Brooklyn MC/producer Latasha Alcindor is making a name for herself in the New York underground as a versatile, sharp-witted wordsmith. The Flatbush native has been releasing music since 2011, reaching a new plateau in the past few years off the strength of her energetic live show and versatile sonic palette.
Her catalog is rife with clever nods to femininity and lyrical supremacy over a range of musical styles, from boom bap, to trap and electronica. Alcindor produces her own music, but also frequently collaborates with members of her 88 Days Of Fortune and Dope League collectives.
She’s planning to release a three-part EP series this summer. To build anticipation for the projects, Alcindor has commenced #LALytes: Preps, a weekly music series which promises a new song every Monday.
Today, her offering is “HeadRaps”, an energetic lyrical exercise she likens to “a freestyle at the future Hot 97.” The track begins with Alcindor rhyming rapid-fire over a pithy bass melody, before the kAui-produced track seemingly inverts. The bass begins to gyrate under suddenly busy drum programming, which “LA” mows through with equal ferocity.
Within her assonant bars Alcindor laments “white hipster boys spittin’ hate on her Instagram,” and admires her own dynamism, admitting “contradiction be my magic.” You can listen to “HeadRaps” below.
