Latasha Alcindor at Le Poisson Rouge
photo by Amanda Hatfield

Brookyn rapper Latasha Alcindor playing BK Museum & BAM (listen)

Brooklyn rapper Latasha Alcindor first started releasing music under the name L.A. at the beginning of this decade but more recently she switched to her given name, and is now going just as Latasha. Last year she released two full-length projects, B(LA)K and Teen Nite At Empire, both of which are very worth hearing. She’s not exactly a throwback rapper, but some of her beats recall the jazz/psych production of Brooklyn’s early ’90s alt-rap scene and her flows are intricate and aggressive in a way that’s not as fashionable on rap radio as it used to be (unless you’re Kendrick Lamar, who Latasha praised in an interview with DJ Booth). Here’s an excerpt from that same DJ Booth interview, where Latasha talks about the increased (and long overdue) acceptance of women in hip hop, and why she doesn’t get too caught up in competition:

Women are out here―the comeback of Remy Ma, Young M.A, and Nitty Scott is still out here—there’s a lot of women here, but there’s not a lot of women giving their raw story. There’s still this stigma that I have to show I’m a better rapper than these niggas. I can do that, but I don’t care about that anymore. In hip-hop you get caught up in the competitive shit, but at the root it’s not about that for me anymore. Hip-hop is beautiful right now, there’s a lot of room to do whatever the fuck you want. I’m here for the weirdo kids who can’t fit into any place. I always felt like that kid in hip-hop. I had a crazy life, I want to tell my raw story.

Latasha has released a series of videos off of Teen Nite at Empire. The latest is “Glo Up,” which was shot at Brooklyn’s Salon718 and directed by Natasha Hester and Ethan Mills. Watch that, and stream Teen Nite and B(LA)K below.

Latasha plays her hometown a good amount, and she became one of the first rappers to be an artist in residence at National Sawdust. She’ll play another hometown show on February 3 at Brooklyn Museum in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium (third floor). She’ll be presenting All A Dream: Intro to Latasha, “the sequel to her 2017 interdisciplinary performance art project.” There will be 330 free tickets in Forum line at admissions at 7:30 PM. More info here.

After that, she takes part in “Word.Sound.Power.” at BAM in April. There’s a run of night shows from April 13-18 open to the public, and a “School-Time Performance” edition from April 12-19 that start at 11 AM and are intended for high school students. Here’s more info: “Some of the best hip-hop MCs and poets from Brooklyn and beyond gather once again for this electrifying showcase hosted by beloved MC Baba Israel. Audiences discover how the political becomes poetic, and vice versa, through these powerful performances. This spring’s showcase celebrates the world from a woman’s point of view. and features a lineup that includes poet Ashley August; MCs Cipherella, Latasha, and Medusa; musician Yako440; and DJ Reborn.” Tickets for the night shows and the daytime student shows are on sale.

Latasha is also planning to go on the ‘All A Dream House Party’ tour this year, and details on that are still TBA.