Princess Nokia

Sometimes people think that I'm maybe pretentious or just weird, a fraud, or fake, because I have a formal education and speak properly and give people respect.

I'm not a docile, complacent person when it comes to racial aggressions.

I feel like I've had a really great time just being able to make all the music that I've always liked to make and listen to and expressing it in different ways.

My ancestors had to keep their customs secret for fear of death or persecution, so it's common to be secretive and discreet about Regla de Ocha. But it's my family's spirituality, so I don't want to keep it secret.

Black people created punk - the band Death was way before The Ramones. Same with Bad Brains. If you think about it, the wool has been pulled over our eyes.

I'm very 'nothing-bothers-me,' laissez faire. Everything works for me.

It took me a long time to get to where I am, but I am here and it is everywhere I want to be. A place where both my artistic merit and hard work meet. A day where I can say, ‘Yeah, I'm a musician. A good one.'"

That whole Wavy Spice, '90s thing, it wasn't who I was or what I saw myself doing in the future.