was in and out of prison before he tragically died. Where she is most effective, however, is when the songs get more joyful. “You,” which features Bryson Tiller, would not be out of place on a solid Fabolous record from the 2000s. “When I am in the studio, I go off of my vibe,” she says. “It just so happens, sometimes, the songs are based on when you are talking with someone in the studio. And I fantasize a lot!”
Dennis Daughter is named after her father, Dennis, who inspired her family nickname of “Lil D.” “My dad was loved by a lot of people,” she says. “He ended up being an addict from hustling. He ended up getting high off his own supplies. That was his story.” When he passed away, she says, it created a hole in her life. Those generational demons are something Brooke thinks about daily. She feels that future accomplishments are now something she can chase without feeling like she doesn’t deserve them.
There’s a lightness in her voice as she says this. “I don’t want to deny myself anything”, says Brooke. “My project is basically closure for me.”
