Rapsody "The idea of beautiful'

On the subject of female rappers, what comes to mind? Booty shakin and popping? How bout over sexualised content with a lack of "true" lyrical ability? That my friends is an unfortunate stero type that the vast majority of us paint female mc's into. Well.... Get ready to throw that out of the window as this debut album will change these narrow trains of thought that alot of us cant help but having.

There have been some legit female mc's over the years that could hang with their male counterparts, but this girl can and will not only hang but challenge. This is an album that will break down these stereotypes and convert some narrow minds as this girl can spit!

Her flow and timing is impecable, and her content and story telling abilities are second to none. But enough about the rapper what about the album!!!

Its good, I mean really good. From the first track "motivation" you soon realise from here on in your in for a musical journey,  with that melodic piano riff and that dreamy baseline it made me smile straight away. The lyrics on this track are excellent, they really exhibit her story telling abilities and made me sit back in my seat and think..... "holy shit, she really has something to say here" I was hooked.

That dreamy feel is consistant throughout and the content of the lyrics have the same effect, captivating and thought provoking. The beats are soulful, the hooks and choruses, catchy and classy. 9th and the producers of this album have done a great job in complementing Rapsodys flow and delivery as she spits with meaning and soul and these beats go hand in hand with this

Then comes the track "nonfiction" a real banga! You cant help but bang your head and shout hooooooweeeeee! This album shows that this girl has a lyrical.ability, flow and swagger that can tell a.great story one minute and have you banging your head the next.

To sum things up.... one of my favourite albums of 2012, a must listen. Rapsody has really honed her craft in what has astounded me as a debut release! Stay tuned for future work.

Stand out tracks.....

Nonfiction
Precious wings
Believe me
Motivation

4 out of 5

Black American Gangster (9th remix) review

Don't get me wrong I love Jay, but this is like nothing I have ever heard from him! And I know what your thinking... well of course not it's a remix.... But just stick with me here :-)

From the very first track "Pray" that 70"s new York feel Hits you right in the face! This is obviously the concept of the original album but laced with 9th wonders trade mark soul filled beats, cuts and samples, it really did transport me to that place and that time.

9th's beats coupled with Jigga"s crazy word play, story telling abilities and his distinctive effortles flow (or drawl if you will) really added a new element to this album for me. Distinctive gospelesk voices singing the hooks along with the complementary 70"s style brass and bass sounds that accompany many of 9th's beats make you feel as though if hip-hop were big in the 70's THIS is what it would sound like!

You can tell a lot of heart and soul went into this album from both parties. Jay's Crazy descriptive verses about his family and where he grew up..... Broooooklyyyn Zoo! And that trademark 9th wonder soul makes this a perfect combination! As 9th wonder recently said "I don't make rap or club beats, I make life beats, soul, music about life". This is clearly evident here as 9th has brought a whole new element, and has made this album seem more meaningful... to me anyway.

I'm not hating on the original, I just think this one is better! :-)

So bump this one in your headphones (loud) and go back to the 70's in Harlem/Brooklyn for about 45 mins, this one is a trip!!!

Stand out tracks...
Pray
Black American gangster
No hook

4 out of 5