Rapsody

Ladies First: Rapsody On Hip Hop’s 50th & Women’s Influence On The Culture

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In this era of Hip Hop history, women have been dominating the culture. A voice that has reverberated for years above the masses is Rapsody, a femcee who began carving out her space in Hip Hop over 20 years ago. Rapsody, born Marlanna Evans, grew up in the small town of Snow Hill, North Carolina, and as a child, she admired women lyricists whose pens were mightier than their swords. It is no surprise that Rapsody has not only amassed great success in the industry but has become a coveted voice within the culture. Albums like Eve and Laila’s Wisdom show that she is both a student and a teacher regarding R.A.P.—”Rhythm And Poetry.”

We’re honoring 50 years of Hip Hop this year, and the celebrations haven’t ceased. What was birthed in The Bronx has become an international phenomenon, and brands like D’Usse Cognac are curating events to highlight such a milestone. Founded by Jay-Z, D’usse has been a staple in Hip Hop. They specially curated a series of must-attend Day Parties, and over the weekend, Rapsody was with the brand in Houston, where we caught up with her. We talked about the significance of this milestone and her vision for the next 50 years of Hip Hop.

“I want to see, you know, a lot more women owning labels, producing. Just taking on all those roles that men have dominated for years. Because we’re talented, we’re worthy, we have value. We’re heavy hitters in change.”

Read through our chat with venerated emcee Rapsody to check out what she had to say about D’Usse holding down Hip Hop, her desire to see more women take their deserved places at the forefront of the culture, and why it’s important for her at this stage of her life to remove the veil of celebrity that often keeps her at arm’s length from her fans.

This interview has been slightly edited for clarity.

HNHH: Thank you so much for speaking with us! Let’s jump right in—tell us all about the D’Usse event in Houston and this year’s ongoing Hip Hop 50 celebrations.

Rapsody: I thought the event was amazing. To come together in Houston, which is, you know, one of the major cities that’s contributed a lot to Hip Hop. And women that have come from here! Just to come through and celebrate 50 years of that it has been amazing. And to do it with D’Usse, we know how important Hip Hop has been, especially to the liquor brands.

As you know, [D’Usse is] one brand that we’ve always helped uplift, but to do it in this way, I think it’s amazing. D’Usse is a representation of Hip Hop, they go hand in hand. We had a good time, Houston came out,! We went through South music, I brought some East Coast music. It was just a beautiful evening. That’s what Hip Hop was created—to bring people together, to celebrate our individuality, our community, and that’s what it felt like here tonight.

The celebrations of Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary are putting our pioneers back in the forefront. What are your hopes for the future of the culture?

Aw, man. It’s been 50 years, and when I think about the future, I mean, I hope we continue to, you know, expand in our creativity. I love to see Hip Hop continue to build and grow in the space of education. I think that’s so important. We have so much power there. And I want to see, you know, a lot more women owning labels, producing. Just taking on all those roles that men have dominated for years. Because we’re talented, we’re worthy, we have value. We’re heavy hitters in change. I was talking to somebody the other day, and it’s like, Kool Herc had that party back then because his sister needed money to go back to school to get clothes. It was something. So, women have always been a part of the culture, and I want to see us really represented in all spaces.

Exactly! The contributions from women in Hip Hop are endless. Who were some of the women that have been a shoulder for you to lean on? Who has offered up words of wisdom in your times of need?

Man, my Hip Hop community when it comes to women? I don’t want to forget anybody! First, I would say Rah Digga. She was the first woman in Hip Hop that ever created with me on a record. And that meant a lot. Like, she was the beginning of me knowing what sisterhood looked like in this business. And Chaka Pilgrim, who, when I signed the Roc Nation, she was the president of Roc Nation. And she just taught me so much in a short period of time before she transitioned on to her next career path. But, you know, she was always there with words of wisdom, encouragement, support…anything I needed.

The same with the current president Shari Bryant. She’s been like a rock star and a great example of what a woman looks like in those spaces and how supportive that is for our village. MC Lyte—that’s the big sister. Queen Latifah. Missy Elliott. Misa Hylton, a legend. Icon. She’s been, you know, a huge, huge factor in my life. Probably the biggest, and has taught me so many things. I could go on and on! But those are some.

That’s beautiful. I love to hear that. So, there are several ways that the industry is honoring Hip Hop’s 50th. What is something that you’re looking forward to this year? Or what is a highlight that you’ve already experienced?

Man, okay. I have short-term memory loss! [laughs] A Hip Hop 50 event that I’m looking forward to? Let me think. I’ve been a part of several, but—the anniversary, true anniversary, we’re celebrating all year, but it’s in August, right? So, I’m really looking forward to those events, because I know they’re gonna be big.

I’m actually doing one in New York with Rakim and a bunch of other artists. So, to do an event like that in celebration of 50 years in Hip Hop, and to do it with a legend like Rakim and so many other artists, and to have representation of the newer generation with myself, I’m really looking forward to that. What the crowd looks like, the age spectrum that I know will be represented. So, I’m excited about that.

This is my last question for you. I actually asked you this a few years back when I interviewed you then. Alright, so we all know that celebrity is an illusion. People, whether it be fans, labels, management, PR, etc.—they have expectations of who you are or who you should be. There’s a veil, sometimes purposeful, that keeps the public from connecting because they often get caught up in the illusion of the entertainment industry. So, what is something about you—the heart of who you are, not as the artist Rapsody, but as a person—that doesn’t always translate to the world because that illusion shadows it?

Wow, that’s an amazing question! We were talking about this earlier. And that’s been a big growth point for me, these last three years, is taking off the veil. I think the biggest misconception for people with me is that I’m not perfect. I’m just as human as you are. I tell people I always want to show up as a representation or reflection that we are one and the same. I see myself in everybody, and I hope they see themselves in me. And that’s what—yeah, just connecting with people on a human level.

I don’t want to be the artist that people want to be like or emulate. And I don’t want to be the one that they just look at as a sex symbol and want to have sex with. I want to be the girl next door, your home girl. And I think that might be the biggest disconnect for me. That, yo, I just want to be the home girl. You know, to let you know that it’s perfect to be imperfect. I have stretch marks, I have a mole, I have all these perfections, and there’s still beauty in that. We all look the same, you know, so that would be it for me.

The post Ladies First: Rapsody On Hip Hop’s 50th & Women’s Influence On The Culture appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The Women Behind The Track: A Look At Hip-Hop’s Most Influential Female Producers

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Female Producers

Hip-Hop has traditionally been a male-dominated industry, with men occupying most positions in production, songwriting, and performance. However, many female producers have also made their mark and helped shape its sound and style. Here are some of hip-hop’s most influential female producers. Missy Elliott  This iconic rapper, singer, and songwriter have produced many of her […]

The post The Women Behind The Track: A Look At Hip-Hop’s Most Influential Female Producers appeared first on SOHH.com.

Reuben Vincent And Rapsody’s ‘Feb. 13th’ Honors Black Love Day With An Honest Video About Relationships

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Lana Del Rey may not be in the Valentine’s Day mood, but RocNation’s budding new talent Reuben Vincent is. His latest single, “February 13th,” produced by legendary hip-hop fixture Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton, is a testament to honoring your partner while you have them.

The track, which features fellow rapper Rapsody, off of his new album Love Is War, is yet another showing off Vincent’s lyrical abilities.

When asked about the track, Vincent replied, “‘Feb. 13th’ is a record that’s full of pure emotion. Ironically, I found out it was celebrated as ‘Black Love Day,’ but this song was made to tackle the ups and downs of relationships and the wrongs that come with it.”

He added, “It was the day before Valentine’s Day, so we wanted to make this the break-up song. Everyone who is a part of this record experienced real emotions to get to this point.”

The video, directed by Patrick Lincoln, is the visual manifestation of that feeling as both Vincent and Rapsody reminisce on their respective former lovers.

As for how the collaboration came to be, Rapsody said, “The making of both the song and video was a very organic experience. Myself and Reuben were staying with Young Guru in LA during the pandemic, waking up talking, learning together, and having life conversations. We all put our experiences in the music, and we all poured into the idea of the visual in the same way.”

“Guru had the initial concept, I was on Pinterest finding inspiration for how to execute it, and Reuben was throwing in scene ideas,” she continued. “It was how creating in a village is supposed to look. That’s how it all came together so well.”

Watch the full video above.

Exclusive: Rapsody Says New Album Will Touch On A Past Relationship

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Rapsody is hip-hop royalty, and now she reveals exactly what fans can expect on her next album.

On Thursday, Feb. 2nd, in the thick of Grammys week in Los Angeles, Roc Nation held an exclusive listening experience for their newest signee, Reuben Vincent, who just released his debut album titled Love is War. And with Rapsody coaching him as his big sis and Young Guru guiding him as a producer, the result speaks for itself: a conceptual project that’s reminiscent of the Golden Era of Hip-Hop.

The evening consisted of an album playback, as all three broke down the meaning and composition behind each record. And while many topics were covered, one definitely stood out amidst the rest: relationships.

In fact, Rapsody actually revealed her next album will see her speaking on her own experiences with love.

While speaking on the track she’s featured on, “February 13th,” she states, “I’m pursuing my dreams: when you really locked in sometimes, you gotta make sacrifices. And one of the sacrifices that I made was relationships. I lived in the studio. I would not go out to no club, I never put myself in a position to really meet people. Then whatever whatever, I found myself in a relationship. I talk about this on my next album, so I’m not gonna go too deep in. [laughs]”

“This was partly my experience, a majority of it, sprinkled with a little bit of experiences of people around me,” she adds. “I always like to make music that people can relate to. My part in this is how are you showing the behind the scenes stuff? Every relationship that I have had, I always stood on: I don’t cheat, and I don’t lie. But this one time, I told this one little lie that changed the whole thing of somebody that I really was deeply in love with. And I had to sit with that.”

Anyone who’s a fan of Rapsody’s knows the cherished relationship she shares with Young Guru and 9th Wonder, all part of the Jamla record label (founded by 9th).

“Me and Guru would talk: you could be with somebody for 10 years, and you make one decision in 30 seconds that changes everything for the rest of your life,” Rapsody says. “And you have to live with that. You could be hopeful, but at the same time, you have to live with those decisions. That’s me taking a step back and looking at: you can say you sorry all you want to. You can blame this and that, but at the end of the day, you made the decision and you have to live with it.”

“That’s what that verse was,” she continues. “Even as a woman being in this business this long, you see it. I remember when I listened to “Zion” and how Lauryn talked about the idea of having a child, having to make that decision over a career and a child. Now we’re in a time, which is beautiful, where women and men are having children. Yeah I could do this and be a mother and be a father, and I’m proud of it. And I’m going to show my child too, right? 

That was one thing that I had to deal with, it’s so layered but that’s what it was. As far as me, it’s not about the bars, it’s about connecting with people and telling real stories. I’m not going to tell any more because my next album, I’ll tell more. Guru, I’m sure you have something you want to add.”

Rapsody then passes the microphone to Young Guru, who says “Rap has the ability to write my life.” Throughout their working relationship, it seems Rapsody’s lyrics have always somehow related to Guru’s own life experiences, in a way that allows the two beautiful sync on real, meaningful music with substance. In other words, pure Hip-Hop!

Young Guru also revealed “February 13th” was “one the best beats he’s ever produced.” It was also a therapeutic process to create, as he was also going through his own break-up.

The post Exclusive: Rapsody Says New Album Will Touch On A Past Relationship appeared first on The Source.

Reuben Vincent Shares Roc Nation Debut “Love Is War” Ft. Rapsody, Reason, Ant Clemons & More

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This is shaping up to be quite the New Music Friday, and Reuben Vincent is making his triumphant Jamla/Roc Nation debut. The lyricist has impressed in his Sway in the Morning freestyle and contributions to the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher. Anticipations have been building, and today (January 27), Vincent has shared his new album, Love Is War.

The project features looks from Stacey Barthe, Domani, Rapsody, Ant Clemons, Top Dawg Entertainment’s Reason, and more. Vincent, 9th Wonder, Young Guru, and The Soul Council hold down production credits.

Read More: Reuben Vincent Stays “Trickin’” On New Song With Domani

“I worked on Love Is War for two years. Conceptually, Love Is War is an acknowledgment that as young Black men, I feel like we aren’t taught and given the tools of how to love properly,” said Vincent.

“We don’t know how to love our people, our women, our brothers; and most importantly ourselves,” he also shared. “When you don’t know how to love yourself, you can’t love others the right way. Love Is War addresses that. These last two years, I’ve learned a lot about myself, but I still have much to learn. My goal is to love myself properly, and that comes with exploration (internally and externally).”

ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 30: Young Guru and Reuben Vincent attends BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/Filmmagic)
Read More: Murs & 9th Wonder Connect With Rapsody & Reuben Vincent On “High Noon”

Further, “That is why I titled the album Love Is War, because it is a constant battle to get to that center in your life. We all battle ourselves to get to a place where we can both love and be loved.”

Stream Love Is War by Reuben Vincent, and let us know what you think of his latest.

Tracklist

  1. Butterfly Doors
  2. Geechie Suede
  3. Just Like A Dream ft. Ant Clemons
  4. Mon’e
  5. 2ime Flies
  6. February 13th ft. Rapsody
  7. Bottle Service ft. Reason & Stacey Barthe
  8. Look What You Did ft. Sonny Miles
  9. Trickin ft. Domani
  10. Levi Jeans Interlude ft. Jordan Ariel
  11. Point Of View ft. Josef Lamercier

DJ Premier, Remy Ma, And Rapsody Take It Back To The 90s In The Nostalgia-Inducing ‘Remy Rap’ Video

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As seen from all of the movie remakes, television show reboots, and older fashions coming back in style, there is nothing people love more than reveling in nostalgia. Though some efforts are half-hearted and fall short, DJ Premier, Remy Ma, and Rapsody hit the mark in the new “Remy Rap” video.

As Preemo spins on the 1’s and 2’s, Remy Ma dons a thigh-length, long sleeve New York Rangers jersey and boasts about her place in rap amongst the women. She even addresses the allegations of having a ghostwriter with “Every time I spit some sh*t, they saying that it’s really Pap” before the camera pans to her husband Papoose and recalls her hits “Lean Back,” “Conceited,” and “All The Way Up.”

The transition to Rapsody’s verse finds her behind the camera doing a photoshoot for Remy before getting her bars off. Rapsody refers to life as a curvy woman and deems herself her biggest fan, in addition to separating herself from the pack with “Wah wah, y’all cry, I’m on a different tier / We ain’t the same, me and you got some different fears.”

This lyrical exhibition is the first visual offering from DJ Premier’s recent EP Hip Hop 50 Volume 1, which also features Lil Wayne, Slick Rick, Joey Badass, Nas, and Run The Jewels. The forthcoming volumes within the 10-part EP series will include production efforts from Mustard, Swizz Beats, Hit-Boy, No I.D., and multiple other musical powerhouses.

Check out the video for “Remy Rap” above.

John Legend’s ‘Legend’ Tracklist Impresses With Features From Rick Ross, Jazmine Sullivan, Rapsody, And More

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John Legend Pass The Mic 2022
Getty Image / Shareif Ziyadat

In recent months, John Legend has dropped an exciting slew of collaborations, including “Dope” with JID, “Honey” with Muni Long, and most recently, “All She Wanna Do,” with Saweetie. All of these collaborations will appear on his upcoming album, Legend, which is set to drop next month.

Legend marks Legend’s eighth studio album, and was produced by himself and Ryan Tedder. The album boasts a list of promising collaborations with Rick Ross, Ty Dolla Sign, Jhene Aiko, Amber Mark, Jazmine Sullivan, Rapsody, Ledisi, and several others.

“Until this point, I’ve never used an aspect of my name as the title of an album,” he said in a statement. “I had to earn that, to live up to it by delivering in the performance and the music. And this is me saying I’m proud of who I am, I’m confident in the work I’ve done, and I’m just going to declare it.”

Check out the full tracklist below.

ACT 1

1. “Rounds” Feat. Rick Ross
2. “Waterslide”
3. “Dope” Feat. JID
4. “Strawberry Blush”
5. “Guy Like Me”
6. “All She Wanna Do”
7. “Splash” Feat. Jhene Aiko & Ty Dolla Sign
8. “You”
9. “Fate” Feat. Amber Mark
10. “Love” Feat. Jazmine Sullivan
11. “One Last Dance”
12. “All She Wanna Do” Feat. Saweetie

ACT 2

1. “Memories”
2. “Nervous”
3. “Wonder Woman”
4. “Honey” Feat. Muni Long
5. “I Want You to Know”
6. “Speak in Tongues” Feat. Jada Kingdom
7. “The Other Ones” Feat. Rapsody
8. “Stardust”
9. “Pieces”
10. “Good” Feat. Ledisi
11. “I Don’t Love U Like I Used To”
12. “Home”

Legend is out 9/9 via Republic. Pre-save it here.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

DJ Premier Looks At Rap’s Past, Present, And Future On ‘Hip-Hop 50: Vol. 1’

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dj premier hip-hop 50 interview
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

If DJ Premier had to sum up the past 50 years of progress in hip-hop in just a word, that word would be “longevity.” It’s apt; in the immortal words of the late, great Biggie Smalls, “you never thought that hip-hop would take it this far.” And yet, here we are, 49 years removed from that basement party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, New York. Hip-hop is now beyond being a global phenomenon; it’s the foundation of pop culture all over the world. It’s a fact of life like taxes, rent, and Google. It’s everywhere and it’s in everything, just beneath the surface. It’s in the way we talk, the way we dress, the music we listen to, the most popular sports and movies, and even in the seats of world government. “Far” is kind of an understatement.

To commemorate the longevity of this freewheeling, dynamic youth movement, one of the most recognizable brands in hip-hop, Mass Appeal Records, has launched the Hip-Hop 50 project. It’s an expansive multimedia effort encompassing live events, films, podcasts, and more discussing the history and culture of hip-hop. And, of course, you know there’s music. Over the next year, 10 EPs from some of rap’s most iconic and influential producers will bring together rappers from across regions, generations, genders, and genres for five songs apiece highlighting the dynamism of the world’s favorite music.

The first producer to drop is none other than DJ Premier, one-half of pioneering NY rap duo Gang Starr and one of rap’s most prolific and impactful beatmakers since 1991. His contribution to Hip Hop 50: The Soundtrack includes appearances from longtime collaborator Nas — their first song together in nearly 15 years –, the inimitable Slick Rick, brash convention-bashing duo Run The Jewels, Remy Ma, and contemporary favorites like Joey Badass and Rapsody. Premo was kind enough to offer his insights on both the EP and his 30+ years of experience in the rap business to Uproxx over a Zoom call in which he broke down the process behind the songs and projected his view of hip-hop’s next 50 years.

“Lettin’ Off Steam” Feat. Joey Badass

That was for his album. He hit me up; his album was already wrapped up. He was just getting in the mixing stage and he hit me up and was like, “Yo, let me see if we can squeeze one more in.” He came to my lab and we kicked it. Antman Wonder and I had extra samples I didn’t use for PRhyme 2. I was just thumbing through them just to thumb through him, and Joey was sitting on the couch just saying, “Yo, man. That one. That sound like something I could write to.” He wrote to it. We cut it right here. He brought the mic right in the room, did it. When he got down to the end of his album getting mixed to turn it in, he said, “Man, for some reason, yours just doesn’t totally fit the shape of my album.” And I was like, “Well, yo, man. I’m one song shy of turning in my EP. Let me put it on there.”

“Remy Rap” Feat. Remy Ma & Rapsody

I was still two songs short. I was like, “Yo man, I was working on my solo album and me and Remy Ma were working on one.” I was like, “I’d like to put that on there.” And they were like, “Cool. Then we could reach out to Rapsody.” I wanted to have two different worlds of female MCs. They’re totally opposite of each other, but they both were spitters. And the fact that I knew that they could pull it off with the two different types of approaches and just attitude, I was like, “It’s going to work.”… I was going to put three artists on it. I wanted Young M.A. on it too. And I still want to work with her ’cause I’m a big fan of Young M.A.

“Beat Breaks” Feat. Nas

When Nas says, “Hey, man, I want you to be a part of something,” obviously you don’t really want to say no. In my whole career, I’ve never done an EP. And then Nas said, “You get a record from me.” We recorded a few different things, but there’s some stuff that he wanted to, he said, “Let’s save that on the back burner for some future stuff.” He said, “I want to do like a classic break.” “Theme From The Planets” is one of my favorites out of all the ultimate breaks and beats and that’s the reason why I shout it out. When I told him, “Let me do a quick chop of it on my Serato” just so I could just figure out an idea of reworking that song, he fell in love with it right off rip. He said it reminded him of the park jams.

“Terrible 2’s” Feat. Run The Jewels

I’m very hands-on, just even from my Gang Starr era of working in Jeru-era Group Home, and Nas, and KRS-One, Rakim, you name it, Big, Jay. I’m always very hands-on with being a coach in the situation of recording and making sure we get the best take, the best delivery, all of that. Because EL-P produces a lot. I’ve known them since the Def Jux days and all that stuff. He comes from a long era of doing his own production.

“The Root Of All” Feat. Slick Rick & Lil Wayne

The Slick Rick, Lil Wayne was originally a Logic record Logic and I had worked on. It was another day he was in town. He just said, “I want to pull up and just work on something.” He did a song about one of his people that got killed over a money situation. A year passed, and he never got back to it. I reached out to him like, “Yo, man. I’m doing the solo album during the pandemic. How about you just let me keep it? I’ll find somebody to add to it.”

I reached out to Lil Wayne because I knew he could talk about money. Wayne sent it back the same night, like, “Yo, this shit is dope.” I sent it to back to Logic. Logic hears it goes, “Oh, man. I did that rhyme on another record. And I’m like, “Damn.” So he goes, “I’m going to write you a whole new rhyme.” I’m like, “All right, bet.” But the rhyme he wrote is some ill-spitting bars rhyme, but he didn’t stay on the money topic.

So I’m like, “Yo, it doesn’t fit the topic that Wayne did. So how about I just do a new beat for your rhyme, and I’ll put that back on my solo album?” Then that way, the solo album still has a Logic record, and we can find somebody else to still rhyme with him on that. Now, it’s like who replaces Logic on the Wayne part since Wayne went second, based off of what he heard Logic say? I was like, “Man, Slick Rick could talk about that money.” Reached out to Rick. He said, “Let me hear Wayne’s verse.” He instantly was like, “Yo, I’m ready. Let’s do it.” He said, “You want a verse or you want a hook?” I said, “Can I get both?” He said, “Yeah,” and he did the verse and the hook.

On the future of hip-hop:

Well, my goal in life is to live to at least 100, and that’s my goal. That’s what I visualize as my future. So if I make it up even to 100, man, I’m still going to be tapping on something. You don’t outgrow a culture. I’m going to keep on banging. I said the same thing: “I’m not going to be 40 doing this.” I’m 56, and I’m still ready to turn that thing right there [pointing to his MPC3000] on.

Hip-Hop 50: Vol. 1 is out Friday, July 15 via Mass Appeal. You can pre-save it here.