The Idea of Beautiful

For the last several years, North Carolina's Rapsody has been steadily dropping quality projects, including Return of the B-Girl and The Black Mamba. Down with 9th Wonder's Jamla Records, she returns with The Idea of Beautiful, giving us another batch of exceptionally smooth tracks that showcase her lyrical gifts. While many female rappers focus on their bedroom schools and designer-label preferences, Rapsody goes the other way, with autobiographical stories about life and love and triumph and struggle, delivered over chilled-out, sample-centric beats from the usual suspects (9th, Khrysis, Eric G, AMP, and others). Ideal for fans of Jean Grae, Bahamadia, Ladybug, and staHHr, this is great. Guests include Raheem DeVaughn and Alb-Soul ("NonFiction"), Mac Miller and The Cool Kids ("RoundTable Discussion"), and BJ the Chicago Kid ("Good Good Love"). Don't miss "Kind of Love" and "Believe Me."