Illustration by Tanya Bearson
Marlanna Evans, better known by her stage name Rapsody, just dropped a new album, which I expected to be chock-full of the usual themes found in modern rap and hip-hop culture: sex, money, and drugs. However, her feminist perspective makes her music a refreshing deviation from the norm. I was pleased to find constructive messages, paired with some pretty sick beats and oral talent, in her latest album, Laila’s Wisdom.
Evans started off as a member of the hip-hop group, Kooley High, and has been climbing the career ladder ever since. Evans signed to record label Roc Nation last year; the only thing in the way of her career is the fact that she’s a woman with relatively liberal views in a field of work entirely dominated by men. Laila’s Wisdom has the potential to finally blow her out of the water, where she will most likely use her influence to incite change in the patriarchy.
In my opinion, Evans is gifted. She can rap like nobody’s business, manages to appeal to the masses whilst incorporating her own flavor, and has a knack for rhyme schemes. Her lyrics are almost entirely comprised of rhyme sequences. It’s extremely impressive, especially when delivered with her precision and charisma. She’s got some serious talent.
Laila’s Wisdom encourages self-empowerment, independence, (black) girl power, respect, and faith. It does incorporate the aforementioned traditional hip-hop themes, but the underlying messages woven through the album is what makes it great. Additionally, the fact that she’s a woman makes her efforts all the more meaningful, since they’re coming from someone who is portrayed as an object by her peers. The album’s title song is an accurate representative of the album on the whole; it tells us to be proud of who we are. For example, a line from the song is “Keep that style you got soulful” which reminds us to flaunt our individuality and to love ourselves whilst doing so.
“Pay Up” packs a punch. It discusses the association of money to vanity, and the monetary dynamic in relationships. One of the most interesting things about the song is the way Evans effortlessly slips subtle thinking matter into lyrics that most people will only like because they hear the words “pay up”. To be perfectly transparent, most rap is centered around the degradation of women and the acquisition of money, and this song conforms to that criteria, yet broadcasts a more political message. Musically speaking, it has a hook that will get stuck in your head and a rhythm you’ll want to dance to. Possibly the best-delivered line in the song: “She said, ‘How much you think it cost for this weave, huh?’” “Pay Up” is arguably one of the most jammin’ songs on the album.
Aside from the message the album sends, the music itself can stand alone. The music is much better than what we normally hear behind rappers, although it is of a homemade quality; she might have used a program like GarageBand to achieve the same effect, but even so, no one else could come close to manipulating GarageBand like her. The cherry on top is that even though the music is great, she’s still the star of the show. She never stumbles on her words and her rhythm is effortless; she’s on track to becoming a rap goddess.
More than anything, I think Evans is truly brave to release this album in the midst of societal and political turmoil in the United States. Doing anything remotely feminist is a dangerous game, but she plays anyway. An outstanding individual with an outstanding new release, I recommend Laila’s Wisdom and will be looking out for any of her future albums. All hail Rapsody!