The Rapsody Poetic

Don’t blink or they’ll be gone. It’s an epidemic that’s been plaguing us for quite a while. We sometimes forget about it but I’d like to draw your attention to a new development, a possible solution to the problem.

What’s the problem?

An endangered species

A species whose numbers are so few, or are declining so quickly, that the animal, plant, or other organism may soon become extinct.

Female rappers were, for a while, in that number. I’m not so stupid to say that deforestation or not enough food is the reason for it.

It has been mostly because the industry has been dominated by the male of the species, an ever changing landscape, and females being pigeonholed into just rapping about sex and suggestive things. For a long while I believed they were a hair’s breath away from extinction.

Then, almost as if by osmosis, they returned.

Nicki Minaj, Kreayshawn, Jean Grae. They were women on the rise hoping to bring it back into the court of the ladies.

Another member of that movement is the North Carolina rapper Rapsody.



Rapsody was born Marlanna Evans on January 21. She is currently signed to 9th Wonder’s Jamla Records imprint under his It’s A Wonderful World Music Group (IWWMG).

She began her career as a member of North Carolina based hip-hop group Kooley High. Rapsody then embarked on a solo career in 2008.

Despite the fact that she’s only been active about three to four years the artists she has worked with reads like a who’s who of amazing talent.

Thus far she’s worked with Erykah Badu, Mac Miller, Estelle, Jean Grae, Phonte, Marsha Ambrosius, Raekwon, Murs, Geechi Suede (of Camp Lo), Big Daddy Kane, Rah Digga, Buckshot, Big K.R.I.T., Kendrick Lamar, Freeway, Statik Selektah, DJ Premier, and super producer Nottz.

Quite a list.

Rapsody’s first significant career breakthrough came with the release of her mixtape Return Of The B-Girl. She continued to build up a fan base with the release of Thank H.E.R. Now. This mixtape displayed her storytelling skills as she drew from personal experiences.

Her next project was For Everything, released on November 15, 2011.

Rapsody’s style tends to favor intricate rhyming patterns, metaphors, and wordplay. She cites not only 9th Wonder but Jay-Z, Mos Def, Lauryn Hill, and MC Lyte as the biggest influences on her music.

As with so many her debut studio album is coming this year. This young woman is a part of the movement that’s bringing women back to the forefront of hip-hop.

Let the Rapsody continue…

THE INCREDIBLE…David Banner

I have favorite rappers like you’d have favorite sports teams.

My favorite baseball team? I don’t have one.

Favorite football team(s)? Firstly I am a New England Patriot to my heart, followed by the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles.

Favorite basketball team? The Boston Celtics.

As far as rappers go I have numerous rappers that I really like. OutKast, T.I., Curren$y, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Cyhi Da Prynce, Big K.R.I.T. and many others. But the rapper I have loved consistently is Lavell Crump.

He is the rapper/producer known as David Banner.



Ever since Mississippi: The Album I have been on the bandwagon. As with anyone who followed his career after this point it was “Like A Pimp”, a collaboration with Houston, TX rapper Lil’ Flip that opened the door. That track was addictive back then. The beginning drums always seemed to catch your ear and put your body in motion.

Of all his studio albums I loved MTA2: Baptized In Dirty Water. That one was something that made my head nod with each repeated playing.

“Crank It Up” was excitement forced into a short amount of time with the late Static Major lending his voice to the chorus and every so often in the song. This song displayed Banner’s reckless and wild delivery, the Mississippi heavy in every syllable.

“Gots To Go” is the sort of rap song that speaks of the road and its effect on women who the rappers featured might encounter, be it the mother of someone’s child or just a random groupie. It is without a doubt misogynistic but it is so well done that I can look past that.

“Lil’ Jones” is my favorite on the entire album. Atlanta native Bonecrusher and Banner pass the verses back and forth with their particular Southern drawls heavy in the rhymes. It plays like a perfect volley that I scarcely wanted to end.

After this album came Certified and The Greatest Story Ever Told. Beautiful projects as well.

Another favorite was Banner’s collaboration with 9th Wonder called Death Of A Pop Star. Both were admittedly passionate about it and that made me anxious to hear it.

I heard it and loved it.

“Slow Down” was my jam.

I woke up in Heaven with my baby…

Between trying to get his Master’s degree and championing hip-hop he is prepping MTA3: The Trinity Movement.

I cannot wait for another CD from Banner, my first favorite rapper.

K.R.I.T.’s Construction

To build up anything it starts with a very strong foundation. A structure or anything built upon unsteady footing, unsteady ground runs the large risk of falling.

With that logic in mind let me tell you a story.



There is a young man from Meridian, Mississippi by the name of Justin Scott. In the music world he went by the name Big K.R.I.T. As fate would have it the name K.R.I.T. is an acronym for King Remembered In Time. This, however, is irrelevant to the story at hand.

He releases mixtapes that are usually received with stellar reviews. One such is K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, released in May 2010. He also guest stars on other mixtapes, further adding to the foundations of something greater to come. But the best of his mixtapes was to come…

Let us list some of those mixtapes that served at the beginning, the catalyst for his most acclaimed work to date:

-See Me At The Top-Released July 20, 2005
-See Me At The Top II-Released December 21, 2005
-Hood Fame-Released August 11, 2006
-See Me At The Top III-December 10, 2008
-The Last King-Released May 15, 2009
-K.R.I.T. Wuz Here-Released May 4, 2010

In 2011 he was featured as XXL Top Eleven Freshmen of 2011 alongside others such as Meek Mill, Cyhi Da Prince, Lil’ Twist, Yelawolf, Fred The Godson, Mac Miller, YG, Lil’ B, Kendrick Lamar, and Diggy Simmons.

March 2011 also saw the release of the highly anticipated Return of 4eva. The mixtape was acclaimed by rap critics across the board.

William Ketchum of HipHopDX called it “emotive, conceptual music” and said that Big K.R.I.T. has given fans a “free album”-the magazine’s highest praise for a mixtape.

Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine highlighted Return of 4eva in his mixtape review column as “the best mixtape of the month”, going on in a separate review to call it “the rap album to beat in 2011”.

Both go so far as to say that Big K.R.I.T.’s production skill is amazing as well as his lyrics and flow, each naming him the likely successor to Southern rap legends UGK, Scarface, and OutKast.

And the foundation has been set.

All that is left is to build upon it.

This year marks the release of K.R.I.T.’s debut studio album entitled Live From The Underground.

With a strong foundation built and no big bad wolves around to blow the house down, he may build it and live happily ever after.

The end.

A Jet’s Life

You have to respect a man who can stand on his own two feet and take the chance to do things for himself. That particular statement can apply to any man (or women for the sake of not being gender biased) who steps out on faith and strength of character.

In this particular instance I am talking about a man.

The man?

Shante Scott Franklin. You’d probably know him as Curren$y.

The New Orleans born rapper started his music career in 2002 signed to Master P’s now defunct No Limit Records as a member of the 504 Boyz. Curren$y appeared on at least five tracks on Master P’s Good Side, Bad Side album in 2004. As impressive as this is this isn’t what made me admire the guy.

We’re getting there.

In late 2004 he signed with Cash Money Records and Lil’ Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment. He would remain there until 2007. He released the single “Where Da Cash At”, a song that was to serve as the lead single for his Young Money debut, Music To Fly To. But in the face of several delays and lack of promotion Curren$y decided to leave the label, venturing off to do business on his own.

THAT is what impressed me about Curren$y. Young Money is rather big at the moment and the idea of walking away from the label seems ludicrous. But he persevered.

In 2008 he released a series of mixtapes. And despite the growing hype in major publications major labels still overlooked him. His milestone came when his video for “Address” was played on MTV as well as the Mos Def produced “Breakfast”. Soon after taking on the industry on his terms he gained notoriety for his work with Wiz Khalifa on the How Fly mixtape. His fan base expands constantly due to his original, laid-back flow often coupled with soothing, spacey beats.

Amalgam Digital made his debut album possible, an effort called This Ain’t No Mixtape.

Six albums and numerous mixtapes later and Curren$y hasn’t come down yet. Three more albums are forthcoming.

Through a label deal with Warner Bros. Records he started his own imprint, Jet Life Recordings. Here he has signed such artists as Young Roddy, Smoke DZA, Sir Michael Rocks (of The Cool Kids), and Trademark Da Skydiver.

This is a true story of one man’s desire to succeed and how he did it on his own terms and without the support of a major label.

This Jet looks to never come down after an initial rough takeoff.

The Comeback Kid?

Opportunity knocks.

The stars align somehow.

Whatever the reason some people are given, rather blessed, with success by God. When I say that I mean that God allows us the chance. It is up to us to be willing to step out on faith and grasp it. A sure way to do that is to be featured in a major publication. XXL is the one of which I speak of now.

Every year like clockwork the magazine publishes the hip-hop freshman of that particular year. In the year 2009 they named four people for this prestigious honor: B.o.B., Asher Roth, Wale, and Charles Hamilton. Of these four three are most active.

What of Charles Hamilton?



I began digging his sound after my first hearing “Brooklyn Girls”. Based on the fact that each of his fellows have albums out I was expecting Hamilton to make it a perfect square. Disappointment ensued when it wasn’t to be.

But when you really look at what was going on with his life, you can sympathize with his struggle.

In 2009 Hamilton was prepping his studio debut entitled This Perfect Life, released through Interscope Records. Digitally it was to be released on June 23, 2009 and the physical copy would be in stores August 25, 2009. He looked to be on the way to greatness.

But controversy came in the form of J. Dilla. The album covers named the deceased producer as an executive producer. A group of Dilla’s close friends began speaking out against Hamilton’s use of the name and its connection to his music. J. Dilla’s name was later removed due to legal reasons. Months of speculation pass and the album was shelved due to Hamilton being released from Interscope on September 19, 2009 for reasons unknown. It was however leaked digitally to many websites.

Mixtapes kept coming but no studio album was forthcoming for Hamilton. There was an arrest and a rehab stint. As of September 22, 2011 he was discharged from rehab.

I am unsure of what happens next with Charles Hamilton. In an ideal world he would be seen as the pure talent that he is and be picked up by a major label. But this world is just flawed enough for him to fall through the cracks. The simple fact that this is a possibility hurts me to no end.

The only thing we can do now is watch, wait, and hope. Maybe Charles Hamilton will prove himself a comeback kid. Only time will tell on that one.

Once In A Lifetime…

Notoriety is an interesting sort of balm. On one hand it is wonderful to be known for something that you’ve done. Somehow I feel that despite their desire to change something or make particular situations better inventors subconsciously crave notoriety. This can be said of anyone who does anything for any reason.

Even myself.

I write these articles not only for the love of a culture or for money. Everything is written out of a need for someone to know who I am. It’d be interesting and a huge ego boost to hear someone say “Oh my God. I love your articles…”

The dark side of notoriety is usually called infamy. December 7th is a day that FDR once said “will live in infamy”. Criminals are infamous but often immortalized in film or in writing, Jesse James and Frank Lucas being the examples my mind first stumbles upon.

A less substantial level of that would be being known for one thing, one act.

Most murders have that dubious honor.

One hit wonders have the same.

I know there have been many hip-hop artists we’ve seen with a one popular record only for them to fade into the backdrop. It’s a sad fact but it’s a part of the fickle nature of the industry.

Sometimes the song is a novelty song like “Lookin’ Boy”. The song was funny but we all silently knew that there was no happy ending for a group that pointed out “Raz B lookin’” boys or “Mike Vick lookin’” boys. It was probably only destined for them to have that one hit.



Sometimes it’s the one song that they know you for and you try so hard not to get lost in the dying lights of your career. DJ Unk will forever be known as the man who brought us “Walk It Out”, a take on the Atlanta dance called the Pool Palace. The success with the other songs was marginal. We may have like “2 Step” a bit, maybe even enjoyed the remix for its features. But everyone knows Unk for his debut single. And through no fault of his own that will never change.

“Tatted Up” and “Party Like A Rockstar” join this list as well.

Despite the stigma the phrase ‘one hit wonder’ brings I have found a silver lining, albeit a smaller one:

At least you can say that you had one hit. It’s a Pyrrhic victory truly but a victory all the same.

Lil’ Jon?! What? Okay!

There’s a void in the hip-hop community. It’s a niche that is desperate need of filling. Some try their hardest to fit in but it’s not the same. I speak of course of the missing crunk element in hip-hop. Its creator, its master Lil’ Jon is absent on the scene.

I say often that thoughtful hip-hop is good but hip-hop is more than just that. It is bass, fun, contemplative, and so many other things.

For want of a better term hip-hop has schizophrenia, maybe a multiple personality disorder.

For a large expanse of time Lil’ Jon and his Eastside Boyz hyped the club up with heavy bass and songs that infiltrated the body and made everyone dance around in an aggressive but at the same time generally fun way.

The songs that always did it for me was “Throw It Up” and “Grand Finale”

There’s that and his ad libs. It always struck me as amazing how yelling certain one or two syllable words seemed to manifest so much emotion.

“Yeah!”

“What?”

“Okay!”

If you were to be completely honest with yourself right now, when you saw Lil’ Jon’s name as the subject of this article you made one or all of those sounds. Come on, be real. Hell, you’re probably doing now.

Lil’ Jon is also responsible for bringing us new talent (Lil’ Scrappy was once affiliated with him), fun music, and club bangers.

“Get Low”, anyone? I remember when everyone felt it important to point from the window all the way over to the adjacent wall. I was a perpetrator as well…and I loved it. Still do when it’s played.

Other club classics he was involve with was “Yeah!”, “Salt Shaker”, and many more.

To me it feels like DJ Khaled is trying his damnedest to be the new Lil’ Jon. To me it will never work.

Granted both are associated with good songs but Khaled is highly annoying. Lil’ Jon’s yells and ad libs somehow prepare your mind and your body for the sheer energy that the next track will be giving you.

Another is the way in which they’re mocked. Khaled’s ridicule is regaled to YouTube videos and random conversations. Lil’ Jon’s was made iconic by Dave Chappelle’s portrayal of him, the same thing he did for the late Rick James.

(You’re probably doing the Rick James thing now, right?)

My point here is rather simple: we need another Lil’ Jon and the Eastside Boyz effort. What? Okay!

Sonic Saviors In Savannah

Georgia.

My home state and the blood that runs through my veins. As such I have a love for Atlanta hip-hop. But as I watch the number of Atlanta rappers, producers, and other artists grow I have a nagging question that bothers me from time to time.

When will the next Savannah rapper rise?

If you know me personally you know that I was born and raised in Savannah, GA. Because of that strong connection I love everything about my city except the small hip-hop contribution we have. Granted OutKast member Big Boi grew up in West Savannah before he moved to Atlanta. Although I appreciate Big Boi and his ode to his roots (“West Savannah”) I need something more.

The last hope we had of a breakout Savannah artist was lost to the violence that is typical of my birthplace.



Jason Johnson (stage name Camoflauge) was Savannah’s own bright star and local celebrity. We all knew him and we all loved him. In Savannah if you didn’t know the words to his classic track “Cut Friends” you couldn’t really be counted as a true resident. That was the kind of influence he had on us. And as with many rappers he lived the street life that he often brought to his lyrics. It threatened to take his career in true T.I. style when he went to jail surrounding the circumstances of what seemed to be a gang murder.

He returned and so did his music.

Around about the time of his third album Keepin It Real he did a track called “Laying My Stunt Down” with Cash Money founder Baby. Just based on that I thought that this signaled that Camoflauge had broken through and was preparing to sign with Cash Money at one point.

But it wasn’t to be.

My mother often says that you should be careful that your sins do not find you out. This was one of those times.

Camoflauge was gunned down outside of the studio where he recorded while he held his son. He was rushed to the hospital where he died. And in a way the entire city died a bit too.

This is not told as a sad story but as a working example.

Savannah needs rappers.

I write and I sing but my rapping has cobwebs all over it, honestly. But I’d gladly dust it off if there was a force, a contingent of us who were willing to make Savannah at least half of what Atlanta is hip-hop wise.

That is my appeal.

The Curious Case Of Andre Benjamin

There are so many questions in this world that are without answer or are supposed to be beyond a simple answer. One would be the eternal question of “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Then there are the questions that have a more philosophical implication: “If God is omnipotent, why doesn’t he destroy evil?” It’s these types of questions that learned individuals have been trying to decipher forever. I myself, although nowhere near as intellectual, have a question that I am sure that everyone has been wondering…

When is Andre 3000 coming back for real?


It’s highly annoying the current state of things.

Early 1990s we were blessed with OutKast and I have been in love since ATLiens. And everything that followed that has been epic. To me the highest points would have to be two of my favorite OutKast albums: Stankonia and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Two juggernauts as far as albums go. I can name at least twenty songs that I like from all of them. But I won’t. I just say that to make a point.

Around about the time of Idlewild (both the album and the movie), the acting bug hit 3 Stacks and we saw him play wonderfully in a few films, the foremost amongst those being Four Brothers. I applauded his versatility and appreciated him for being another musical artist to seamlessly fall into acting. But I still wanted to hear him rhyme.

And he did…occasionally.

You’d hear him come through and completely wreck a remix or do magic on a feature.

The two most recent?

Beyonce’s “Party” on her 4 album and Young Jeezy’s “I Do” from the Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition album.

Granted I am always happy to hear a fellow Georgian do what he is best at but the sporadic nature of it is growing to be too annoying to keep quiet about. I need more from him.

In light of the fact that Cee Lo and the boys have reconciled and promised us a new Goodie Mob album, I want a new OutKast album. Or even a solo album from Andre, at least.

Big Boi is carrying the OutKast banner alone these days. His solo album was beastly and I need the same from his partner in crime in short order.

Look, I understand that Andre 3000 has children and interests that he seeks to pursue but you have fans as well. You wouldn’t be able to do any of these things without us first loving you enough to make you famous. So please come back to us.

No more hit and run features, please.

A Soulja’s Story

I can admit things about myself, things that most people find it hard to say out loud. For the most part I can say I am a decent human being but, essentially, I am flawed. Despite being extremely patient about most things I have something of a short temper. I’ve been known to be inconsistent at times and generally sullen at certain occasions. But these character flaws aren’t the ones to which I refer.

I am a man of personal biases. As a writer you strive to move past those but more often than not they find their way into your writing or your thoughts. If you’ve been paying attention you’ve seen my general dislike for Beyonce Knowles as well as Future more recently. Yet there another who raises my ire in the music world.

That person is Soulja Boy.

I can be fair enough to say how impressed I was to see a young man come up from the nearly defunct MySpace, create a hit dance, and invade the hip-hop culture. After that I can’t say much else in the way of good things.

Granted I was in love with his song “Gucci Bandana” for a good expanse of time but that time has all but passed. I truly doubt that I could thank him for thrusting the phrase “Superman that ho” onto us but it was catchy and got repeated to exhaustion.

Three albums under his belt show me that despite whatever my insignificant opinion counts for people somewhere appreciate him and his music. His longevity is a bit impressive. That as well as twenty-nine mixtapes is quite the feat.

Hell, he’s already got two out right now: 50/13 and Mario & Domo vs. the World.

Then there’s the upcoming album entitled Promise. Who really knows to expect from it.

Despite my bias I am willing to try something out here.

Since this is a new year I think this would be the moment for a resolution. Given the fact that it is my job to report and tell you all about current, mainstream and underground hip-hop I resolve this: I will put my preconceived notions of Soulja Boy behind me and honestly give the new album a chance. After all I have nothing to lose but the time it takes me to listen to it and love it or throw it into oncoming traffic. So I’m going to wait and see how this Soulja’s story is going to play out.

Limitations And Boundaries

I’m a writer. I am very good with words. When given the opportunity I bend them to my will and make magic with every syllable. And when I say I write I pretty much write everything. Poems, articles, papers, songs, books, etc. All this is said to say this: I stay in my wheelhouse. That’s not to say I won’t try to do anything new but I know my limitations. You’ll never catch me trying to juggle, sing opera (despite the fact that I actually can sing), or even try to paint a masterpiece. That’s usually the safest bet you can make, honestly.

But what happens when someone steps outside their wheelhouse?

Sometimes you get interesting results.

Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

For example when Cee Lo Green stretched out and started singing it turned out really well. It gave us Gnarls Barkley and great songs like the most famous Gnarls Barkley effort “Crazy” or his solo hit “Fool For You”. That song just goes in every time you hear it. Really and truly.

Then there are times where it goes completely sideways.

Case in point, singers rapping.

It’s a novel idea, at best. I mean, I could maybe see the thought process that they are working under here. Singing can’t be as difficult as rapping, can it? So they venture out to try it. As with anything you have highs and lows.

Chris Brown scores points for his rhymes on “Look At Me Now”. But on the other side of it I feel like he had no place amongst the rest of the rappers on the BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher. Kudos for trying and an E for effort but it didn’t do it for me.

The same can be said of Trey Songz. I fell in love with a few tracks that he rapped on, one being “Top Of The World”. As of yet I cannot see a downside because he seems to keep to the subject matter he knows as opposed to being tough like Mr. Brown does. So maybe he’s the exception to the rule here.

Then there’s Justin Beiber. I can halfway accept his sway over young girls. But I cannot believe him as a rapper. I think the fact that Asher Roth is a close friend has him believing that rapping is something for him to be doing. I’m not saying he can’t rap but he should stick to his day job. Listen to a track from Chris Brown’s Boy In Detention mixtape if you don’t believe me. (The track is called “Ladies Love Me”)

The thing is everyone should know their limitations. As such rapping should (in most cases) be left to real rappers.

The Flawed Kreayshawn (Creation)

Rappers’ government names are usually pretty amusing when compared against their stage names.

For example…

Natassia Gail Zolot is the given name of Oakland rapper Kreayshawn. If I were being honest with you, I actually like Kreayshawn. I cannot say I’m the biggest fan of her controversies (we’ll get to those later) but we all have our moments. Such is the way of life since none of us are perfect.

But why do I like Kreayshawn? There a few reasons I want to share with you if you’ll permit me.

1.I LOVE how she got started with her career. She didn’t immediately start making music. She hung back in the background and made music videos. She got her first camera at ten and started documenting her raps. This led to not only her doing videos for local rappers like Lil’ B but caught the attention of Dean Patrick Kriwanekhe, allowing her to attend Berkeley Digital Film Institute with a full scholarship for two semesters. Not too shabby.

2.Her heritage makes her rap career that much more intriguing to me. Kreayshawn is a third-generation Russian-American, and the daughter of Elka Zolot, a former member of the San Francisco garage punk band The Trashwomen.

3.I honestly like her style and her delivery. Ever since the first time I heard “Gucci Gucci”, I was hooked on her. I can’t wait for her first studio album.

The controversies don’t really overshadow things for me.

Critics of Kreayshawn's music cite cultural appropriation and "exploitation of black culture".West coast rapper Game released a diss track entitled, "Uncle Otis", containing lyrics criticizing her for her alleged use of the word 'nigga' when paraphrasing a DMX quote. That’s interesting to me that we seem to come to that sort of conversation every time a Caucasian or anyone other than an African-American enters a genre or borrows a certain style. I’m not justifying her saying nigga but…remember Elvis? Remember Eminem? Exactly my point.

Then there’s her comments about Rick Ross in a freestyle. During a televised freestyle she insulted rapper Rick Ross by calling him "fake". She later retracted her statements and described it as a misunderstanding; however, a few days following her statement, Kreayshawn continued making negative remarks about Ross' body weight, once again calling him "fake" and stating that "he can't rap." That’s pretty much opinion. Maybe saying it publicly is a bit tasteless. But I can see how that could be a problem. Still I love how the First Amendment dies in hip-hop.

And of course, nude pictures are a given. They leaked via Twitter.

As with anything, you must take the good with the bad. Granted there are bad points but I am curious to see her curtail her good points into a dope debut album this year.

(Her debut Life With Loopy is set for release this year.)