Nola Darling

No, this is not the Nola Darling from Spike Lee's titular. tease-worthy She's Gotta Have It. But the ambitious Brooklynite does serve as inspiration for international rude gals Jaq and Alex. Babies of the boom-bap, these femcees fuse the gloss and the grit of the foremothers (think the sex appeal of Lil' Kim and the lyrical fortitude of Yo-Yo) to craft something that can only be described as a cheeky, cocksure love supreme for sinewy afro-beat riddims and woolly calypso masterworks. Nola D's sound? They sing, rap, and redefine femininity with woozy ballads, syrupy breakbeats and oily 808s. Translation: We gotta have it@

-Jason Parham

Endorsed by: Mick Boogie

Upcoming: Debut EP (and accompanying vlog series) A Rude Gal's Guide To... with production from Melo-X, Manchild, Faahz, and Double O. Brap! Brap!

Link: http://www.urb.com/2009/11/08/25now/
Page 19 - URB

Nope. Not them kinda Ds, I’m talking about Nola Ds as in Nola Darling–and not from the Spike Lee joint, either. Nola Darling is two funky hip-hop divas–Nikkobya Bisou and Aziza Montnegro–who are getting their renaissance woman game on something serious, Gordon Parks style.

They are professionally trained actresses who also sing, rap, direct and produce films. Influenced by their Caribbean and African-American roots, they infuse rap, reggae and soul to provide sassy, sexy and empowering tunes. Check out their new project (and intro), Nola Darling’s Pretty-Gritty Mini-Mixtape, mixed by Melo X–and featuring members of their collective, A-OK.

The mixtape is just teaser, but what’s fresh about Nola Darling is that they’re a happy medium between the main stereotypes of female emcees. It’s either that female rappers are hypersexual (and lord knows we got enough budding Lil’ Kims to last for eons) or way too hard (trying too hard to prove they can do it like men). But I digress, check them out, show some love and download the mixtape (or at least put your girl on). Enjoy. –Soopa Starr - XXL Magazine (.com)

"Holding it down for the ladies, are Nola Darling, a pair of lovely rude girls sporting a sing-songy patois and a style laden with 'nuff attitude".

Read the rest of it HERE...
http://www.okayplayer.com/reviews/october-2008/aok-collective-200810296738/

- OkayPlayer

"Holding it down for the ladies, are Nola Darling, a pair of lovely rude girls sporting a sing-songy patois and a style laden with 'nuff attitude".

Read the rest of it HERE...
http://www.okayplayer.com/reviews/october-2008/aok-collective-200810296738/

- OkayPlayer

We Got The Beat: Nola Darling

Spike Lee would be proud that up-and-coming hip-hop duo Nola Darling borrowed their namesake from the lead character of his debut film She’s Gotta Have It. Rhymers Nikkobya and Aziza came together as the ladies of Nola Darling in 2007, and in the short time since then, have fine-tuned a sound different from most female emcees on the scene today, one that reflects their appreciation for hip-hop history as well as their interest in world beats and sounds.

The ladies of ND are masters of their domain, throwing an arsenal of quick-fire rhymes and smooth crooning choruses at their audience. Their first mixtape, “Nola Darling’s Pretty-Gritty Mini Mixtape” saw production from heavyweights like Melo-X and LP the Chemist, and mixed old-skool-esque beats with neo-soul sounds and the freshest of dancehall riddims. The result is an innovative sound matched only by their sharp, funny rhymes: “Two things can’t stand about a man/ Pride and your arrogance/Don’t wanna kiss me don’t wanna hold my hand/ You wanna be like HOV-y and that’s the plan/ Beyond a Reasonable Doubt you don’t understand/ Where I came from or who I am.” Make no mistake, Nola D is definitely representing for the ladies out there!

Their quick-witted rhymes have landed them guest spots on mixtapes with the likes of B.o.B, Mickey Factz, and 88 Keys, and features in XXL, Digiwax, and WAH magazine among others. The ladies don’t sleep on fashion either, they rock everything from vintage dresses to Jordans on stage, and have been styled by Dominique Dawson in a series of super cute photo shoots any M.I.S.S girl can appreciate!

For full article visit: http://www.missomnimedia.com/2009/06/we-got-the-beat-that-nola-darling/ - M.I.S.S. Crew- www.missomnimedia.com

We Got The Beat: Nola Darling

Spike Lee would be proud that up-and-coming hip-hop duo Nola Darling borrowed their namesake from the lead character of his debut film She’s Gotta Have It. Rhymers Nikkobya and Aziza came together as the ladies of Nola Darling in 2007, and in the short time since then, have fine-tuned a sound different from most female emcees on the scene today, one that reflects their appreciation for hip-hop history as well as their interest in world beats and sounds.

The ladies of ND are masters of their domain, throwing an arsenal of quick-fire rhymes and smooth crooning choruses at their audience. Their first mixtape, “Nola Darling’s Pretty-Gritty Mini Mixtape” saw production from heavyweights like Melo-X and LP the Chemist, and mixed old-skool-esque beats with neo-soul sounds and the freshest of dancehall riddims. The result is an innovative sound matched only by their sharp, funny rhymes: “Two things can’t stand about a man/ Pride and your arrogance/Don’t wanna kiss me don’t wanna hold my hand/ You wanna be like HOV-y and that’s the plan/ Beyond a Reasonable Doubt you don’t understand/ Where I came from or who I am.” Make no mistake, Nola D is definitely representing for the ladies out there!

Their quick-witted rhymes have landed them guest spots on mixtapes with the likes of B.o.B, Mickey Factz, and 88 Keys, and features in XXL, Digiwax, and WAH magazine among others. The ladies don’t sleep on fashion either, they rock everything from vintage dresses to Jordans on stage, and have been styled by Dominique Dawson in a series of super cute photo shoots any M.I.S.S girl can appreciate!

For full article visit: http://www.missomnimedia.com/2009/06/we-got-the-beat-that-nola-darling/ - M.I.S.S. Crew- www.missomnimedia.com

The fictitious character Nola Darling was the central character in Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It, a film made while the director was a student at New York University. As destiny would have it, the lower Manhattan campus would later be where two musically inclined women met, clicked and decided to create art together.

It has been about two years since Nola Darling was reincarnated as a band, a vivacious duo of Alex Nikkobya and Jaquita Aziza, two young women who grew on on different coasts (Nikkobya in Queens, New York, and Aziza in L.A.) but with similar upbringing and family values. In that time, they've joined up with the AOK Collective, a New York-based clique of like-minded artists. In 2008, they released a mixtape, Nola Darling's Gritty Mini-Mixtape. Most recently, the ladies remixed the Black Eyed Peas' smash “Boom, Boom, Pow” complete with a viral video.

The ladies' accomplishments haven't gone unnoticed: the organizers of the annual UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival added Nola Darling to a show over Memorial Day that included Reggae stars Mavado and Soca singer Machel Montano. Nola Darling took to the stage backed by Mulatto, an L.A.-based touring band for Nas and Keri Hilson.

With two upcoming mixtape projects, the ladies of Nola Darling are artists on the rise.

For full article visit: http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/dxnext/id.117/title.nola-darling/p.1 - HipHopDX- www.hiphopdx.com

The fictitious character Nola Darling was the central character in Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It, a film made while the director was a student at New York University. As destiny would have it, the lower Manhattan campus would later be where two musically inclined women met, clicked and decided to create art together.

It has been about two years since Nola Darling was reincarnated as a band, a vivacious duo of Alex Nikkobya and Jaquita Aziza, two young women who grew on on different coasts (Nikkobya in Queens, New York, and Aziza in L.A.) but with similar upbringing and family values. In that time, they've joined up with the AOK Collective, a New York-based clique of like-minded artists. In 2008, they released a mixtape, Nola Darling's Gritty Mini-Mixtape. Most recently, the ladies remixed the Black Eyed Peas' smash “Boom, Boom, Pow” complete with a viral video.

The ladies' accomplishments haven't gone unnoticed: the organizers of the annual UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival added Nola Darling to a show over Memorial Day that included Reggae stars Mavado and Soca singer Machel Montano. Nola Darling took to the stage backed by Mulatto, an L.A.-based touring band for Nas and Keri Hilson.

With two upcoming mixtape projects, the ladies of Nola Darling are artists on the rise.

For full article visit: http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/dxnext/id.117/title.nola-darling/p.1 - HipHopDX- www.hiphopdx.com

by Bless Roxwell,
"She's So Fresh" Mondays

hey hey good people!!
so in case you don’t know them already, which you may, and you should, I would like to introduce you to two young women that are doing their own thing, shining their own shine and rockin bodies and minds..

citing the influences of everything from OutKast and The Fugees, Stevie Wonder and Donnie Hathaway, to Ella Fitzgerald and Jimi Hendrix, they’ve rocked stages from The Knitting Factory NYC to The Roxy and The Viper Room to UCLA’s Jazz and Reggae Festival. they’ve been featured on XXL.com, Hip Hop DX’s “DX NEXT”, VIMBY’s “Candied Cartel” and Digiwaxx to name a few.

their journey began in high school at the NYU’s High School Acting Program at Tisch School of the Arts and both ended up attending and graduating from NYU after which they took a trip across the globe “to investigate Hip Hop and its impact on young people outside of the US”. the two-woman team interviewed countless Hip Hop heads, producers, DJs, dancers, and artists from Johannesburg to Rome and produced the documentary film “WORD?! I Didn’t Know ( ___________ ) Could Get Down Like That!” that was honored as the Official Selection of the 16th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival.

with that much love for the art and so much talent between them, its inevitable and understandable that NOLA DARLING leave a lasting impression with their style and creativity. their FRESH. these sistas are pushing the envelope as MC’s and singers and they are truly multi-threat.

after helping found A-OK Collective, which includes rapper Fresh Daily and Producer/DJ Melo X, they released “Nola Darling’s Pretty-Gritty Mini-Mixtape” and are prepping for their next release, an EP due out in 2009. they’ll also be rockin at SOB’s on September 9th ‘09, opening up for Nina Sky…

and they answered my few questions..

Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.thebloomeffect.com/blog/2009/09/04/hip-hop-darlingand-fresh/
- The Bloom Blog

by Bless Roxwell,
"She's So Fresh" Mondays

hey hey good people!!
so in case you don’t know them already, which you may, and you should, I would like to introduce you to two young women that are doing their own thing, shining their own shine and rockin bodies and minds..

citing the influences of everything from OutKast and The Fugees, Stevie Wonder and Donnie Hathaway, to Ella Fitzgerald and Jimi Hendrix, they’ve rocked stages from The Knitting Factory NYC to The Roxy and The Viper Room to UCLA’s Jazz and Reggae Festival. they’ve been featured on XXL.com, Hip Hop DX’s “DX NEXT”, VIMBY’s “Candied Cartel” and Digiwaxx to name a few.

their journey began in high school at the NYU’s High School Acting Program at Tisch School of the Arts and both ended up attending and graduating from NYU after which they took a trip across the globe “to investigate Hip Hop and its impact on young people outside of the US”. the two-woman team interviewed countless Hip Hop heads, producers, DJs, dancers, and artists from Johannesburg to Rome and produced the documentary film “WORD?! I Didn’t Know ( ___________ ) Could Get Down Like That!” that was honored as the Official Selection of the 16th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival.

with that much love for the art and so much talent between them, its inevitable and understandable that NOLA DARLING leave a lasting impression with their style and creativity. their FRESH. these sistas are pushing the envelope as MC’s and singers and they are truly multi-threat.

after helping found A-OK Collective, which includes rapper Fresh Daily and Producer/DJ Melo X, they released “Nola Darling’s Pretty-Gritty Mini-Mixtape” and are prepping for their next release, an EP due out in 2009. they’ll also be rockin at SOB’s on September 9th ‘09, opening up for Nina Sky…

and they answered my few questions..

Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.thebloomeffect.com/blog/2009/09/04/hip-hop-darlingand-fresh/
- The Bloom Blog

Nola Darling
The Daily Bread – by Jason Parham

What do DJ Quik’s 2000 release, Balance & Options, and the female hip-hop duo known as Nola Darling have in common? Exactly like the record reads: balance and options. Nola Darling represents the balance and provides the option of choice for hip-hop’s faithful. But it isn’t just about that for Jaq and Alex, better known as Nola Darling amongst the music scene. Never ones to be confined by borders, the Nola Darling duo have traveled the world in search of good music, journeying to South Africa, London, Amsterdam and Italy. Talk about inspiration.

Despite being fairly new to game, the duo continue to push boundaries and cross borders, figuratively and literally. In an age of masculine driven music, Nola Darling bring the sophistication, grit, intelligence, and swagger to spit with the best of them. Still, there’s more to this book of rhymes: creating dialogue, steering away from complacency, and developing classes and workshops designed to cultivate female emcees. Scratch Jack, Nola Darling are the Jills of all trades.
“I think we really appeal to a certain type of woman that doesn’t really feel like she fits in either category of extreme, it’s for everyday folk.”

Format: You guys have a track called “Who is Nola Darling.” Who is Nola Darling? ?
Alex: Nola Darling is an idea. It’s a strength, and an energy and a force, and a facet of us all.

Jaq: It’s like two forces collide, Alex and I together. We’re really taking it to the next level, pushing the boundaries, bridging the gap between your typical ethnic female rapper, which we are not, and the over-sexualized norm, which we are also not.

Alex: The name itself draws from the lead character of Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It. We just drew inspiration from this character, her commitment to always choosing freedom. And it’s not that we’re promoting promiscuity or anything like that.

Jaq: We definitely don’t appeal to everybody. I think we really appeal to a certain type of woman that doesn’t really feel like she fits in either category of extreme, it’s for everyday folk.

Alex: But she is extremely cognizant of her ability to choose.
Format: On your MySpace page it reads, “We chant for peace and toast for kicks, rhyme for days and sing like we spit.” Can you elaborate on that? ?
Jaq: Both of us were raised by very pan-African parents, so awareness and politics are very significant to us. I don’t want to say we’re changing the world or anything like that. Perseverance and growth is an important thing, so I feel we definitely are about creating dialogue.

Alex: Along with that, in creating the dialogue, just opening up channels for Americans to connect with our brothers and sisters all over the world, throughout pan-Africa if you will. In our experience, our travels, people everywhere have preferred American hip-hop and American songs, but so rarely do we have the opportunity to hear other types of hip hop from different countries. Here, it’s not terribly accessible to us, and so therefore, as Americans, we tend to feel that a lot of us here have limited ears because of what is provided for us, for those of us who choose to go beyond and seek those other things.

Format: Nola Darling is based out of New York City. How does that factor into your style? ?
Alex: We both have historical pride for this city, and even though our formative years were spent in cities elsewhere, there was a reason that we met up back in New York and planted the seed here in this city.

Jaq: In New York there’s a place for everybody. Here we were in art school at Tisch and there we were really allowed to be our full selves and grow in a way that only New York, being one of the big cosmopolitan cities, will let you really be yourself and really grow.

Format: Are there any female emcees that you specifically look to for inspiration? ?
Alex: Latifah!

Jaq: MC Lyte, all day everyday. I feel like the majority of women I like aren’t even emcees, you know what I mean, like just based of off attitude and swagger alone.

Alex: We listened to different types of music growing up; we didn’t just listen to hip-hop.

Format: With hip-hop being what it is today, where does Nola Darling fit into the equation? ?
Alex: We’re just sick and tired of hearing the songs that say we’re sick of the state of hip-hop. We’re just trying to contribute something new, some kind of fresh idea that we enjoy, that feels right to us, that says something, that has an impact on our listeners, that coincides with the responsibility of artists – recording artists that spread their messages to the world – and we just have to make a contribution to if we were going to hate on the game.

Jaq: One thing that is always a point of discussion between us, and between our friends, is balance. There needs to be a balance in hip-hop. It’s one thing to hate on hip-hop, which we are all guilty of at some point, but I really don’t have a problem with - Format Magazine

Nola Darling
The Daily Bread – by Jason Parham

What do DJ Quik’s 2000 release, Balance & Options, and the female hip-hop duo known as Nola Darling have in common? Exactly like the record reads: balance and options. Nola Darling represents the balance and provides the option of choice for hip-hop’s faithful. But it isn’t just about that for Jaq and Alex, better known as Nola Darling amongst the music scene. Never ones to be confined by borders, the Nola Darling duo have traveled the world in search of good music, journeying to South Africa, London, Amsterdam and Italy. Talk about inspiration.

Despite being fairly new to game, the duo continue to push boundaries and cross borders, figuratively and literally. In an age of masculine driven music, Nola Darling bring the sophistication, grit, intelligence, and swagger to spit with the best of them. Still, there’s more to this book of rhymes: creating dialogue, steering away from complacency, and developing classes and workshops designed to cultivate female emcees. Scratch Jack, Nola Darling are the Jills of all trades.
“I think we really appeal to a certain type of woman that doesn’t really feel like she fits in either category of extreme, it’s for everyday folk.”

Format: You guys have a track called “Who is Nola Darling.” Who is Nola Darling? ?
Alex: Nola Darling is an idea. It’s a strength, and an energy and a force, and a facet of us all.

Jaq: It’s like two forces collide, Alex and I together. We’re really taking it to the next level, pushing the boundaries, bridging the gap between your typical ethnic female rapper, which we are not, and the over-sexualized norm, which we are also not.

Alex: The name itself draws from the lead character of Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It. We just drew inspiration from this character, her commitment to always choosing freedom. And it’s not that we’re promoting promiscuity or anything like that.

Jaq: We definitely don’t appeal to everybody. I think we really appeal to a certain type of woman that doesn’t really feel like she fits in either category of extreme, it’s for everyday folk.

Alex: But she is extremely cognizant of her ability to choose.
Format: On your MySpace page it reads, “We chant for peace and toast for kicks, rhyme for days and sing like we spit.” Can you elaborate on that? ?
Jaq: Both of us were raised by very pan-African parents, so awareness and politics are very significant to us. I don’t want to say we’re changing the world or anything like that. Perseverance and growth is an important thing, so I feel we definitely are about creating dialogue.

Alex: Along with that, in creating the dialogue, just opening up channels for Americans to connect with our brothers and sisters all over the world, throughout pan-Africa if you will. In our experience, our travels, people everywhere have preferred American hip-hop and American songs, but so rarely do we have the opportunity to hear other types of hip hop from different countries. Here, it’s not terribly accessible to us, and so therefore, as Americans, we tend to feel that a lot of us here have limited ears because of what is provided for us, for those of us who choose to go beyond and seek those other things.

Format: Nola Darling is based out of New York City. How does that factor into your style? ?
Alex: We both have historical pride for this city, and even though our formative years were spent in cities elsewhere, there was a reason that we met up back in New York and planted the seed here in this city.

Jaq: In New York there’s a place for everybody. Here we were in art school at Tisch and there we were really allowed to be our full selves and grow in a way that only New York, being one of the big cosmopolitan cities, will let you really be yourself and really grow.

Format: Are there any female emcees that you specifically look to for inspiration? ?
Alex: Latifah!

Jaq: MC Lyte, all day everyday. I feel like the majority of women I like aren’t even emcees, you know what I mean, like just based of off attitude and swagger alone.

Alex: We listened to different types of music growing up; we didn’t just listen to hip-hop.

Format: With hip-hop being what it is today, where does Nola Darling fit into the equation? ?
Alex: We’re just sick and tired of hearing the songs that say we’re sick of the state of hip-hop. We’re just trying to contribute something new, some kind of fresh idea that we enjoy, that feels right to us, that says something, that has an impact on our listeners, that coincides with the responsibility of artists – recording artists that spread their messages to the world – and we just have to make a contribution to if we were going to hate on the game.

Jaq: One thing that is always a point of discussion between us, and between our friends, is balance. There needs to be a balance in hip-hop. It’s one thing to hate on hip-hop, which we are all guilty of at some point, but I really don’t have a problem with - Format Magazine