Although it was just for a brief few minutes, I saw Rapsody perform at Soundset in May. Before that, I had only heard about her from one of my followers that told me to download the ‘Black Mamba EP’. I wish I remembered who it was so I could give them props, but what I hear from her is not just her monotonic voice, but she has something to say and she says it with soul. No gimmicks, no talk of stunting on her haters and having a lot of money to her name; she’s humble, she’s soulful, and this Jamla Records femcee has been doing  her thing for a while now. It’s a shame that I’m just hearing about her now, but better late than never.

Hailing from North Carolina, the southern state has really been making a name for themselves as of late, with the likes of J.Cole, Phonte, and the Jamla Records founder, fame producer, 9th Wonder (that rhymed, but I’m not a rapper). There aren’t many female rappers that actually stand out much (I gave my chances with Iggy Azalea and I’m still trying to grow on Azealia Banks), but with her flow & her down-to-earth and soulful content, she gives me hope that females wanting to become emcees will follow in her footsteps to just stay true to themselves and not become gimmicks like we’ve seen in recent years.

She released her debut album, The Idea of Beautiful, and the response has been great. Fuelled by production from 9th Wonder and backed by features from Ab-Soul, Mac Miller (although, I’m still not a big fan), The Cool Kids, Rocki Evans & BJ The Chicago Kid (plus more), this is really a well put together album. Great sound, great lyrics as well. Feel good music is what’s missing in Hip Hop. It’s filled with all of the same content lately, and for her to be a female to step out like this, it’s telling that there are still artists that believe in the true essence of Hip Hop. It’s about Soul. It’s a great album, and for sure I’ll be making a purchase. Follow her, listen to her music, and overall – enjoy.

Album Stream
iTunes Link