On a recent episode of NBC’s Left Field, Brooklyn MC Latasha Alcindor discussed leaving her career in finance to pursue hip-hop. “When I tried to put on the mask I didn’t look right,” she reflected. These days, LA’s hard work and strong catalog have her free to unleash her truest self, such as on the cathartic Teen Nite At Empire project.
She recently released her fourth video from the project, “Affirming:Life.” The track begins with reflective keys and LA “half-smiling off the fact we gon’ be alright,” before erupting with spastic horns and chopped backing vocals in the kind of sonic shift that Teen Nite is laced with. LA rhymes about pursuing her artistry not just for her, but for her family and “unborn son,” while resiliently affirming “no more suicidal thoughts” in the midst of the Peter Walker-directed video.
“Affirming:Life” is one of the most candid tracks of LA’s career thus far, a sign that the affirmations she speaks aren’t just feel-good platitudes, but a new tao at work.
