Rapsody

Ever since the turn of the millennium, the feminine side of Hip Hop has been pigeonholed to sexual innuendos, while women with raw skills seem to be relics of the game’s glorious past. As the population of female MCs steadily decreases, Rapsody emerges to remind Hip-Hoppers that ladies with lyrics still exist. The Raleigh, North Cackalack, native has held her own among the best, both male and female, without dumbing it down or flaunting her feminine assets, which is a rarity in the midst of today’s sex-crazed music industry.

Rapsody, whose real name is Marlanna Evans, was inspired to write her first rhyme after watching MC Lyte’s legendary “Poor Georgie” video. After becoming a member of NC Hip Hop collective Kooley High, her skills eventually earned the attention of producers 9th Wonder. “He kinda took me under his wing like his little sister and just coached me for a couple years,” the rapstress says of connecting with the Little Brother production beast. “That’s kinda how it happened and we’ve been going strong ever since.”

For her debut project, The Idea of Beautiful, Rap captures the essence of Hip-Hop culture without comprise. Boasting production from the likes of Khrysis and her mentor 9th Wonder, artist like Mac Miller, Childish Gambino, and Raekwon bless the album with guest spots. The key to a new day for femcees, Rapsody says, will come with more artist just being themselves. “The beauty of art is about everyone being themselves, being creative, and doing something different. That’s where the best music comes from.”

For most women in the male-dominated industry, there are usually many other factors that overshadow talent. But Rapsody’s unique flow quiets the expectations of misogynists who only want to see females rhyme if they’re half-naked. “With anything, being a girl you have to work 10 times harder to get the respect. Cat’s don’t really think you can rhyme,” insists the 20-something Evans. “It’s been hard, but at the same time, because I’m under 9th and he’s 10 years in the game he has advice, where I didn’t have to start in this by myself like Little Brother had to start with nobody to really guide them. I had someone to guide me.”

Her self-perception as a role model to this next generation of young women stands apart from those of her peers as well. “I dont think that it’s something that I was necessarily asked to do. With me, it’s more of something that I want to do and that’s only because when I grew up, I had the Lauryn Hills, Lil Kims, Foxy Browns, as well as MC Lytes and Bahamadias. Today, it’s so one sided. I have younger cousins and nieces and nephews, so I just want there to be another choice.” - The Source Magazine

Don’t call it a comeback. Female MCs are slowly re-establishing themselves as major players in the rap game, and some of them are doing it without a shake of the hips. Just as LL Cool J raged some years ago, female MCs will argue that they’ve been around for years?people just haven’t been paying attention. But the industry, along with any half-decent hip-hop fan, will have no choice but to give North Carolina upstart Rapsody a slice of the spotlight. Her debut album The Idea of Beautiful is a very good first step in what should prove to be a decorated career.

While other females often settle for party antics or crotch shots to push record sales, Rapsody has been studying Jay-Z’s delivery and growing alongside the legendary producing powers of 9th Wonder. Like 9th, who signed Rapsody to his label Jamla Records, Rap had a less than glamorous beginning as an artist; she has gotten where she is, based primarily on her velvet delivery, grade-A lyrics, and her unwillingness to sexualize her craft. You never get the sense that she lets up her rock-solid philosophy to present female MCs as everyday folk. Even when paired with rising stars like Ab-Soul on “Non-Fiction” or Mac Miller on “Roundtable Discussion,” no trace of gender politics or forced flirtation ever emerges. Her peers are her peers, and they must stay on point to match her fire.

Though The Idea of Beautiful is colored with a light brush by 9th Wonder, as well as producers Khrysis, Amp, and others, Rapsody paints with heavy strokes. The album is carpeted by mellow vibes and vocal renditions that sound like Al Green daydreams, which complement Rapsody’s grit all too well. “Come Home” and “How Does It Feel,” both featuring singer Rocki Evans, are perfect examples. In “How Does It Feel,” Rapsody raps “Praying for my brother in Afghanistan fighting war/Against brothers that you’d probably mistake him for,” which could have easily been given the Killer Mike treatment and called out as being overly political. But the beat is laced with clouds and ghetto dreams, bringing down Rapsody’s sharp tongue to a blunt object wholly capable of breaking down walls. Some of those walls might just have to be the ones put up by skeptical hip-hop listeners who declare that “they just don’t like female MCs.” For them, Rapsody has an unflinching talent that she lays bare on the standout “Believe Me.”

If you want glitter and gold, Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea, or even Azelaia Banks, will do. But if you want an emcee with the potential to create gold records that go beyond just numbers, then Rapsody is your dame. Though The Idea of Beautiful is a bit on the long side, weighed down by lukewarm tracks like “Precious Wings” or “Destiny,” it might just be one of the best hip-hop debuts of late. —Bogar Alonso - XXL Magazine

It seems like today’s mainstream Hip-Hop climate almost requires any MC (male or female) to efficiently sing and rap. When it comes to contemporary female MCs, it’s almost a given since Lauryn Hill’s game changing Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. The impact of Hill’s masterpiece has led many aspiring female MCs to specifically chase top 40 charts with a balance of singing and rapping that hasn’t worked quite well post Miseducation. Outside of a few anomalies, it seems that females can’t just simply spit without belting out pop friendly vocals anymore. Doesn’t help that the genre is being engulfed by popular music’s euro-dance sound.

In comes 9th Wonder’s golden child Rapsody.

The Kooley High member has been making waves since her 2010 breakthrough mixtape, Return of the B-Girl simply because that’s all that Hip-Hop connoisseurs wanted. A female who could spit soulful bars with a boxer like finesse when it came to delivery. Most importantly, Miss Marlanna Evans rhymed to beats that harkened back to the good ol’ “Golden Era” production that never got in her way. That can be attributed to the outstanding production of 9th along with the likes of Khyrsis and Eric G. Following a few more amazing mixtape releases, Rapsody released a spectacular teaser EP earlier this year in The Black Mamba as a way of displaying her Kobe like aspirations.

Everything would set the stage for her breathtaking debut The Idea of Beautiful. Rapsody takes one of the most important queue from Hill that many female MCs have yet to grasp, that true beauty comes from intelligence and grace rather than attention grabbing raunchiness.

That doesn’t mean she isn’t quite a looker though.

The Idea of Beautiful has has Rapsody lyrically tackling many issues with a non-judgmental wisdom that seems truly authentic. Not to mention a monotone delivery mixed with a Southern drawl that works perfectly in her favor. Whether Rapsody is giving influential advise to nonchalant youth more occupied with today’s distractions more than their responsibilities on the Big Rube assisted opener “Motivation” to telling the honest truth about the everyday struggles of her home town on “How Does It Feel” featuring Rocki Evans, there’s organic emotion. Even when she’s being self-reflective on the industry and why she feel in love with it on 9th’s incredibly produced “The Drum” featuring Heather Victoria is filled with enough “Golden Era” nods to make any self-professed Hip-Hop geek give it multiple listens.

Rapsody’s storytelling ability is on full steam on album highlight “In The Town” featuring Nomsa Mazwai. These types of stories has have been touched on plenty of times by males plenty of times but it seems like takes someone like Rapsody to truly have an understanding of a young women caught in a street life that unfortunately leads to despair.

When Rapsody speaks on relationships with the opposite sex, there’s a sincere sensualness that feels impressively pristine. The BJ The Chicago Kid assisted “Good Good Love” may be the best romance track in Hip-Hop in quite a while. Leave it to Rapsody to flawlessly touch on the insecurities and unsureness of being in a relationship with someone who may or may not be “the one.”

There’s a “back to the basics” feeling that makes The Idea of Beautiful sound so fresh thanks to Rapsody’s intricate lyricism and epic team of producers. Rapsody creates a lane for herself as a female MC who isn’t solely defined by her sex but by her abilities and multi-layered insight.

Album Highlights
“Good Good Love” featuring BJ The Chicago Kid
“Motivation” featuring Big Rube
“In The Town” - On WAX Magazine