Today, prestigious Hip Hop outlet XXL unveiled Lola Brooke as one of twelve artists for their 2023 Freshman Class. The print issue will be available on newsstands on July 18, 2023.
Over the next month, XXL will release freestyles, cyphers, interviews and more of all Freshman artists, including Lola. Pioneering producer Pi’erre Bourne will be the music curator crafting beats for the much-anticipated cypher.
In addition to the unveiling of the Freshman Class of 2023, XXL shared via their website “Staying true to XXL’s yearly tradition, the Freshman class for 2023 was selected based on the artists’ undeniable impact. Within every pivot hip-hop has experienced over the years, a crop of rising individuals proudly reach for and tightly grasp the baton. Narrowing down over 80 artists this year to 12, these talents have not only been the cream that has risen to the top, but serve as a representation of the current pulse of this year’s sound: inimitable, eclectic, vibe-y, nostalgic and damn good.”
Earlier this month, the new face of New York, Lola Brooke dominated her debut Hot 97’s Summer Jam performance at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. The full performance is available to view HERE via Hot 97’s YouTube Channel.
With the energy of her city and the tri-state area on lock, Lola delivered an action-packed set in front of an audience in the multi-thousands for one of Hip Hop’s biggest annual events. Brooke performed many of her most revered hit records, from “Here I Come” and “Dummy Ummy” to her most recently released single, “Just Relax,” which was recently coined by Esquire Magazine as a top contender for “the best song of the Summer.” Paying homage to the 90s hit “This or That” by Black Sheep with “Just Relax” elsewhere on her Summer Jam set, Brooke celebrated the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop furthermore as she remixed a classic Hip Hop instrumental “Quiet Storm” from Mobb Deep and Lil Kim with mash-up to her track “So Disrespectful.” A champion of all the greats who came before her as a student of Hip Hop, Brooke also shared her gleaming spotlight by inviting up-and-coming New York artists BreezyLYN and Maiya The Don to perform their respective songs “Bad B*tches” and “Telfy.” Brooke closed out her historical set with the performance of her hit single “Don’t Play With It” with Billy B, which has amassed over 100M + streams to date.
Multi-hyphened artist Teyana Taylor served as a creative director-choreographer for Lola via Teyana’s flourishing entity ‘The Aunties Production.’ Teyana praised Lola via her social channel HERE and shared a behind-the-scenes look at the build-up to Lola’s performance which has already received stellar applause in press and across social media.
Making a mighty mark on the first half of the year, Brooke gears up for more highly anticipated performances set to take place nationwide and globally, including: Hyde Park Summerfest in Chicago, Broccoli Festival in Washington DC, WOO HAH! X ROLLING LOUD Festival in Rotterdam, Rolling Loud Portugal, Rolling Loud Germany,Rolling Loud Miami, Splash Festival in Germany, Wireless Festival in Finsbury Park, London, and OpenairFestival in Frauenfeld Switzerland as it stands currently.
The Brooklyn bombshell has also amassed her first significant award nomination for this year’s BET Awards under the category of ‘Best New Artist.’
ABOUT LOLA BROOKE:
Few have been able to stay true to the roots that is Brooklyn, New York while also possessing the necessary charisma and talent to transcend its world-renowned identity. However, Lola Brooke has shown herself to be just that, while also making a stand-out case as one of the new heavyweights in a city that might just boast the best legacy in all of Hip-Hop. Though short in stature, her lyrical presence and personality cast a skyscraper-sized shadow over the game. With quotable lyrics and unforgettable bars, she delivers street-influenced songs with an unwavering confidence and an unpredictable cadence that evokes an essence reminiscent of the golden age of Hip Hop as she leans into the future of music with genre-busting fire.
Lola’s love for rap started at an early age. Inspired by artists such as Meek Mill, Lil Wayne, and Foxy Brown, she began writing music as early as eight years old. Lola dropped her first music video to a freestyle titled “2017 Flow” and instantly started to build a buzz in the city. She continued to release numerous songs, each one displaying her incredible rapping skills and starlike persona; but it was her song “Don’t Play With It” that really started to grab people’s attention. Soon after, she started to perform at events such as Rolling Loud NYC, Break The Internet Fest, and HOT97’s “Who’s Up Next” showcase as well as a halftime performance for her beloved hometown team the Brooklyn Nets. She closed out the 2022 year pulling up to Future’s sold-out show at Barclays Center in her hometown of Brooklyn, NY eliciting massive roars from the crowd as soon as she hit the stage. During the first half of 2023 Lola embarked on her first nation-wide tour with A Boogie wit da Hoodie signaling her rising super-stardom status felt outside of the East coast.
She continues to garner and mesmerize new fans every day with her dominant flow and powerful rhymes. With an attitude that embodies the unbridled energy that is Brooklyn, it’s no surprise that Lola continues to assert herself as New York’s next hometown hero. And with a growing body of work that has already tallied streams and views in the millions, the 4’9″ Lola Brooke may also be music’s NEXT BIG THING.