This year, Princess Nokia continues to stake her claim as one of hip-hop’s underrated powerhouses. Following-up her breakout LP 1992 Deluxe, Nokia debuted two full-length records in unison. The celebrate the new releases, Nokia brings her eerie Everything Sucks concept record to life with a cinematic video for “Gross.”
Directed by Gianluigi Carella, Princess Nokia is a threatening circus performer. The rapper positions herself as both a sword swallower and a knife-throwing target all while rapping along to her clever and boastful wordplay. “Talking online, well, you are a coward / People see me and they already sour / I just got richer in less than an hour / No 50 Cent, but I got the power,” Nokia raps.
The video arrives after Nokia debuted her double concept albums Everything Is Beautiful and Everything Sucks. Reflecting on her duality, the records detail both the uplifting and dark sides of the rapper. These themes are expanded upon in each one of her accompanying videos. Exploring her Everything Is Beautiful theme, Nokia drew influences from the 1996 movie Matilda for her “Green Eggs & Ham” video and donned a pageant crown for “Sugar Honey Iced Tea.” Along with the above “Gross” visual, Nokia illustrated the narrative for Everything Sucks by stripping down for her “Balenciaga” video.
Watch Princess Nokia’s “Gross” video above.
Everything Is Beautiful and Everything Sucks are out now via Rough Trade. Get it here.
