Rapsody's album Please Don't Cry functions as a reintroduction to the rapper — long defined by her technique, now revealing some of the real person behind that prowess. Jhalin Knowles/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Rapsody ENTER TEASER
Rapsody
Rapsody (left) and Erykah Badu Courtesy of the artists hide caption
In a music scene policed by politics and faith, there was none more real than Michael Knott. Kate Gutwein Smith/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Dua Lipa, whose 2020 album Future Nostalgia produced multiple '80s and '90s pop-inspired hits, has released a new single, "Houdini," that hints at another layer of retro revival. Tyrone Lebon/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Chika plays a Tiny Desk concert. (Max Posner/NPR). Max Posner/NPR hide caption
The album art for Rapsody's "12 Problems." Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Big Boi performs a Tiny Desk Concert on Oct. 1, 2018. Morgan Noelle Smith/NPR hide caption
Lil Baby performs during a Juneteenth voter registration rally on June 19, 2020 at Murphy Park Fairgrounds in Atlanta, Ga. One week earlier, he released "The Bigger Picture," a song protesting police brutality. Paras Griffin/Getty Images hide caption
Nubya Garcia's latest single "Pace" is all about diving into the many layers of joy. Adama Jalloh/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Pusha T performs at the 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in April 2019. Push's latest single, "Coming Home" is on this week's Heat Check. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption
Bon Iver's i,i appears on NPR Music's best albums of August. Graham Tolbert/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Melina Duterte is otherwise known as Jay Som. Her latest album, Anak Ko, is on our shortlist of the best releases out Aug. 23. Ebru Yildiz/Courtesy of the artists hide caption
WALKING LIKE A PANTHER: Rapsody celebrates the legacy of black women with Eve, out August 23. Jose Gongora/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
CATCH THE WAVE: Rapsody returns with her third full-length, Eve, on August 24. YouTube Screenshot by NPR/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
St. Vincent performs at O2 Apollo Manchester in October 2017 in Manchester, England. Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage/Getty Images hide caption
Rapsody released Laila's Wisdom, her sophomore album and first since partnering with Jay-Z's Roc Nation, in September. Roc Nation/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
NPR Music's top five albums of the year. (Clockwise from upper left) Process by Sampha, DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar, Melodrama by Lorde, Crtl by SZA and Capacity by Big Thief. Courtesy of the artists hide caption
Rapsody's new album, Laila's Wisdom, comes out Sept. 22. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Anheuser-Busch hide caption