Brooklyn’s own Lola Brooke went from a local rising talent to a viral phenomenon in the blink of an eye. However, this is not just all thanks to the power of social media, but also her undeniable talent and hard-hitting rhymes.
But despite her meteoric rise into stardom, many people still don’t know much about the rapper.
If you’re interested in discovering more about the star behind “Don’t Play with It,” including Lola Brooke’s age, early life, career, family, and net worth, keep reading this guide!
Who is Lola Brooke?
Shyniece Thomas, also known by her stage name “Lola Brooke,” is an American rapper and hip-hop artist.
Although Brooke has been in the hip-hop industry for several years, she had her breakthrough after her 2021 single “Don’t Play with It” became viral on social media, with the song reaching a little under 30 million views as of early 2024.
In the following section, I’ll walk you through everything you need about Shyniece Thomas’s personal life, including her early life, family, career, rise to fame, and current net worth speculations.
Early Life, Age, and Family
Lola Brooke was born as “Shyniece Thomas” in Brooklyn, New York, to Dennis and Teesha Thomas. Her birthday is on February 1, 1994, which makes the rapper 29 years old as of March 2024.
Lola Brooke was a single child with no reported brothers or sisters and had a deep relationship with both her parents. However, Brooke was primarily raised by her mother after her father passed away when she was young.
Lola Brooke was heavily exposed to hip hop at an early age, as she was born and raised in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood where many rappers started their careers, such as Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G.
Her interest in rap grew in 2002 when the music video for 50 Cent’s “Wanksta” dropped, sparking her interest in the genre, and hip-hop icons like Lil Wayne and Meek Mill also inspired her.
Brooke started writing songs and rhymes with her cousin “Jah,” who recently started learning music-making software like Pro Tools.
Education
Although not much is known about Lola Brooke’s time in school, she mentioned that her first attempts at rhyming were during her elementary school years, as she used to keep journals and diaries at that time that she turned into rap lyrics as she grew up.
Lola Brooke also had self-confidence problems growing up due to her trim figure. However, she mentioned that she overcame this by being loud, as it made her feel “bigger.” This was one of the main factors affecting her rapping style.
Lola Brooke had several jobs when she was young to support herself and her family. After graduating, Lola Brooke didn’t go to college and started working as a residential aide in a New York shelter.
Rapping Career
Lola Brooke’s interest in becoming a rapper started growing while working at the residential aide, and when she had to make a choice, she quit her job in 2017 to focus on her rap career.
However, it wasn’t a tough decision, as the young rapper signed with a small label called “Team 80 Productions”.
Her big break came with her first song, “Don’t Play with It,” released in 2021. The song went viral on X (then Twitter) before spreading to other social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Her success continued in 2023 with her signing to a more extensive music label, which allowed her music and presence to spread wider. It also allowed her to be featured with various rappers, as she opened for rapper “A Boogie wit da Hoodie” throughout his tour that year.
Her new music label, Arista Records, released a remix version of her single “Don’t Play with It,” featuring other rising rappers, “Yung Miami” and “Latto.”
Brooke’s success in 2023 kept rolling. In April, she was featured alongside Lady London on Ciara’s new song “Da Girls.”
Lola Brooke was also nominated for Best New Artist and Best Breakthrough Hip-hop Artist by BET Awards in 2023 but didn’t win the awards.
On November 10, 2023, Lola Brooke released her first official album, “Dennis Daughter,” which included 12 songs, including the remixed version of her hit single and a song she dedicated to her late father, “Dear Dennis.”
Acting Career
While music has become Lola Brooke’s primary focus, acting has always held a special place in her heart.
She would likely have pursued acting as a career if music hadn’t taken off, according to her interview with Flaunt.
However, this dream wasn’t entirely sidelined as Lola dipped her toes into acting with a cameo appearance on the CBS TV show “East New York” as “Tanya” in March 2023.
This successful experience could hint at her keeping the acting door open for future opportunities, especially since the rapper is only starting her career in the entertainment industry.
Is Lola Brooke in a Relationship?
Information about Lola Brooke’s dating life is pretty straightforward, although she doesn’t address the topic directly.
In many interviews, Lola mentions that music is currently taking up all her time, as there are times when she would spend over 12 hours at the recording studio every day.
This explains that she currently doesn’t have time for relationships. However, this could change at any moment if the right person appears.
What Is Lola Brooke’s Net Worth?
As of early 2024, there’s no official statement about the net worth of Lola Brooke. However, some speculators estimate her net worth to be around $400,000, while others project it could be closer to $1.5 million.
That being said, there are no transparent sources to confirm any of these figures, and the vast difference reflects the difficulty of pinning down an exact figure for a rising artist’s wealth.
Her income likely comes from a mix of sources, with music and streaming sales making up most of her income. However, other potential income streams can also impact her wealth, including touring, endorsements, and merchandise sales.
FAQs
What is Lola Brooke’s zodiac?
Since she was born on February 1, Lola Brooke’s zodiac sign is Aquarius. This sign is known for being intelligent, creative, independent, aloof, and generous.
How Many Followers Does Lola Brooke Have?
Lola Brooke has a decent presence on most social media platforms. As of 2024, the rapper has over 1.4 million followers on her Instagram (@lola.brooke) and around 139 thousand followers on X (@Lolabrook718).
She also has over 272 thousand subscribers on her YouTube channel and over 1.57 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
What is Lola Brooke’s Ethnicity?
Lola Brook is African American on both her parents’ side.
What is Lola Brooke’s height and weight?
Lola Brooke is known for having a relatively minor figure, which she cited as one of the reasons behind her loud and bashing style while rapping.
She is around 4 feet and 9 inches tall (145 centimeters) and weighs around 120 pounds (55 kilograms). However, he has an attractive figure with body measurements of 32-24-35 inches.
How Did Lola Brooke come up with her stage name?
Shyniece Thomas’s stage name is inspired by Lola Bunny, her favorite cartoon character. Brooke is a tribute to her hometown, Brooklyn, where she was born and raised.
