This program originally aired July 11, 2016.
Growing up in the small town of Snow Hill, N.C., Marlanna Evans, a.k.a Rapsody, wasn't exposed to much hip-hop music. She would listen to the songs her older cousins played in the car, but she didn't develop a love for rap until college.
While attending North Carolina State University, Evans helped a hip-hop culture grow on campus with a student music group that would meet in a dormitory lounge to rap battle. She eventually started making her own rhymes and met producer and Jamla Records founder 9th Wonder.
Her work as a solo artist includes collaborations with top names in the hip-hop industry like 9th Wonder, Common and Kendrick Lamar. As a rapper, Evans delivers messages about feminism and colorism, and she strives to be a role model for future lyricists.
Host Frank Stasio talks with Evans about growing up in a rural community, cultivating Raleigh's rap scene and looking at the world through rhymes.
Check out the music featured in this program below:
"The Man" by Rapsody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC6ai3OudJk
"Hard To Choose" by Rapsody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_tyknmZhFs
"Complexion (A Zulu Love)" by Kendrick Lamar, feat. Rapsody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH6qPuPSZHU
"Every Ghetto" by TalibKweli, 9th Wonder and Rapsody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeRp34Uol7Y