Episode 329 "Rapsody"

Work with me here. You know bt know how it goes. Shout O O C T no real color what we see the whole game, read the book something. But you can't stand on the host. See. I already know you can't with me because with the squad of me they get. They called me. He love love her, I love her.

Broadcasting lie from Atlanta, Georgia. Welcome to the ball Alert Show.

I go by the name of Ferrari Siming. I go by the name you know bt C T.

Of That.

Sound was good, the Grammy nominated man the biggest Yeah imagine. Want to say thank you for this project, thank you for your contribution to hip hop, and thank you for staying with it because we need you. You know, the culture is everything. Like you like to say, please don't cry, uh, please don't cry.

Looking at me like that, what's yeah, yeah yeah.

Thank you for listening to play, for giving me a platform to share more about it. I feel good, man. I'm just overwhelmed by the love. You know, it's so much and I want to find a way to give it back. And they telling me like you just got to sit in and receive right now, shorty.

So I just I feel really good. Like full of gratitude, you.

Know, to being in this long, you know, to have done so much and you know to still have the opportunity to put out more and have it received in a way it's being received right now.

I'm just thankful.

We was in our group chat and one of the youngins I said, we had you on the schedule one time for Big d Rode Nation and I was like, man, I believe she's the best female MC in the country. Because they were like, oh, man, who's rap City. I was like, to me, she's the best female rapper in the country now, and I feel rapper in general. But if I'm if I'm describing you, I definitely said I feel that way. I feel like the world man hip hop.

Oh, but let's take it back a little bit.

Yeah, let's take it back, because if we can't assume everybody know you know what I'm saying, Rahap City, But can we take it back to Snowfall?

Is it?

What was it?

What's your where I'm from. Yeah, yeah, snow Hill.

Snow Yeah, Snowfall.

Yeah.

I like that, though I don't know if it to apply right right, snow Hill Man, take us bank.

What was it like growing up and you know, North Kakilaki.

I mean it was it was slow, you know, quiet.

It's one of those you know, small towns where it ain't nothing to do really if you're not in like sports or your books, you in the streets sports or anything.

Yeah. I played basketball.

I played basketball from age seven until I graduated high school. And jumper still there, it's there a little bit, yeah, yeah, one and two, one and two two. Yeah, But I mean it was just it was easy. I played outside a lot. You know, we rolled a lot. We have house parties at the community or parties at the community center.

You know.

It was just country, slow life. It wasn't too much else to it. You know, everybody in the community connected, everybody know each other. And yeah, that's that was growing up. That's the best way I could describe it. I spent a lot of time with my cousins, you know, just having a good time pig pickings.

And they kind of introduced you to hip hop.

Right yeah, my older cousins Dion and Kennywood Jr. I mean I first was introduced to it myself, to like TV, you know, your your MTV raps, the BT video shows, the radio, like I was just sitting watching tea videos. But you know, it was like right around my older cousins, I got exposed to albums, you know, like you watch videos on TV, but listening to the whole albums and

Tribe or you know whatever it was.

And I'm getting to experienced albums, you know, and even the style, like they were so hip hop.

So I used to watch emulate how they dressed the.

Boys, you know, like the tims with the photo down tongue, the nadi Ka jackets or like my Homegirl, my older cousin Katanian, she's you know, where swim Trucks was in style.

Like I was just into all of it.

But then you went to college and then you know, how did you meet the ninth wonder? Because you know, you got you signed with him and stuff like that.

I met him through a friend.

Are you rapping at this particular moment? Not rapping at all?

Yeah. I always wanted to.

Be a rapper since I was like five or six, but I didn't really I understand the process of how to become a rapper being from where I was from. You know, you grew up in a big city LA Chicago, New York. Like you meet rappers in the street, you watch them do videos their studios in your city, like you know, there might be a cipher on the block. It wasn't like that for me.

Growing up. Everything was on TV and radio. I ain't know no rappers.

I never saw nobody make a video, so it wasn't anything that was like attainable to me.

But it was still a dream that I had.

So, you know, I remember one day Saturday morning, I was cleaning and I took the vacuum holes and tried to freestyle.

My brother told me I was wax. I ain't never tried again.

I didn't do it, you know, brother, he kept in frail I was at that time, So you know, I was like, well, maybe I'm not a rapping them.

Even though that's what I want to be. But I started writing poetry.

So when I got to college, I was still in poetry, but I was really getting to the spoken word form of it by watching deaf poetry jam. I met some of my closest friends working at foot Action and just on campus. And you know, two degrees of separation.

Which college were you at?

North Carolina State University and Raleigh, North Carolina go with Pat I'm a duke fan of but yeah, that was due fan since ninety one ain't two Grant Hill, Bobby Hurley like that era gotcha.

So I just couldn't afford to go to do so we started a hip hop organization on campus.

So you know, we was doing like rap battles and I would host everything. I would never be anything, but you know, just being around them, like soaking it up, learning because you know, they would go to studios and that was my first opportunity to see people make music in front of me, or they have us set up in that dorm room. We're in the house that they were wrinting. So I was getting exposed to it and I was just watching.

And soaking it in. I go home and do my thing by myself. And shadows.

But one of my closest friends was also in the organization. He knew what I was doing, and we was at the studio one day and he was just like, yo, quit being scary, getting a boog, Like we just having fun.

Ain't nobody here to judge you.

So I started.

I recorded my first two songs, and we did a mixtape for the organization. But one of the guys in the group was shadowing Knife at the time, learning how to use fruity loops, and he asked Knife just to come meet us all listen to our music. And that's how I met him, and he saw something in me that was like, you know, he thought was special. He wanted to take time and invest in, and the relationship just blossom from there.

Yeah.

Question, did you finish college?

I was?

And what were you studying?

Accounting?

Wow? Yeah, why I'm just saying no, them classes are classic.

I know why.

And I tell people that's like one of the like things charity and philanthropy wise, I want to do is go back to my school and like expose kids to more options about you know, investing, like what they're passionate about. Because they pulled me in off and they were like, you're good at Mathew High scoring, you score high and that you can be an accountant.

So I just chose.

I was like, all right, you know what I mean?

Did you finish?

So I'm one crewdit credit, shove, get my diploma.

Come on, come on.

Something like this, mad years.

You're gonna go back and walk.

Yeah, still playing like I walked everything. And when you when you have like UNDERNIGN credits, they let you walk. So my family's there all the things.

You got that diploma now?

Yeah.

So I went back the next semester for the UH for the class, and my dad gave me the tuition to pay for that class, but I spent it on something else, to deal with music, and so I had to drop the class. And they still don't know what you spend it on, smiling like stud something I don't know.

I don't even your parents your parents now, I guess it worked out.

It worked out.

I believed in myself.

So a question when did you start? When did you create your name?

Because I created it while I was doing spoken a word?

Okay, so why did you pick this particular name.

I'm a huge jay Z fan and he has this documentary out. It's about a reasonable doubt, And in a documentary he talked about how he became so good with words because he used to read the dictionary because he wanted to have a full vocabulary for his raps. So you know, I was like, bet, I'm going to do the same thing.

So for like two weeks.

It would didn't last that long, but I would sit up at night and read the dictionary.

I just picked a letters. When I got to rhapsody, I loved the definition of it.

It was poetry spoken with great emotion, and I felt like, even though I was doing poetry, that's still.

What rap was. And so I was just like, oh, that's flying, run with it. Take the age out.

She's so good man.

We got rhraps City right here on the ball of our show Man. We'd be right back with more, back with more of the Brother of Law show. We got rahps cdy in the building.

Day Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah. She didnt graduate college. She spent all her money on on the studio.

Time, come on out all. I was responsible for most of it.

But I mean it makes sense now why people are kind of upset with like a lot of the rap, because I don't think a lot of these rappers now they read.

No know or did they pretending because it's the idea that it's not cool to be smart. But I believe like, if you make it in this game, are you successful? You got to have some type of knowledge on you. And a lot of the ones that you that sound like they can't read, they be knowing a lot, you know what I'm saying.

So do you feel like it's just not any type of representation for like the younger generation to look up to as far as the artists like how you was talking about you had mc light and jay Z and these were people that you know, we're doing it on a high level, but was also preaching you know, the intelligent part of reading.

It depends on where they're getting.

You know, if you're only looking at mainstream, you know, you may be limited in the representation for that because it's just it's a certain thing that they push into the top.

But I think, you know, if if you look outside.

Of mainstream, there's a lot of examples of amazing rappers, and you can you know that they they're intelligent and they're smart and they're proud of it.

A soul Vince Staples Schoolboy Q Kendrick J Cole, Tierra Wag It's it's a lot.

Uh So, it's just where you're getting your music from, you know, that's that's the biggest thing.

So to kind of reel back a little bit to what we were talking about now, yeah, sign when you signed with Knife wonder, correct, what is your next move after this? Because you're I know, he's assisting with the curation of creating songs and speaking to the masses. What's going through your brain? What are you doing now?

I mean it's one of getting better as an MC, you know, starting to put my brand out there as an artist.

And how do you do that?

You gotta put music out there.

You got to promote yourself, like figure out how to do these music videos, you know, figure out how to get into the PR space and get interviews. It's just like how do I expose myself? And he told me before, like it's gonna be a long road. It's gonna be a seven to ten year road before you ever kind of peek your head into where you're trying to be and to hear that.

Can be like very intimidating.

Or discouraging or discourage.

Yeah, but it was something I wanted to see that happened.

Were you discourage at any moment at this particular moment.

Not discouraged, frustrated you know, you have any moments you get frustrated along the journey, but never discouraged early in the days, Like that's the best word I could He.

Was just frustrating.

But yeah, so I mean we're in the studio just rapping, and it was like, you know, proven how good you are and that you've proven to yourself and to the people, like it's my first time doing it, and just really taking as much direction as I can and learning the business, you know, making connections with people.

Like you're very connected. I would like to say that, like, you.

Know, never left the studio.

I was a studio rap Knife would come there and TD would pop up, and sometimes I'd be out of at the time, he probably had like twelve artists, I'd be the only artist in there, you know. So it's important, Like if you're gonna do it, you gotta make it your life.

You know.

If he called and said anybody was come to the studio, I was there just to meet people and connect and watch them and learn. It's the cheeks came down when summer. I remember I stayed there all day all night, watching and record and just learning and soaking it up.

So that's what it was like.

You know, if Knife went to New York, he would always extend everybody, like if y'all want to come, come, Like I remember one time, me and Sundown, one of the members of Actual Proof, got on the China bus first and last time I ever took the China Bus. I went to New York like just to follow him around and watch what he did. But every everywhere he'd go, he introduced people like, this is my artist Raps, this is my artist Hollow, this is my artist whoever.

You know what I mean.

And that made a difference even though they know who I was, Like you see people enough and then your name starts to come out a little bit, like they remember you.

Know, were you living at home at this time?

Uh.

There was a period where I was living with my sister, and then I got sick and I moved home to snow Hill. But I would drive to Raleigh, and my mama got tired of watching me drive because I was I would sleep at the studio and then get up and go find a friend house to go take a shower at and she got tired of that. So this is when, like I think it was like right before Obama administration.

Houses was mad cheap, like full clothes.

So they found me like a really nice townhome for a really cheap price, and I stayed in Raleigh, you know, Okay.

Yeah, I'm just highlighting that, Ryan, You know what I'm saying, because you know, some people need jobs to survive as they try to chase their dreams.

Oh yeah, I definitely did you have a job.

Where did you work?

I was pushing sneakers that foot action. Still, yeah, I was still there for that.

I quit a few times, that always went back.

But at least you kept. You kept. You get the thirty percent off, so I know you're getting there getting the releases so you can stay fresh.

And I worked at the outlet.

What about your personal life though, because this doesn't sound like you have a personal life.

I didn't.

No relationship.

Later on, but at.

This particular moment, no.

No, but still I still put the music first.

But no love interest at the time.

Though early on, no no love interest.

I mean you didn't have time to think about it.

I dated, but nothing really lasted long.

Okay, Like I might have dated one guy for like seven months and I found out he had a girl at another school. You know, I meant dating another guy for like three months, like you know, and then I got in a really long relationship that lasted nine years.

Okay.

So yeah, okay.

So you pretty much it sounds like you done with love.

Who now I'm really just getting started.

Okay.

The beautiful thing.

You go through these relationships and you learn a lot about yourself.

And the last one I learned you hear it on the album. I learned a whole lot about myself.

And I think when you know who you are and really what you want and you attract that, I expect good things in the next one.

Do you gotta do? You gotta like a check book?

Like what?

Okay, I got no checkbook.

Yeah, I meet who I meant you see how it is energy, See what their ambitions are, what their personality like, if they funny, make me laugh?

Please? You know. I ain't got no check mark.

Yeah, we got a check mark right here. We got to hit that commercial check mark. We'll be right back with Rhapsody right here on the Baller Alert Show.

We'll be right back with more of the Baller Alert Show. You're listening to a special edition of The Baller Alert Show.

Yo, Yo, this is Rhapsody and I'm chilling with the Baller Alert Show on revot Beck with more.

Of the Butler Alert Show. We got Rahap City in the bill.

Yeah yeah, please don't cry.

Yeah please, Because I have a question, Okay, go ahead. How accurate is this three AM record? Because this sounds very one hundred percent? Like, yo, I'm there with you because I go on YouTube to watch the video and it's twenty minutes her talking to Eric Abadu that conversations here.

I want to I want to see the video.

We did an unofficial live performance video.

Yes, yeah, but the fire I still.

Want to do one.

Like while we were making the record, she was like, what we're gonna do for the video and she gave me an idea, so I don't want to rush it, like you know, she travels the record.

I watch the full twenty minutes. Did it was a good conversation. I could definitely tell mental health is a big deal and you guys both take it seriously. But I can tell that this was very organic. I could tell you guys, you were speaking truthfully. You know, sometimes people script things. This correct me for wrong. This wasn't scripted.

No, I went in.

Everyone wasn't. Nothing was scripted, even the one with Sonihilatan Beautiful. The difference in there did different, but they're very much honest and authentic, much like your album.

Yeah, we were shooting a.

Music video the same day I did the Sona joint, and you know, it was gonna start the video. So she's just like, I'm going to approach it as like Sydney a reporter. But everything she asked was still spot on and my answers were just authentic.

It wasn't rehearsing. I didn't even see the questions, so what BADU?

You know?

It was just like that I'm a i'm a i'm A lead the questions and I just sat there and it was just like, whatever came off.

My head I'm going to talk about with love?

Yeah?

Nothing. It was just really off the fly, dopey.

So who came up with that? That conversation series? Is it over?

I hope?

Not? Like?

Are you going to do more?

We want to do at least one more. They're kind of in chapters, so so now I was unveiling. Erica was unconditional about love so we want to do one more about the heal chapter what healing looks like, so we'll see, like we got to figure out who.

That person is and the calendar works. But that was my idea. That's so built team.

Yeah, Like the whole idea of this was like to connect with people and I wanted people to get to know me more because I never really gave.

I never really let people all the way in. I was kind of protecting.

Myself behind them words, not hiding.

I was just protecting myself.

It was kind of hard to I mean when I say hidden, I mean it's kind of like hard to dissect. Sometimes you got to really listen like ten times to really understand. So it's like hitting messages when I mean.

Now you're completely right.

If you don't understand the lyrics and breaking them down, you're gonna miss a lot of things. And it wouldn't necessarily I can't say. It might have been a little intentional and subconscious. I was still trying to prove a lot too lyrically. But this time is just like I just want to connect with people and I want to be more profound and trying to have like these crazy bars, even though that comes out naturally.

I don't think it's as hidden, you know what I'm saying.

So, yeah, I mean that's I feel like that was kind of brought to the forefront and today because with Kendrick versus Drake, you know, it's like a lot of people want to easy listen sometimes and they don't want to have to like think or they just want to just put it on. But with kendricking and your lyrics, you know, you have to kind of like really pay attention because there are several times even in this album, I'm like, oh what I had to listen.

I'm gonna get to the song, but I was like, let me run that back. What does she mean by that?

You know?

That's the beauty of heart form?

But please don't cry.

Where did this this title come from? I mean I was I was heartbroken at the time, and I was I was looking on Pinterests at poems.

Heartbroken from that from that last guy, the.

Longest relationship nine year, it was one after that, Yeah, shorter one was like a year, but deeper.

What happened for him?

Hey, people fall out of love and they move on, you know, and you got to learn to accept that.

I had to learn to accept.

It such a mature answer.

Yeah, it's a real one. You know, it's an evolved one.

But I.

But I was looking for words to describe how it feels because it was I was so in it I couldn't even speak for myself.

And I came across this poem and said, please don't cry.

You won't always feel so broken, and please don't cry shit out to me, because I was like, I have been so hidden and I haven't allowed.

People to see me just be human. So it felt.

Perfect instead of query and shield right there and type of teams.

I do feel like I definitely know you more based off this project because when we do our little deep dive I'm listening, I'm driving, I was like, yeah, I like this, And I say you tricked me because when I went to the YouTube to catch the video and I saw the twenty minute conversation, I was like, oh wow, this is a very open. I think a lot of artists should try at least to have something similar or do their own version of it, not to try to copy. But I think that what you did connected me with

Yeah. No, we were super intentional, even like the artwork was crazy.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Who who I did was that.

This artist I've been.

Working with since twenty fifteens from Bulgaria's name is Passo. He worked with me through the whole process from twenty twenty till we finished it and put it out like he was with me the whole four and a half years. My manager came in like the last year. Who's your manager, Chantel? Yeah, but yeah, we were just super intentional, even like in the beginning, they had an idea, you know, based on what were stream good, what were people like like let's put the Wayne joint out, Let's put the back of

With people, anybody that you reached out to that you want to know. The album that didn't make.

It, Yeah, Jill Scott. I wanted her on a ballot of Homegirls as well as Oh.

My Gosh, I love that song.

Sorry, but I love Baby Tait too.

Now, No, by God, I wanted I wanted to be like a home Girls plural like okay, you know, I wanted it Jill Scott's Summer Walker, Ari Lennox and Baby Tape, you know, just like a joint. I don't know how that would have worked were in the All Stars, but that would been good though. Yeah, uh who else old black pop star?

I had a few ideas.

I hit up Little Sims, but she was on vacation and I didn't want to interrupt that. I hit up Tierra Wax, she was finishing her album.

I want to say.

I sent that to Andre three thousand and two, but you know what space he was in, so uh, that was really an incomplete song that I hope to finish. I've landed on miss though, so I really hope we can do a remix to Black Popstar and get Missy.

But those that's it. Everybody else, you know, we kind of got.

Oh my gosh, man, I really want to get into these songs when I'm scared because we have a commercial in like two minutes, so we'll just break real quick. Let's come back with more rapidy after this. Please don't cry. First off, how did you get Felicia Rashad on there? She's all throughout the album, beginning, middle, and end.

Man, Thank god, I really really really wanted her.

I've been a big fan of her since I was young, Like people asked like, who are the people inspired you?

And she's always on my list.

I got to give that up to my manager, like wow, I told her I wanted her, and she was like, I thought it was like really far fetched because I dreamed big. So I was like, this is what I want, but we can't get her. Boom boom boom boom. She was like, we're gonna get her, and she found her manager. She reached out and they say yes, wow, Like I was shocked and really grateful that, you know, she wanted to lend her her gifts and her.

Voice to the project.

Did you meet her?

I still haven't met her. Oh yeah, okay, yeah.

She did that part parts on a voice.

Memo and send it to me and I arranged it and fill in with my own voice to make the story complete.

So that intro, what was that exactly.

Is me walking into a hair salon, a hair salon and.

Barbershops as well in the black community, or a safe space, you know, it's where we go and have conversations in here. At the time though, doing the project, I was watching The Matrix a lot, and I was really really intrigued by the relationship with the Oracle and Neo, and I felt like I was on my own journey, you know, like Neo trying to get him to the reality and

Find my way.

Now I feel like, you know, it was and then you know the album is riding. But I feel like when we get to stand tall, that's like when we start getting to like the meat of like the vulnerability.

Is just I mean, anytime you're doing an album, like the sequencing, it's a trial and error process, like how you got all these songs and it's like, Okay, how were we going to.

Tell the story?

So it goes through a process like nine pitched in his thoughts, but I decided to do it myself because I was really intentional about how I wanted the story.

It's different. It's no rules.

Some people sequence albums based on like the first four songs, one of the best songs, that's gonna keep people, and then we'll just figure out the rest.

I wanted to tell a story, and that's how our sequence it.

So the first part half part of the project is like introspective, like I'm looking at myself. I'm looking at myself as an artist, in the industry, in the world. I'm asking these questions. Then the middle part is the heart, where you get to stand tall and at one time at three am and loose frocks, and you get to know, like the emotional side of me what love looks like.

Yeah, uh, that one time? What was that? Can you break that down with that? Exactly what was about? Because it's like so many different definitions in my head, but I just don't really clearly know.

What did you take from?

Was it two different scenarios or like two different things that happened.

It was one main one.

I just I spoke on another one with right, Like I'm talking about one experience I had with a woman. I've dated men all my life and I had one experience with a woman and it kind of changed my whole life, Like it was really deep.

But in that I talk about the married man.

Yeah, okay, right, and it's just like that was one thing I said I would never do. But it's like, how did you get here? And how did you get in that predicament? And you know, it was really taking accountability and looking in the mirror, you know, and you know, just being at one with like, yo, what's up with you?

And you know, it just takes me back to the conversation you had with Sanai when you're talking about, you know, the accountability thing, and like everybody's going through something similar to that. People are dealing with that every day. So I thought that was super super dope. How you broke that down?

I like your name number two, Yeah that's number two.

Yeah, but it's the first song, the second track.

Yeah, you're speaking to yourself.

Yeah, so self reflection and then.

You got Loose Rocks where your grandmother's going through Alzheimer's.

I mean it was your aunt. Okay, I'm sorry.

How was that, like, you know, having to deal with that in real life and then translating it into music like you did.

Like this album was just me like really documenting in real time everything I was feeling and experiencing, and so like that was a big thing, like she's a big part of my life. I love her just as deeply as I love my mother, like they wanted the same to me, so, you know, having to deal with her diagnosis and just seeing it take its course. My therapy is through writing and music, and I thought it was important because I knew I wasn't the only one dealing with it, and it was just a way for me

Of your life, and that's just what was going on in my life.

And I documented it and I love the song, so you know, I ain't got nothing, you know, deeper than that.

It's just that's how you.

Just said that your communication is like not as good as your writing. How are you helping that today? Like, how do you how do you practice better communication.

When I say like I'm not as good.

I'm still a good communicator, but I'm a way better writer because you know, I get to take time with my words and really be intentional and think through what I want to say and how I want to say.

It and how I want to set it up.

So you get it, you know, so your texts are better than your.

Yeah, though I know some people that don't talk on the phone at all.

Okay, Yeah, just what you said expressing expressing your feelings and your emotions.

Like some people be like no, I get it.

But to me, like when I'm talking sometimes my brain moves so fast I feel like it comes out jumbled.

That's how I feel sometimes.

How does someone get your attention? If are you looking for love or relationship?

I'm not.

I'm just focusing on me, Okay, you know, Like if it come and come, if it don't, don't, do.

You check your DMS? Like is there is there any way that a guy can or whoever can contact you? Like what is there? Only? I mean, you know, what's what's the options? Like how can someone you forget the.

Options or the options? You know if you want toss right there.

If you don't live here, you don't know me.

I check my DMS, but don't I don't see everything, like I can't. I mean, but then there's some people I got pushed up on two weeks ago when I was in New York.

I hadn't done it. I hadn't been pushed up on like that.

Somebody approached It was very.

Yeah, and now that I appreciated his approach, Like he came in and first he was like, yo, I'm a real big fan, you know. I was like, thank you. And he was like, I got a little crush on Rhapsody and the Homies. My Homies was there. They was like, oh, you just got a little crush on Rhapsody.

That's crazy. You should have a big crush, right and he and he leaned in to it so he was got in my face. He was like, I mean, I love to take you out Saturday.

I was like, okay, Like I appreciate that. Said no, I said, okay, I gave him my number.

Yeah.

I liked his energy. It was respectful, but at the same time.

It was like he wasn't scared.

It was just direct.

Did you'll go out Saturday?

I have an album released week. It wasn't. I had intentions, but if my.

Schedule was just too crazy, and I told him, you know, I don't want to come sit with you for thirty minutes, so you know, next time I'm in New York, but text me, get to know me, called me.

Call me.

Okay, that's what it was. Don't like yo, what's your damn it was. It was just real direct, and I appreciated.

That, you know, some grown up type ish.

Yeah, I come from that generation. You know, I don't. I don't know about the dating apps getting a.

D I see a lot of celebrities are starting to use dating apps, but they're not having any success.

I would I would never.

You would never do a date to.

Never, never get on dating ap.

Those swipe never left right never You just like an old school approach.

Yeah, me too.

Mad DM.

But just like the old school.

Yeah, well technically you just want them to say, you know, just approach me.

You just approached me.

Now a lot of people gonna be approaching you now watching this interview. Fault.

I'm a cool person.

I got to respectfully reproach or break. So uh, let's get right back with more Rhapsody.

We'll be right back. Stay tuned more of The Baller Alert Show. You're listening to a special edition of The Baller Alert Show.

Yo, Yo, this is Rhapsody and I'm chilling with the Baller Alert Show on Revolt.

Back with more of the Brother Alert Show. We got RHP City in the building. Yeah, yes, please don't cry to enable the album. Man, we're still talking about it. One of my favorite records is raw Ulawayne Man. When I say you snapped on that, man, you can't correct.

Thank you man. How long did it take you to write that? I was really.

Experimenting, you know, and I was like, yo, again, I'm trying to be more profound. So I approach it like I just want to do something fun. Ain't trying to be like super lyrical. And he sent his verse with different beat. We had a hook a big okay. And when he sent it back, I was so inspired.

I was like, oh, you rewrote yours.

I absolutely did, and I had no issue that.

Yeah.

Most people be like, no, yes, I think it more than once. Okay, I was joking. I was I wrote it like twenty seven times, and hip hop has made it the headline. I was like, guys, not being that literal. I probably wrote it like maybe six or seven times.

But I do a lot of songs, and you do write, right, Because some artists I see, they go in and they don't write. They kind of just punish that.

For like a month.

It's not my thing. I really write. I mean some people just get that.

You're in there and you're reading off of what you wrote, or do you memorize it and then going down times?

Sometimes I just I write it and I said a few times, and then I go in the booth and sometimes I'll sit with it and memorize it and.

Then because I know everybody, Yeah, But most of.

The time, I just write it and sit with it and learn it enough where I can read it and still perform it.

Does it take you a long time or it.

Depends on to day. Some things you can write in twenty minutes.

Some days I spend a month on You know, there's no writer wrong answer, it's just really what where you at that in that space?

But you was in a good space on this record, you were.

Yeah, A lot of these a lot of these were quick. You know it's there a few things like the raw, like my raw verse. I really took time on and I wrote a lot of things I like, but nothing felt like it, Like it still didn't match his level because.

I wasn't trying to out wrap him.

I was you got to hold your own. No, you was doing that.

It wouldn't even I just wanted to.

I was so inspired. I wanted to match his level of how he approached it. I took his flow. I just used my own word facts.

But you but you, you held your own because sometimes you know, when you're dealing with a goat like that. You know what I'm saying, your got within your your by yourself. But you know, when you're dealing with that level, you can't let nobody just kill you on your own song.

You held your own.

Sometimes you can't.

I mean, no, you can't do that Rhap City, you can't.

I mean I knew I could write something better, That's all I'm saying.

Like, now you did that. You so humble, But you did that.

Yeah, we're not gonna I'm not gonna be humble about you.

Right after that song, you got Lonely Woman, And when I heard that record, I'm like, what in thea Jenet Jackson, would you mind it is going on?

That is so funny.

I was like, well, I was like, okay, I'm just driving, all right.

I was showing people every every piece of me that was human. Okay, yeah, like that was especially. That was a big section of my life then. So it was like we just we just recorded it.

But to people who don't know, that's a very self loving record right there.

Yeah, I love yourself, That's what I'm saying. Deeper than what you think. But but to it, like I would see conversations of like raps, you don't talk about sex sex, And it's just an example of you can talk about sex in so many different ways. Some of it's gonna be ratchy and raunchy and right in your face, and some things are gonna be creative and some things are gonna be poetic.

And it's like, you know.

Man, the way that you wrap that record, it was just so creative, Like I've never heard nobody do that like that.

Yeah, I mean I like to get people an experience.

You know, that's an experience. You know, I'm on a quarius.

So we never liked we like to go left where everybody else here, like we like to be as creative as possible. Black Odyssey produced that because originally that song as One produced it and it was it was more of like a fun bop joint and it wasn't so erotic and.

That's Erotic City.

Yeah.

When Black Odyssey.

Heard it, they were like, yo, can we like try like just a different version because it's so erotic erotic, but we want we want people to really feel it and we want them to be in the room with you.

And I was like, all right, let's do it room. Yeah, Like they like, yo, we need to put like.

Shower in the background, like and steam and we got it.

Like they made it a whole movie.

Yeah, wow, very visual.

You got any favorites on the album?

Yeah, Three Am is probably my favorite song, and it's not just I love the song, but because it was an experience in creating with Eric Abadu, So that's for multiple reasons.

Loose Rocks is another one.

A ballot for the Homegirls so lid though.

Man, it's hall.

I love all the records. They all my babies.

That's Grammy music, man, for real white you could listen to the whole project with like zero skips I feel like when you can do something like that, that's like Grammy music to me.

Damn, thank you.

Yeah, I agree with that.

I told people I just had I ain't have no expectations.

I just I made an album for me this time, and I was like, you know, people either like it or not. You know, I just wanted to give them something that was honest, unapologetic.

Yeah, great job.

So you got the tour? Yeah, we announced tour.

Tour kicks off in Europe, first four dates London, Paris, Berlin.

And Amsterdam. And then you excited. I'm super excited. I haven't been on tour since twenty.

Nineteen before the pandemic.

Yeah.

My last show was canceled because we were on Lockdown two days later, so I didn't even get to have my homecoming show. And I'm excited to see the experience and how the music connects with people in the flesh. Like that's I'm super excited about that. So I can't wait.

But we're doing North America too, So it's eighteen dates.

Oh, just a couple more songs I want to highlight.

From the album never Enough. At the end of the song, you say my purpose ain't for purchase, is that right? You say, my purpose ain't for purchase.

Love me or love me not? Now I know what worth is me?

Right?

How did you come to that conclusion?

I think just again sitting with myself and really, like I said, I'm plugging from the matrix. Like, yo, you don't want to sell yourself short because you're not gonna be happy at the end of the day. So stop worrying about all these false measurements. And you have to validate yourself and find value in yourself. And that's just what it is. So it's like, you know, my authentic self, my soul, my spirit is knock a purchase and I can't sell that because I want a nice car or I.

Want to be number one on the radio, like you gotta do music.

That's the real currency, is peace of mind and happiness.

Are you ever does Rhapsody ever think about having a family?

One day, I thought about it.

I used to it as in past present.

Yeah, so want to have kids like two maybe three.

But I'm I'm at the stage of life where I was, you know, I'm like, I'm kind of I'm I'm okay if it happens, it happens. But now I'm just like, I really like my time. I really like my piece. I got six pieces and nephews, and I'm like, I'm like super auntie, and i'd be I love them, but i'd be like, I'm ready to go to sleep.

So you're a rich auntie. You're a rich auntie that come over.

Drop it, back off, and do everything that their parents asked me not to do.

Yeah, I told you not to do that.

I'll be like, I can't help it. So I'm okay, it's what I'm saying. If it happens, it happens. But I'm not like I need a family.

I'm sad like you seem like a loner. You seem like you like being alone. You like your peace.

I have a great balance. I don't think I'm an introvert at all. I love people. I love hanging out, but I like chilling. Like I'm not a club girl. I'm a house party girl.

You know.

I'm a kickback girl. Like I really like people and I love hanging out.

Man Rhapsody, I'm so proud of you, man, thank you so humble. But I'm just so happy for you.

You want me to talk my ship, Yeah, every man, I'm just so happy. Thank you all for seeing me important to me for.

Sure, Thanks for coming they reporting to us with your with your albums. Man, like, for real, you changed a lot of people. That's why I was asking the questions I asked because you know, you got so many people who are lost today.

You know what I'm saying.

They looking online just to find an identity, and you know that it's really within You got to put that work in on yourself.

If people ask me my intention for this myself, I wanted to be a lighthouse for people to find it way back to themselves.

Yeah. I like that.

You can feel it for real for sure.

Please don't cry available right now. Look for Rhapsody on the tour. I guess you're gonna post the schedule. Uh yeah, we posted it today.

But w W dot I M rhapsody dot com, I A M R A P S O d y dot com and socials at Rhapsody on all things are.

Don't put no H in my name now.

Wasn't that?

That?

Wasn't that the website the download music? What was it?

It's a music site.

It was the music website, remember the.

One with the H rhapsody. Yeah, joke on me about that. You name yourself at the music service like shut up, hold.

Only acknowledge is the world right here right there in season?

Baby, you gotta you got called New York back? Right, I gotta who called New York back? I gotta who you go to New York spost be going on to day right.

Because my friends got ahold of the nickname.

I'm not telling you know what it's gonna be.

My friends call him Hancho because they say he looked like.

Oh my gosh, man.

Before we get out of here, we do have a pep talk, yo, yo, what's up? This is Rahap City.

Look, I just can't even tell you.

Don't be stressing over the things you gotta let go in life, whether it be love, friendship and security.

You gotta let go.

And find yourself, find your peace, find your happiness and work from within. You are enough. You are special, own that love yourself. You really like that?

All right?

Peace?

You can't get enough of baller Alert. Follow us on all social media platforms at baller Alerts, going to baller alert dot com