Rosalía Names Lil' Kim Among Top Music Inspirations
From the rifts in her voice to the raunchy lyrics, the inspo is clear.
As stan Twitter usually does with their favorites, Rosalía‘s fans found a tweet from 2020 where she answered questions about everything from her biggest inspiration to what shows she wishes she could be on — cue Euphoria.
The “Hentai” singer named four of her biggest inspirations which are all powerful and bold women, including iconic Spanish performers, Carmen Amaya and Lola Flores. Rosalía has been credited with reviving interest in flamenco and “making it cool again“, paying homage to Amaya. The musician also shouted out American artists Aretha Franklin and Lil’ Kim as inspirations for her music.
Rosalía being inspired by Lil’ Kim and Aretha Franklin was unexpected but in hindsight, makes complete sense. From the rifts in her voice to the raunchy lyrics, the inspo is clear. She recently released her long-awaited album, Motomami, which revealed a more playful and sexual side of the artist.
Pharrell, who produced a few tracks on the album, admitted he wasn’t prepared for how raunchy the album was when Rosalía shared she wanted to have a “subversive” approach. When she took to TikTok to break down the lyrics of “Hentai” with Pharrell, he was still somewhat floored at the lyrics she sensually sang: “I want to ride you like I ride my bike/ Make me a tape, Spike mode/ I whipped it till it got stiff/ Second is fucking you, the first is God.”
Lil’ Kim is known as a pioneer in female rap for her raunchier lyrics and owning a side of femininity that was once held private. Rosalía is now channeling that same energy, taking cues from women across the spectrum of self-expression and creating her own lane in the global music market. Cardi B also recently tweeted that everyone should tune into the album whether they speak Spanish or not — cause it’s just that fire.
Loving the @rosalia album ….soooo fireeee 🔥🔥….Even if you don’t speak Spanish you will get into it.
— Cardi B (@iamcardib) March 21, 2022
