Between the rise of Lizzo, sample usage, and Andre 3000’s most recent album, the flute has had an interesting presence in mainstream hip-hop over the past several years. One woman who has spent a decade formulating a sound that blends hip hop, cumbia, dancehall, and reggae with the magical woodwind instrument is Afro-Cuban artist Yaite Ramos Rodriguez, better known by her stage name La Dame Blanche. According to La Dame Blanche, she was introduced to the instrument by her father.

“It was the perfect instrument for me,” she told BET.com through her manager. “I don’t know why but my father always said that I had small hands. I thank him because I say with pride that I am a flutist. It’s my favorite toy and my most faithful friend.”

La Dame Blanche was classically trained on the flute and was inspired by various Caribbean sounds. However, her introduction to hip-hop led to a personal transition where she needed a radical change in her life and music. Not only is she influenced by legendary Latin rappers like Gabylonia, MelyMel and Mala Rodriguez but also women across the globe such as Missy Elliott, Azealia Banks, Doja Cat, Yolandi Visser(of Die Antwoord fame), Brooke Candy and M.I.A. among others. 

“Hip-hop gave me that place where I felt like myself,” said La Dame Blanche. “It’s a genre where rhyme shines with rhythm and allows me to experiment and mix those rhythms and melodies.” 

That sense of radicalism she gained from hip hop also influenced her stage name. Meaning “The White Dame,” she took on the alias from tarot card XVII of Stars alongside the popular J. Howard Miller's “We Can Do It” posters and began to see people’s reactions after telling them about her new project and music. 

“I adored the provocation of having this name while I am Black as patent leather,” she explained. “Mixed this fact with the spirituality that bears this name, it was evident that I was ‘La Dame Blanche.”   

Her defiance also speaks to the pro-women lyrism that takes on topics including beauty standards, domestic violence, and playful sex talk. After taking a brief hiatus following her last project, Ella, in 2020, La Dame Blanche returned with a new album, Atómica,in early December. According to La Dame Blanche, the album reflects significant changes in her life, including the departure of a key figure in the album, which led to a more profound interpretation of the songs. Additionally, the album "Atómica" is characterized by its assertion, confirmation, and imposition of a social, intellectual, and feminist stance through each song.

Lead single “Venemo,” which means “Poison” in English, was released in 2021 in the middle of the pandemic, where she declared her “despair and the value of a caress, a kiss, a friend.” The song allowed her to reach a wider audience following a performance on popular music outlet Colors. Even songs like “Mi Negro” comes with a personalized odd to her Black womanhood with lyrics like “I have won battles with my looks /With this skin, this face and this body / I have left a thousand soldiers defenseless / With this skin extracted from my ancestors.”

La Dame Blanche says that despite an industry that favors Latin Pop artists who lean more toward European beauty standards, she hasn’t had difficulty being who she is. 

“Being who I am, a darker-skinned Afro-Latina woman, it’s given me wings to fly and go wherever I want to go,” she said.

Atómica also has La Dame Blanche experimenting with AfroBeat on album highlight “Medicamento” featuring AUNTY RAYZOR. For her, it was imperative to collaborate with Black women across the diaspora.

“For me it is of utmost importance since it concerns me as a Black woman that I am because of my ancestors,” she said. “I feel proud to have shared with AUNTY RAYZOR this wonderful dynamic with a good artist. It was as if we were part of the same tribe. Our skins are the same; strong and Black, our way of laughing is extravagant and our stories. We not only made this song but created a beautiful sisterhood.”

2023 has been kind to La Dame Blanche, considering the new album and tour that saw her hitting various countries around the world, including several stops in the U.S. It’s becoming affirming that her multi-instrumentalist take on genre-flipping Latin hip hop is giving her a respectable fanbase. 

“I feel very happy as it was a great surprise,” she said. “I still close my eyes so as not to forget all the wonderful audiences that I enjoyed. I think we satisfied each other.”