Rapsody - Laila’s Wisdom Album Review
Rapsody has been busy since her 2012 debut album, The Idea of Beautiful. She has released multiple EP’s and mixtapes, collaborated with Kendrick Lamar and signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Laila’s Wisdom is Rapsody’s first offering since her 2016 Crown EP and the North Carolina rapper continues to impress.
As expected, Rapsody showcased her lyrical ability and artistic versality on this album. On songs like “Laila’s Wisdom” and “Black & Ugly,” Rapsody provides thought provoking bars about a range of topics, such as historical racial inequality and the self-image of African-Americans.
On the debut single from Laila’s Wisdom, Rapsody delivers one of her most impressive songs to date on the two-part song “You Should Know.” The first part of the song will turn any doubter of her rapping ability into a believer, with several witty metaphors and allusions throughout her first verse that will cause doubletakes and rewinds, while her second verse contains tongue twisting lyrics, an intricate rhyme pattern and a flawless delivery. If you wanted to get a glimpse of Rapsody’s skill as a rapper, this is the song.
The second part of “You Should Know” is Busta Rhymes delivering an intimate interlude and verse about love. This is a turning point during the album as the theme of the album changes from a social and political rap album to a love story, R&B album, with Rapsody becoming much more personal and emotional. From a romantic standpoint, Rapsody tells the story of a former lover - potential lover - on the songs “U Used 2 Love Me” and “Knock on My Door.”
Rapsody closes the album with the song “Jesus Coming,” which showcase Rapsody’s songwriting and storytelling skill. The song tells stories of drug abuse, inner city crime and the cost of war. The song shows her ability to rap from different perspectives as well as commentate on social issues. On the first verse of the song, Rapsody takes the perspective of a teen at a party who faces the peer pressure of drugs and ultimately overdoses. The second verse Rapsody tells the story of children being killed due to gang violence from multiple perspectives. The last verse draws parallels of soldiers at war with each other and delivers powerful commentary on what the true cost and reasons for war are.
Rapsody pulled together an impressive cast of artists to contribute to Laila’s Wisdom. Kendrick Lamar - who Rapsody collaborated with on “Complexion” from Kendrick’s critically acclaimed To Pimp a Butterfly - is featured on the song “Power.” Kendrick delivers a powerful verse that will surely garner attention, but Rapsody’s verses cannot be ignored as both are impressive, which speaks to her ability as a lyricist. Rapsody is one of few that have collaborated with Kendrick Lamar - who many consider the greatest rapper alive - without being a complete afterthought and she’s done it twice. Other artist that are featured on Laila’s Wisdom are Busta Rhymes, Anderson .Paak, Black Thought, BJ the Chicago Kid and others.
From the production standpoint, most of the album was produced by 9th Wonder and the sound of the album is split between sample heavy hip -hop, funk influenced hip-hop and jazz infused R&B. Several tracks on the album will leave you toe tapping and head-bobbing, such as “Sassy” and “Nobody,” and the album gives the listener a relaxing vibe from beginning to end. This allows the listener to truly appreciate Rapsody’s lyrical ability.
To fully appreciate this album, one must decode Rapsody’s lyrically deep verses. This gives the album staying power because the album will take multiple listens to grasp the variety of concepts Rapsody speaks about, which will hopefully strengthen Rapsody’s following and take her to new heights as an artist.
One glaring weakness the album has is that it lacks a standout track that the album will be remembered for. Though an artist does not need to chase a mainstream single, that song can make your album truly memorable. Laila’s Wisdom lacks this type of track which may result in a lack of visibility to an otherwise great album.
Laila’s Wisdom is a strong album and one of the more impressive rap albums to date. Lyrically, Rapsody proves to be a top rapper in the genre today. On the production side, the album can be a little one dimensional, but complements Rapsody and her features perfectly. The 14 track album flows well through different concepts and Rapsody gets her thoughts across clearly and concisely. In a world of watered down lyrics and repetitive beats, Rapsody’s Laila’s Wisdom is a breath of fresh air.
Rating: 8/10
Jerome Taylor is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jerometaylor91697@gmail.com.
