Shyniece Thomas (born February 1, 1994), known professionally as Lola Brooke, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Brooklyn,[1] she is best known for her 2021 single "Don't Play with It", which gained popularity on Twitter and TikTok the following year. She signed with Arista Records in 2023.
Lola Brooke | |
|---|---|
 Brooke in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Shyniece Thomas |
| Also known as | Big Gator |
| Born | February 1, 1994 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation | Rapper |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Labels |
|
Life and career
Shyniece Thomas[2] was born on February 1, 1994[3][4][5] in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, where she was also raised.[6] She is an only child and was raised by her mother, a widow.[7] Inspired to learn how to rap by the premiere of the music video for 50 Cent's 2002 song "Wanksta", Lil Wayne's song "Cannon" from his 2006 mixtape Dedication 2, and Meek Mill, she started making music in 2016 with her cousin, Jah, who learned how to make beats using Pro Tools.[8][6][9][10] She worked as a residential aide at a shelter until 2017, when she quit her job to pursue a music career.[7][11]
Brooke signed with Team 80 Productions in 2016.[12] She released her breakout single "Don't Play with It" in 2021.[13] Her first song went viral on Twitter before subsequently getting popular on TikTok and Instagram. Brooke was signed to Arista Records in January 2023 and was an opening act on A Boogie wit da Hoodie's Me v. Myself Tour throughout early 2023.[14][15] Her song "So Disrespectful" and a remix of "Don't Play with It", the latter of which featured American rappers Latto and Yung Miami, were both released in March 2023.[16][17] Also that month, she made a cameo on an episode of the CBS television series East New York.[8]
Brooke was featured on the Girls Mix version of Ciara's song "Da Girls", alongside Ciara and Lady London, released on April 14, 2023.[18][19][20] An official music video was released on the same day.[21] In June, she was selected as 2023 XXL Freshmen Class.[22] Her debut studio album, Dennis Daughter, was released on November 10, 2023.[23]
Musical style
Brooke's music is hip hop. Her stage name is a combination of the names of the Looney Tunes character Lola Bunny and Brooklyn.[7] She has listed her biggest influences on her music as Meek Mill, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Foxy Brown, DMX and Lil' Kim and she refers to herself by the nickname Big Gator.[13][8]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Dennis Daughter[23] |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [24] |
US R&B/ HH [25] |
NZ Hot [26] | ||||
| "Bipolar" | 2018 | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Not the Same" | — | — | — | |||
| "Boy!" | 2019 | — | — | — | ||
| "Cash Out" | — | — | — | |||
| "Shittin' Me? | 2020 | — | — | — | ||
| "Options" | — | — | — | |||
| "My Bop" | — | — | — | |||
| "Back to Business" | 2021 | — | — | — | ||
| "Don't Play with It" (featuring Billy B or Latto and Yung Miami) |
69 | 21 | — |
|
Dennis Daughter | |
| "Dummy Ummy" | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "On My Mind" | 2022 | — | — | — | ||
| "Fire in the Booth Pt. 1" | — | — | — | |||
| "Gator Season" | — | — | — | |||
| "Here I Come" | — | — | — | |||
| "So Disrespectful" | 2023 | — | — | — | ||
| "Blind Em" | — | — | — | The PixTape EP | ||
| "Just Relax" | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Life's on the Line" | — | — | — | |||
| "You" (featuring Bryson Tiller) |
— | — | 30 | Dennis Daughter | ||
| "Pit Stop" (featuring French Montana) |
— | — | — | |||
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Jaquae" (Just You And I featuring Lola Brooke) |
2018 | Chapter 3 |
| "Side Nigga" (Lyrivelli featuring Lola Brooke) |
HiiiBriiid | |
| "It's for Me" (OT9 Beno featuring Lola Brooke) |
2021 | Non-album singles |
| "Opp" (Coach Joey featuring Lola Brooke) |
2022 | Met Her In New York |
| "Conceited" (Flo Milli featuring Lola Brooke and Maiya The Don) |
2023 | You Still Here, Ho? (Extended) |
| "Shabooya (Remix)" (Gloss Up, K Carbon, Slimeroni, Aleza, and Hitkidd featuring Lola Brooke) |
Non-album singles | |
| "Da Girls (Girls Mix)" (Ciara featuring Lola Brooke & Lady London) | ||
| "Automobooty" (NLE Choppa with Lola Brooke & Modesty) |
Cottonwood 2 | |
| "Petty" (Liana Banks featuring Cleotrapa & Lola Brooke) |
Non-album singles | |
| "Bad Bitches (Remix)" (BreezyLYN featuring Kali & Lola Brooke) |
Hood Mona Lisa | |
| "Yeah Yeah" (Juiicy 2xs featuring Lola Brooke) |
Non-album singles | |
| "Dumb" (Doe Boy featuring Lola Brooke) |
Beezy | |
| "No Angels" (Coi Leray featuring Lola Brooke) |
Coi | |
| "Off Top" (Rican Da Menace featuring Lola Brooke) |
Non-album singles | |
| "Curious (Remix)" (Eric Bellinger featuring Lil' Kim & Lola Booke) |
||
| "Beama" (Shenseea featuring Lola Brooke) |
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Nominee | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BET Awards | 2023 | Herself | Best New Artist | Nominated | [28] |
| BET Hip Hop Awards | Best Breakthrough Hip-hop Artist | [29] |
References
- ^ Cline, Georgette (May 30, 2023). "Lola Brooke Continues to Feel the Love, the Brooklyn Way, as She Preps First Project of Her Career". XXL Mag. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ Cline, Georgette (May 30, 2023). "Lola Brooke Continues to Feel the Love, the Brooklyn Way, as She Preps First Project of Her Career". XXL Mag. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ @lolabrooke718 (February 1, 2024). "Wow happy birthday to meeee 😍😩" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Love, Tirhakah (July 5, 2023). "'I Don't Have Space to Be Tired of It'". Vulture. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ "Lola Brooke's Birthday Celebration". New York, New York: Getty Images. February 1, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
Lola Brooke attends her birthday celebration at Brooklyn Chop House Times Square on February 01, 2024 in New York City.
- ^ a b Marcellus, Kerane (March 24, 2023). "Lola Brooke Always Had It In Her". Office. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c Ju, Shirley. "Lola Brooke: Officially "Back 2 Business"". Flaunt. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c Fu, Eddie (March 10, 2023). "Brooklyn Rapper Lola Brooke on New Song "So Disrespectful" and Her Swift Rise: Shake the Room". Consequence. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Louie, King (February 8, 2023). "My First: Lola Brooke On How 50 Cent 'Wanksta' Changed Her Life". Hot 97. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ A, Aron (December 13, 2022). "Lola Brooke Wants To Make Jay-Z Proud: The "Don't Play With It" Rapper On Brooklyn Drill, Kim Kardashian & Pusha T Co-Signs & More". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Okon, Wongo (January 9, 2023). "Lola Brooke Interview: Doing It All For The Love Of Music". Uproxx. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Brown, Preezy (January 9, 2023). "Lola Brooke Signs Recording Contract With Arista Records". Vibe. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ a b Lamarre, Carl (February 14, 2023). "Lola Brooke: February R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Fondren, Precious (January 11, 2023). "Brooklyn drill artist Lola Brooke steps up to the major-label league". Gothamist. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Callas, Brad (March 11, 2023). "Lola Brooke Releases New Song and Video "So Disrespectful"". Complex. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Victoria, Kenyatta (March 10, 2023). "Lola Brooke Gets 'So Disrespectful' On New Single". Essence. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Cho, Regina (March 24, 2023). "Lola Brooke taps Latto and Yung Miami for new "Don't Play With It (Remix)"". Revolt. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Jenn, London (March 29, 2023). "Ciara Taps Lola Brooke & Lady London For 'Da Girls' Remix". All Hip Hop. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ Cho, Regina (March 29, 2023). "Lola Brooke and Lady London put their twist on Ciara's "Da Girls" track". Revolt TV. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ "Ciara - Da Girls (Girls Mix) feat Lola Brooke and Lady London". Apple Music. April 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ "Ciara - Da Girls (Girls Mix) feat Lola Brooke and Lady London". Youtube. April 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ Woods, Aleia (June 21, 2023). "2023 XXL Freshman Class Revealed". XXL.
- ^ a b Powell, Jon (October 23, 2023). "Lola Brooke shares artwork and star-studded tracklist for 'Dennis Daughter'". Revolt. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of April 8, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (March 25, 2023)". Billboard. March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 2, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ "American certifications – Lola Brooke". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ "The Nominees For 'BET Awards' 2023 Are Here!". BET. June 8, 2023.
- ^ Grein, Paul (September 7, 2023). "Cardi B & 21 Savage Lead Nominations for 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards: Full List". Billboard.