Rapsody is hella vulnerable in “Please Don’t Cry.”
STREAM
TOP 5
5. Raw (Ft. Lil Wayne)
Lil Wayne when he’s rapping seriously and not insulting Nikola Jokic >
Can I ask you a serious question? If Lil Wayne is widely considered a top 5 rapper of all time and Rapsody holds her own against him in “Raw,” does that make Rapsody at least a top 6 rapper? While you’ll love Lil Wayne’s tone-setting verse, packed with clever punchlines about rawness, competitiveness, and sexual innuendos, Rapsody elevates the track with her crafty verse highlighting her natural beauty, strong mentality, and carefree expression of raw emotions. Her ability to maintain a consistent cadence is unbelievable.
4. Back In My Bag
Rapsody is Godly in “Back In My Bag.”
F**k all the conscience s**t, “Back In My Bag” is pure ass-kicking music. Gassed by this triumphant, thumping beat that gives me “The Devil Is A Lie” by Rick Ross and Jay-Z vibes, Rapsody takes mad shots like Luka, puts herself on a pedestal, and showcases her competitive side. What I love is that she makes every single word she delivers hit hard as hell without compromising her stable, consistent flow.
When the beat switched, I stood up and applauded, bro.
3. Asteroids (Ft. Hit-Boy)
“When you’re this raw, they listen to you with an erection.”
While I hate that Rapsody doesn’t get the credit she deserves for killing s**t, her lack of credit-receiving keeps her hungrier than someone who just finished eating a nasty Taylor Gourmet sandwich. That said, in “Asteroids,” she finds clever ways to mention that she’s underpaid, not respected enough, and realer than the chances of my Jets winning the Super Bowl. As expected, Rapsody shoves through the somewhat gentle Hit-Boy beat that drives everything, hitting us with aggressive deliveries and punchlines galore. After you’re done listening to the track, you’ll put mad respect on her name.
2. Faith
Who’s cutting onions in the bando?
Behind closed doors, I’m telling people that “Faith” is my favorite track on this album. It’s deep as hell, it has strong emotional vibes, and most importantly, it ties the album together beautifully. Once the beat fully drops and Rapsody plows through it, delivering deep lyrics about her resilience, it will make you close your eyes and praise God for your ability to hear.
1. 3:AM (Ft. Erykah Badu)
Oh s**t, Rapsody got Erykah Badu talking that s**t in 3:AM. Awww sookie sookie now!
To me, this is the best track on this album, and it’s not particularly close. I love its slick, jazzy production, Erykah Badu’s incredibly sensual chorus, and the way Rapsody delivers relatable romantic lyrics that blend heartwarming, witty, and vulnerable sentiments with a touch of exaggeration. All in all, this track is a total vibe.
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SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN
1. She’s Expecting You (Ft. Phylicia Rashad) (N/A)
2. Marianna (4/5)
3. Asteroids (Ft. Hit-Boy) (5/5)
4. Look What You’ve Done (4/5)
5. DND (It’s Not Personal) (Ft. Bee-B) (4.5/5)
6. Black Popstar (Ft. DIXSON) (4/5)
7. Stand Tall (4/5)
8. That One Time (4/5)
9. 3:AM (Ft. Erykah Badu) (5/5)
10. Loose Rocks (Ft. Alex Isley) (5/5)
11. Diary of a Mad Bitch (Ft. Bibi Bourelly) (4/5)
12. Never Enough (Ft. Keznamdi and Nicole Bus) (4/5)
13. He Shot Me (4.5/5)
14. God’s Light (4/5)
15. Back In My Bag (4.5/5)
16. Niko’s Interlude (Ft. Niko Brim) (4.5/5)
17. Raw (Ft. Lil Wayne) (4.5/5)
18. Lonely Woman (3/5)
19. A Ballad For Homegirls (Ft. Baby Tate) (4.5/5)
20. Please Don’t Cry Interlude (Ft. Phylicia Rashad) (N/A)
21. Faith (5/5)
22. Forget Me Not (Ft. Amber Navran & Phylicia Rashad) (4/5)
RGM RATING
(B)
Let me get this out of the way immediately: Rapsody doesn’t make bad music, so you won’t be wasting your time listening to Please Don’t Cry. However, her music caters to a very specific audience, so don’t expect a lot of commercial tracks or wild experimentation. That said, Please Don’t Cry is the most quintessential Rapsody album yet.
The very first thing you need to appreciate about Please Don’t Cry is Rapsody’s lyrics. Throughout the album, she addresses the growing pains of being a single black woman rapper who likely doesn’t receive the respect she deserves. While she generally exudes confidence and profound introspection, she also reveals genuine moments of struggling with self-assurance. This is what it sounds like when you’re being honest with yourself and not hiding behind facades.
As expected, Rapsody is phenomenal on this album (after all, “rap” is in her name). I love how she doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to MCing; instead, she delivers punchlines meant to be internalized rather than overly hyped, prioritizes conciseness over rapid flows, and knows when to turn it up a notch in response to the production. She treats the production exactly how an artist should.
Rapsody shows she’s the truth by telling her truths. Do you understand how empowering that is?
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
