Lipstick Killer isn’t here to play safe — she’s here to shake things up. The Pittsburgh-born, New York-based artist steps back into the fire with “Darkness,” her new single that dropped on October 31 via Urban Sixties Records and EMPIRE. It’s dark, loud, and unfiltered — the kind of record that doesn’t just play in your headphones, it grabs you by the throat and makes you feel something.
A fusion of dark-pop, trapmetal, and hip-hop energy, “Darkness” sets the tone for her upcoming project Cigarettes & Heartbreak Vol. 1, due this December. The single follows her breakout “Delaware Ave.” but takes things to another level — more personal, more experimental, and unapologetically raw.
From the opening guitar riff, you know “Darkness” isn’t made for background listening. Producer Greg Zola lays down an eerie, cinematic soundscape that feels both dangerous and magnetic. It’s the kind of beat that could live at a punk gig or a warehouse cypher — and Lipstick Killer makes it her own. “Tell that bitch I said run up / He ain’t going nowhere, Glorilla glue, yeah he stuck,” she spits, flipping heartbreak into something fearless. It’s witty, venomous, and impossible to ignore.
But behind the fire and fury, there’s a layer of emotion that makes “Darkness” hit harder. Lipstick Killer — real name Latasha Cottrell — turns pain into performance art. Her lyrics tap into jealousy, obsession, and the self-awareness that comes from surviving chaos. She’s not just venting; she’s storytelling, pulling from experiences that shaped her both as a woman and an artist. “I’m not a poser — I’m a rockstar. I don’t follow trends. I create them,” she says — and it’s not just a soundbite. It’s her manifesto.
That “no-rules” approach defines her path. She’s been performing since she was twelve, jumping from open mics to full-band setups long before most artists had their first studio session. After leaving college early to chase music, she moved to Atlanta, landed a label deal that fell apart, and kept pushing — eventually leading bands like Rebella Rising, a Kansas City favorite that even opened for Ariana Grande and MKTO. The stage became her training ground, her therapy, and her rebellion.
You can hear all of that experience in “Darkness.” The way she switches tone mid-verse — from vulnerable to vicious — shows total control. She channels hip-hop’s storytelling energy with the rawness of punk and the distortion of metal, blurring genres until they bend to her will. It’s the sound of a woman who’s had to build herself from scratch, and she’s not afraid to show the cracks.
The upcoming Cigarettes & Heartbreak Vol. 1 promises to push that even further. If “Darkness” is the warning shot, the full project looks ready to explode — part diary, part revolution. Expect the same blend of intensity, sarcasm, and self-awareness, with production that keeps one foot in the underground and one in the mainstream’s blind spot.
Lipstick Killer represents a new kind of rebellion in hip-hop — one that doesn’t separate rage from reflection. She’s not here to fit in; she’s here to remind you what happens when an artist stops trying to please anyone but themselves.“Darkness” is proof: she’s not afraid of the shadows — she’s building an empire inside them.
