Rapsody continued her album-listening party tour with a stop in Atlanta on May 22. The series was brought to life thanks to the help of The Doux, a hairstyling business owned by married couple Maya and Brian Smith.
“Thank you to The Doux,” Rapsody said. “They’ve been supporting me for a long time, so to be able to finally do something like this was special to me.”
The owners of The Doux shared similar sentiments of gratitude.
“We’re big on alignment,” Maya Smith said. “If you don’t know already, you don’t see us rock a lot of brands. You don’t see us do a whole lot of partnerships. We’re really big on making sure we are aligned and that our brand synergy is altogether.
“When we had the opportunity to work with this amazing artist, to work with Roc Nation, and really heard about the desire to create a safe space for the community to have real conversations, it’s really what I do; it’s our life’s work.”
Safety has been pivotal for this chapter of Rapsody’s career. This album is intentionally titled Please Don’t Cry.
“I’m not going to say too much,” Rapsody said. “I cried in New York. I’m having fun today.”
The latest project for the North Carolina emcee is a deeply personal one where she speaks about her trials facing childhood trauma and insecurities that resurface in her romantic relationships or even losing on Grammy night. The album skilfully delves into Rapsody’s self-awareness. The second track, “Marlanna,” which is her real name, tackles her being labeled a “boring” artist. On “Look At What You’ve Done,” she re-asserts that fan support for her doesn’t have to come with an undertone of hating other female rappers who primarily rap repetitive tunes about twerking and partying. The 41-year-old artist also rapped about the fact that she isn’t a millionaire despite her achievements and how often she thinks about Lauryn Hill leaving the industry.
Other songs, like “He Shot Me,” speak to the overall Black plight. In the latter tracks, like the opening song, Rapsody features Phylicia Rashad narrating calm notes to the artist. The project also features the likes of Erykah Badu, Lil Wayne, Charlamagne tha God, Baby Tate, and Alex Isley.
You can enjoy the full experience below.
