Los Angeles Times

'The more they ban me, the more people want me': Dominican rapper Tokischa courts controversy

Dominican rapper Tokischa performs during the Vibra Urbana music festival in Las Vegas on April 30, 2022.

MEXICO CITY — After a long day jammed with interviews, a music video shoot and a surprise appearance at a Mexico City reggaetón night, the Dominican rapper Tokischa decided it was time to visit a strip club.

She bounded into the dark bar just after midnight and immediately made her way to a private room. There, she was captivated by a particular dancer, not just by her look or the way she moved — but by her story.

"I was getting a dance and she was there taking notes," Tokischa's stylist, Caitlyn Martínez, said of the rapper. "The girl was just telling her about her life."

"She inspired me," said Tokischa, 26, as she and her crew spilled back out onto the street and began searching for the next party. "I'm doing a song about her."

Tokischa's raps — set to trap, dembow and reggaetón beats— are wildly explicit celebrations of sexual freedom, drugs and party culture. Odes, as she says in one song, to "divine filth."

Her open-book sexuality — she is proudly bisexual, has spoken about her years

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