Rapsody’s new album is out and it’s truly an amazing body of the work. The Raleigh, North Carolina emcee has carved a niche with her ‘classic’ hip-hop sound over the past half decade. Her work alongside the Jamla production squad regularly makes my playlist.
9th Wonder, Khrysis, and Seattle’s Eric G have painted beautiful soundscapes for Rapsody’s wordplay workouts. Not to be defined by nan producer, her number was called on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. She sank the shot and returned the assist on ‘Power’ on Laila’s Wisdom.
The intro, self-titled, record is by far my favorite joint on the album. The Just Blaze’ish production is what my hip-hop dreams are made of. The Gospel sample, breakdown, and confliction in Rapsody’s lyrics make for an incredible music composition. While a few of the beats slightly lose momentum for me, the bars never waiver.
‘Nobody’ is another polished standout record featuring Aanderson Paak, who makes two appearances on the album. The soul is real throughout the tracklist and another of my favorite up and coming RNB artists appears twice. BJ The Chicago Kid, also appearing twice on the album, absolutely murders the vibes on ‘Black and Ugly.’ The latter record also features a rare Black Thought verse tucked between lush guitar plucks and a bright Rhodes piano.
Black, beautiful, and bold, Rapsody is an artist that never runs from facing real issues in her music, but on Laila’s Wisdom, she reflects on herself. How she fits in society as well as the music game. A woman growing into her owning her mistakes, paying homage to past, and finding inner confidence. I’ve been up and down this album a few times and it’s safe to say it’s the best hip-hop project out right now. Hip-hop is alive.
Hip-hop is alive.
Rapsody – Laila’s Wisdom
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