A Girl Cried Red

Editors’ Notes If you’re familiar with 1992 Deluxe, which gave shouts to Emily the Strange and sleeping in cemeteries, you already know Princess Nokia isn’t your average rapper. A Girl Cried Red is a needle-scratch moment for the underground MC as she trades raw bars for raw feelings. One of the New York native's best lines—“Smash my heart in pieces/It looks so good on the floor”—becomes a recurring, jet-black motif that floats through some of the songs. “Morphine,” “For the Night,” and “Little Angel” smoothly merge hip-hop and delicate emo, touched by simple guitar and heartfelt confessionals.