Laila's Wisdom
Studio album by
Rapsody
ReleasedSeptember 22, 2017
GenreHip hop
Length64:29
Label
Producer
Rapsody chronology
Beauty and the Beast
(2014)		 Laila's Wisdom
(2017)		 Eve
(2019)

Laila's Wisdom is the second studio album by American rapper Rapsody, released on September 22, 2017, by Jamla Records[1] and Roc Nation.[2] It is Rapsody's first album released under her partnership with Roc Nation.[3] The album features collaborations with Kendrick Lamar (with whom Rapsody had previously collaborated on To Pimp a Butterfly), Anderson .Paak, Busta Rhymes, Lance Skiiiwalker, Black Thought, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Musiq Soulchild, among others.[2][3]

Background

The album is Rapsody's first following her signing with Roc Nation in 2016,[4] and follows her mixtape Crown (2016).[5]

Rapsody has previously collaborated with several of the guests on the record, including Kendrick Lamar, who she collaborated with on the track "Complexion (A Zulu Love)" from Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly,[1] which is credited with gaining Rapsody wider attention than she had had previously.[6] Lamar also rapped on the track "Rock the Bells" from her 2011 mixtape For Everything.[4] Rapsody also appeared on Anderson .Paak's album Malibu, on "Without You".[1] Paak also appeared on Crown.[7]

In early September, Rapsody released "You Should Know", featuring Busta Rhymes, as the first single from the album.[8] In an Instagram post, Rhymes called the album "the best album I've heard not only from a female MC but in Hip hop period as well that I've personally had a chance to hear from top to bottom in its entirety that I've probably in the last 10yrs [sic]".[4]

The guest appearances for the album were revealed in a video featuring Rapsody in a mural surrounded by the guests that appear on the record.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic87/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Exclaim!9/10[11]
HipHopDX4.5/5[12]
Now4/5[13]
RapReviews9/10[14]
ViceA−[15]
XXL4/5[16]

Laila's Wisdom received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 87, based on seven reviews.[9]

Michael J. Warren of Exclaim! called it Rapsody's best work, as well as "the best amongst her peers, the sort of album that transcends the lane she was in beforehand, transcends whatever antiquated gender biases may still permeate the genre and puts her in the same category as your favourite rapper (who's now clamouring for a Rapsody feature)."[11] Jesse Fairfax of HipHopDX found that "Rapsody evolves on this latest album—increasingly comfortable revealing a wide range of personal facets while developing into an apt storyteller."[12] Writing for XXL, Peter A. Berry described the album as "a smooth, cohesive and powerfully insightful effort."[16] In his review for AllMusic, writer Andy Kellman praised Rapsody's progression on the album, writing that "'Laila's Wisdom' is Evans' lyrically broadest and musically richest work, yet it doesn't have the sprawling quality of the first album. There's a finer, detail-filled shape to it, from the 'Young, Gifted, and Black' (Aretha)-sampling title track to 'Jesus Coming,' an astonishing finale in which Evans relates the aftermath of a playground tragedy from multiple perspectives."[10]

Accolades

The album received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song.[17]

Publication Accolade Year Rank Ref.
Drowned in Sound Favourite Albums of 2017 2017
95

Track listing

Track listing and credits adapted from Tidal.[19]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Laila's Wisdom"
Nottz3:14
2."Power" (featuring Kendrick Lamar and Lance Skiiiwalker)
9th Wonder5:34
3."Chrome (Like Ooh)"
3:27
4."Pay Up"
  • Evans
  • Tyson
  • Norville
  • Khrysis
  • Ka$h Don't Make Beats
3:16
5."Ridin'" (featuring GQ)
  • Evans
  • Quentin "GQ" Thomas
  • Douthit
  • Eric Gabouer
  • Andre Solomko
  • John Hammink
  • 9th Wonder
  • Eric G
4:51
6."Sassy"
  • Evans
  • Gabouer
Eric G3:13
7."Nobody" (featuring Anderson .Paak, Black Thought, and Moonchild)
  • Khrysis
  • 9th Wonder
7:27
8."Black & Ugly" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid)
9th Wonder4:09
9."You Should Know" (featuring Busta Rhymes)
9th Wonder6:17
10."A Rollercoaster Jam Called Love" (featuring Musiq Soulchild and Gwen Bunn)
9th Wonder5:18
11."U Used 2 Love Me" (featuring Terrace Martin)
9th Wonder2:42
12."Knock on My Door" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid)
9th Wonder4:41
13."OooWee" (featuring Anderson .Paak)
  • Evans
  • Anderson
  • Tyson
Khrysis4:01
14."Jesus Coming" (featuring Amber Navaran)
  • Evans
  • Navran
  • Douthit
  • Martin
  • Otis G. Johnson
9th Wonder6:19
Total length:1:04:29
Notes
  • ^[a] Amber Navaran, Max Bryk, and Andris Mattison are collectively credited as Moonchild, their band name, for their feature on "Nobody".

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[19]

  • Rapsody – lead vocals (all tracks), engineering (tracks 3–4, 6, 12)
  • 9th Wonder – engineering (tracks 1–2, 5–14), recording arranger (tracks 2–14), additional vocals (tracks 6–7, 10)
  • Anderson .Paak – additional vocals (tracks 7, 13)
  • Black Thought – additional vocals (track 7)
  • Gwen Bunn – vocals, vocal arranger (track 10)
  • Busta Rhymes – vocals (track 9, additional on 5)
  • Coup de Grace – guitar, piano, recording arranger (track 9)
  • Eric G – recording arranger (track 9)
  • Ka$h Don't Make Beats – engineering (track 4)
  • Khrysis – engineering (tracks 4, 12–13)
  • Terrace Martin – keyboards (tracks 2, 6, 11, 13, additional on 1, 4-5, 7, 9-10, 12), recording arranger (tracks 2, 4-8, 10-13), saxophone (tracks 10–11), synthesizer (track 10), vocals (track 11)
  • Merna – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Musiq Soulchild – additional vocals (track 10)
  • Amber Navaran[a] – vocals (tracks 7, 14)
  • Max Bryk[a] – keyboards (track 7)
  • Andris Mattison[a] – keyboards (track 7)
  • James Poyser – keyboards (tracks 3, 5)
  • Taylor Jon Shepard – additional keyboards (tracks 1, 4)
  • Heather Victoria – additional vocals (track 4)
  • Marlon Williams – string arranger (tracks 2, 5–6, 8), guitar, recording arranger (track 4)
  • Young Guru – engineering (tracks 5, 10)

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[20] 125

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sodomsky, Sam (September 13, 2017). "Rapsody Recruits Kendrick, Anderson .Paak, More for New Album Laila's Wisdom". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Centeno, Tony (September 13, 2017). "Rapsody Releases 'Laila's Wisdom' Tracklist". Vibe. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Rapsody Taps Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak for 'Laila's Wisdom'". Rap-Up. September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Berry, Peter A (September 13, 2017). "Kendrick Lamar and Black Thought Featured on Rapsody's Upcoming 'Laila's Wisdom' Album". XXL. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  5. ↑ Penrose, Nerisha (September 1, 2017). "Rapsody Announces New Album 'Laila's Wisdom' With Busta Rhymes-Assisted 'You Should Know'". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  6. ↑ Thiessen, Brock (September 13, 2017). "Rapsody Gets Kendrick Lamar, Black Thought, BJ the Chicago Kid for 'Laila's Wisdom'". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Rapsody Announces Sophomore Album 'Laila's Wisdom,' Joins Forces with Busta Rhymes on 'You Should Know'". Okayplayer. September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  8. ↑ Ivey, Justin (September 13, 2017). "Rapsody Shares "Laila's Wisdom" Cover Art & Tracklist". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  9. 1 2 "Reviews and Tracks for Laila's Wisdom by Rapsody". Metacritic. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  10. 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "Laila's Wisdom – Rapsody". AllMusic. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  11. 1 2 Warren, Michael J. (September 26, 2017). "Rapsody: Laila's Wisdom". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  12. 1 2 Fairfax, Jesse (September 25, 2017). "Review: Rapsody Makes Her Elders Proud With "Laila's Wisdom"". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  13. ↑ Sowunmi, Jordan (December 7, 2017). "Rapsody is hip-hop's everywoman on Laila's Wisdom". Now. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  14. ↑ Stein, Ben (October 24, 2017). "Rapsody :: Laila's Wisdom". RapReviews. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  15. ↑ Christgau, Robert (March 2, 2018). "Robert Christgau on the Star-Studded, Kendrick-Helmed 'Black Panther' OST". Vice. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  16. 1 2 Berry, Peter A. (October 10, 2017). "Rapsody Tells the Story of the Every Woman On 'Laila's Wisdom' Album". XXL. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  17. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (November 28, 2017). "Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars Lead 2018 Grammy Nominees". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Drowned in Sound's Favourite Albums of 2017". Drowned in Sound. November 22, 2017. Archived from the original on November 23, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  19. 1 2 "Laila's Wisdom / Rapsody". Tidal. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Rapsody Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
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