In her insightful appearance on People’s Party With Talib Kweli, Rapsody delves deep, discussing her long tenure in hip-hop, her relationship with mentor 9th Wonder, the impact of late rappers Mac Miller and Nipsey Hussle, and working with hip-hop luminaries like Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z. She’s also asked about her take on Uproxx’s review of her 2019 album Eve regarding her perception among fans as the “respectable” foil to her fellow female rappers who present raunchier material.
Rapsody acknowledges the fan discourse and unequivocally rejects that viewpoint, saying: “A lot of times, people will use me as the… ‘You should like Rapsody because she don’t dress half-naked’ or ‘You should like Rapsody because she shows how a woman is supposed to be shown,’ and it’s like, bro, you don’t even have to do all that. If you like me, then like me, but don’t come at these other women because they choose to do their art the way they do their art.”
She also addresses the overall negativity of the hip-hop discourse online. She points out that, “We spend too much time talking about what we don’t like instead of investing energy in what we do. If you wanna change it, speak in other ways: With your dollars, with your support, with your tour tickets. If you a DJ, play the record on the radio.” She says simply, “It’s not about me tearing the next woman down” using Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion as examples. “[They] tell the stories that they tell because they live that life and they should have the space to be honest about it.” She even goes so far as to say “Cardi B makes conscious music” because “that’s conscious to what she was doing.” In her mind, there’s room for everybody, regardless of how they dress.
People’s Party is a weekly interview show hosted by Talib Kweli with big-name guests exploring hip-hop, culture, and politics. Subscribe via Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.