Marlanna Evans (born January 21, 1983), better known by her stage name Rapsody, is an American rapper. Her second album, ''

Laila's Wisdom ''Laila's Wisdom'' is the second studio album by American rapper Rapsody, released on September 22, 2017, by Jamla Records and Roc Nation. It is Rapsody's first album released under her partnership with Roc Nation. The album features collaborati ...

'' (2017), which was critically acclaimed, received two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nominations for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song. Rapsody released her third studio album, '' Eve'' on August 23, 2019 to critical acclaim from music critics.

Career

Rapsody began her career at

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universi ...

, where she joined hip hop collective H2O and its spinoff group Kooley High, despite not having rapped before. The group met producer

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is a and she would go on to make her recording debut on 9th Wonder's sophomore album, '' The Dream Merchant Vol. 2'' which released on October 9, 2007, in which she free styled over 9th's re-chopping of old samples he already used for other artists. She launched her solo career in 2008 after signing with

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is a It's A Wonderful World Music Group. Her first significant career breakthrough came with the release of her mixtape ''Return of the B-Girl'' on December 7, 2010. ''Return of the B-Girl'' marked her first work with hip-hop producer, DJ Premier, and featured guests such as

Mac Miller Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018), known professionally as Mac Miller, was an American rapper and record producer. Miller began his career in Pittsburgh's hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of fifteen. In 2010, h ...

and Big Daddy Kane. She continued to build acclaim with the release of her next mixtape, ''Thank H.E.R. Now'' which showcased her storytelling abilities as she drew from personal life experiences and featured her work with a variety of critically acclaimed acts such as Marsha Ambrosius, Estelle,

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream succe ...

Jean Grae Tsidi Ibrahim (born November 26, 1976), known professionally as Jean Grae (formerly What? What?), is an American rapper from Manhattan, New York City. Jean rose in the underground hip hop scene in New York City and has built an international f ...

, Murs, and Big K.R.I.T. Her next project, ''For Everything'' was released on November 15, 2011 and showcased her work with both newly acclaimed and established acts such as

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

and

Freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

and a number of the tracks were featured in XXL magazine's "Bangers" section. In May 2011, Rapsody joined

on his Incredibly Dope Tour for 15 dates. In late 2011, she toured with

Phonte Phonte Lyshod Coleman, known mononymously as Phonte (born December 28, 1978), is an American rapper, singer, and producer. He is currently of the North Carolina hip-hop trio/duo Little Brother (revived in 2019 without producer 9th Wonder) and ...

and

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is a Jay-Z's record label

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z in 2008. The company is headquartered in Manhattan and has additional offices in Los Angeles and London. Roc Nation comprises a comprehensive talent agency, sports agency, record label, ma ...

in July 2016, and her debut for the label, ''

'', was released on September 22, 2017. The album received two

nominations for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song. Rapsody's third studio album, '' Eve'', was released on August 23, 2019 to critical acclaim from music critics.

Style and philosophy

Rapsody is known for her intricate rhyme patterns, metaphors, and wordplay. She cites Jay-Z,

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

and

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rap music, rapper, Disc jockey, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 19 ...

as the biggest influences on her music. Her production is primarily handled by The Soul Council, the team of in-house producers at It's A Wonderful World Music Group comprising E. Jones, Ka$h Don't Make Beats, AMP, Eric G., Nottz and Khrysis. Rapsody's philosophy is "Culture Over Everything," referring to the culture of hip-hop music. She describes this phrase in an interview with

Vibe Magazine ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

where she says, "To me, it’s about culture more so than money or anything. I make music for the people of the culture we’re in; that comes first. If you touch the people first, the rest just falls into place. That’s what it means to me, just preserving and respecting the culture."

Personal life

In her younger years, she watched the MTV show ''

Yo! MTV Raps ''Yo! MTV Raps'' is an American two-hour television music video program, which first aired on MTV Europe from 1987 to mid-90s and on MTV US from August 1988 to August 1995. The American version of the program (created by Ted Demme and Peter Dough ...

'' and considered

as one of her early influences and later stated

as an all-time favorite. She grew up in the small town of Snow Hill in North Carolina. Rapsody wasn't exposed to much hip hop and would listen to what her older cousins would play in the car. She would later develop her love for hip hop when she entered college. Her 2017 album ''Laila's Wisdom'' was named after her grandmother, Laila Ray. In 2019, Rapsody played for the "Home" roster during the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at the Bojangles' Coliseum in

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

. The roster was made up of celebrities with Carolina roots. Her team won the game and she had one assist in the game while playing around 12 minutes.

Discography

Studio albums

*'' The Idea of Beautiful'' (2012) *''

'' (2017) *'' Eve'' (2019)

Extended plays

* ''The Black Mamba'' (2012) * ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine T ...

'' (2014) * ''Crown'' (2016)

with Kooley High

* ''Kooley High Presents... Raleigh's Finest (Mixtape)'' (2007) * ''The Summer Sessions EP'' (2008) * ''Eastern Standard Time'' (2010) * ''Kooley High Presents...David Thompson'' (2011)

Mixtapes

* '' Return of the B-Girl'' (2010) * ''Thank H.E.R. Now'' (2011) * ''For Everything'' (2011) * ''She Got Game'' (2013)

Guest appearances

References

https://www.datpiff.com/Kooley-High-Kooley-High-Presents-Raleighs-Finest-mixtape.37187.html

External links

*
Jamla Records Website

Rocnation on Rapsody
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rapsody 1983 births Living people 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American women musicians American women rappers African-American women rappers Grammy Award winners North Carolina State University alumni People from Snow Hill, North Carolina Rappers from North Carolina Roc Nation artists Songwriters from North Carolina Southern hip hop musicians African-American songwriters 21st-century women rappers