Artist Alexa Marie 'Lotus' Alerte shares how hip-hop transformed her into an 'outlandish, walking art-esque blend of a person'

This summer marks 50 years since hip-hop first emerged on the streets of the Bronx. To honor this milestone, WNYC and Gothamist are amplifying the voices of some of the women from our area who've been influenced by and are influencing hip-hop culture. Alexa Marie "Lotus" Alerte is an artist originally from Manhattan but raised in Long Island and Queens. 

The transcript of Alexa Marie "Lotus" Alerte's story has been lightly edited for clarity. 

My name is Alexa Marie "Lotus" Alerte and I am an all-around artist, creative movement artist and walking art. I was born in Manhattan, raised between Long Island and Queens. I spent a majority of my adulthood in basically all five boroughs. I've lived in every borough you can think of, at least for four years. So, I am an all-around New York native.

I actually started dancing when I was two years old. My parents put me in ballet, tap, and jazz mainly to keep me busy and keep me out the house, but it ended up turning into my love language. My first introduction to hip-hop was my sister. My sister loved Jay-Z. It made me also fall in love with lyricism and like how they decided to express themselves. The metaphors, the way that they were telling a story that I actually was a witness to, like, I saw those things going on around me. It was just like, dang, this is like literally all of our experience.

The way that hip-hop has affected me has almost been an embodiment. Everything from my style to the way I talk to the things that I'm actually interested in, people that I look up to, even now in my grown age and seeing what they've done -- Kali, Missy Elliot, those were the people that broke stereotypes of hip-hop for me, especially as a POC woman.

Hip-hop literally raised me into this very outlandish, very, you know, walking art-esque blend of a person, and I don't know what I would be without hip-hop, to be honest.