AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
What does God look like? The rapper Marlanna Evans, who goes by Rapsody, contemplates this profound question on her latest album.
RAPSODY: God could have a beard and curly hair. God could have locks. God could have a mullet. God could have a shaved bald head. You know, God is all around us.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OMG! (LOVE TO SUN RA)")
RAPSODY: (Rapping) It feels far from my mind's eye. We should see God in ourselves and in one another. The divine is not limited to one race. It feels done.
RASCOE: Rapsody's album is called "God Gotta Afro & Gold Hoops." It's her fifth album. On it, the Grammy Award-winning rapper meditates on spirituality, personal growth and finding enlightenment. Rapsody talked to us about one of the songs on the album, "OMG!"
RAPSODY: When I was making "Oh My God!" I wanted to go deeper into why I named the album "God Gotta Afro & Gold Hoops." And it's not to say that God is a woman or God has an afro or God is this. It's more so of God is bigger than any of us could really comprehend and imagine. But also in that light, like, see yourself in that reflection. I see God as love. I see God as patience. I see God as purpose.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OMG! (LOVE TO SUN RA)")
RAPSODY: (Rapping) Space look like peace of mind and tequila, sounds like "No One In This World" by Anita. I'm the type that sit in the car, parked in the yard, staring at the stars like tryna find Baby Jesus.
I do not consider myself a Christian rapper. I don't like labels at all. I'm just a truth teller. I talk about God a lot in my music, but I talk about a lot of things. I talk about politics. I talk about life. And this album has been a reflection of being my most free self that I've ever been. I went through this period of trying to fit in boxes that were never meant for me when we talk about a mainstream level and what's heavily marketed as this is what hip-hop is. It should only be in the club, and, you know, women in it, you know, they should look like this. Like, where do I fit?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OMG! (LOVE TO SUN RA)")
RAPSODY: (Rapping) Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my god. Oh, my God.
I have been shaped by so much, and I just wanted to let it go and ask myself, what are the things do I love? So I go to Ghana. I learn about the Ashanti tribe. I go to the botanical gardens, and I'm learning so much rich history and culture. And I think that is really instrumental too in me returning to this self and understanding this is who I've always been.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OMG! (LOVE TO SUN RA)")
RAPSODY: (Rapping) Darling, come with me to outer space to discover that inner-sacred cosmic place where God and man are one, no division or separation, only unity and harmony, yeah. Activate that ancestral power within, defining gift and third eye open. You're unstoppable, yeah. It's time to be the light and magic you seek without an ounce of hesitation or apology, yeah. The Atomic Dog welcomes...
To any human having a human experience that feels lost in this world, sometimes you have to unplug and plug into yourself. Sit in silence. You write down, you know, your name. Write down the things that make you happy. Write down the dreams that you have because a lot of what we're walking in is manipulation and illusion, and it's not real. So you have to ask yourself, what is real in your world, and your body will tell you how it feels.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FREE YO' MIND")
RAPSODY: (Rapping) Freedom. You just gotta let it go. Let it go, let it go, let it go
I would say the most uplifting song on this record that speaks to that is "Free Yo' Mind." Like, I have to set myself free and just exist and feel and learn and talk and, you know, be with God and look at myself in a reflection and ask, who are you? Who do you want to be? And walk in that walk. And nobody else can define that. Nobody else can walk your walk. This is a solo mission.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FREE YO' MIND")
RAPSODY: (Rapping) Freedom like Frederick. Freedom like. I turn them chains to a necklace. I turn 'em. My genius a weapon. I wept in these hands from the joy of me sharing my message. On God. Yeah, believe I got time. On God. No throwing me off, Barry Bonds. On God. My free will and me got a bond was written by law. Yeah, bish mi Allah. C'est la vie. Come on. All I want for me is for me to be free, so maybe I should cut some ties. I should put me first. I should free my mind, then maybe.
Everybody is, I think, on the walk to really finding peace within themselves and truth and, you know, understanding of the world and how they fit in it. And it looks different, and it sounds different. And, you know, the music I make, I just want it to be like a lighthouse for people to find their way back to themselves.
RASCOE: That's the musician Rapsody. Her latest album is called "God Gotta Afro & Gold Hoops."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FREE YO' MIND")
RAPSODY: (Rapping) Wanna know light, the Scripture. Wanna live the writings of Invictus. I am unconquerable. The minister... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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