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''Laila's Wisdom'' is the second studio album by American rapper Rapsody, released on September 22, 2017, by Jamla Records and Roc Nation. It is Rapsody's first album released under her partnership with Roc Nation. The album features collaborations with Kendrick Lamar (with whom Rapsody had previously collaborated on '' To Pimp a Butterfly''),
Anderson .Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...
,
Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...
, Lance Skiiiwalker, Black Thought,
BJ the Chicago Kid Bryan James Sledge (born November 23, 1984), better known by his stage name BJ the Chicago Kid (or simply BJ), is an American singer and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. Sledge is best known for frequently collaborating with Top Dawg Entertainm ...
, and Musiq Soulchild, among others.


Background

The album is Rapsody's first following her signing with Roc Nation in 2016, and follows her mixtape ''Crown'' (2016). Rapsody has previously collaborated with several of the guests on the record, including Kendrick Lamar, who she collaborated with on the track "Complexion (A Zulu Love)" from Lamar's 2015 album '' To Pimp a Butterfly'', which is credited with gaining Rapsody wider attention than she had had previously. Lamar also rapped on the track "Rock the Bells" from her 2011 mixtape ''For Everything''. Rapsody also appeared on
Anderson .Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...
's album '' Malibu'', on "Without You". Paak also appeared on ''Crown''. In early September, Rapsody released "You Should Know" by Busta Rhymes as the first song from the album. In an
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
post, Rhymes called the album "the best album I've heard not only from a female MC but in Hip hop period as well that I've personally had a chance to hear from top to bottom in its entirety that I've probably in the last 10yrs ". The guest appearances for the album were revealed in a video featuring Rapsody in a mural surrounded by the guests that appear on the record.


Critical reception

''Laila's Wisdom'' received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 87, based on seven reviews. Michael J. Warren of ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' called it Rapsody's best work, as well as "the best amongst her peers, the sort of album that transcends the lane she was in beforehand, transcends whatever antiquated gender biases may still permeate the genre and puts her in the same category as your favourite rapper (who's now clamouring for a Rapsody feature)." Jesse Fairfax of '' HipHopDX'' found that "Rapsody evolves on this latest album—increasingly comfortable revealing a wide range of personal facets while developing into an apt storyteller." Writing for '' XXL'', Peter A. Berry described the album as "a smooth, cohesive and powerfully insightful effort." In his review for AllMusic, writer Andy Kellman praised Rapsody's progression on the album, writing that "'Laila's Wisdom' is Evans' lyrically broadest and musically richest work, yet it doesn't have the sprawling quality of the first album. There's a finer, detail-filled shape to it, from the 'Young, Gifted, and Black' (Aretha)-sampling title track to 'Jesus Coming,' an astonishing finale in which Evans relates the aftermath of a playground tragedy from multiple perspectives."


Accolades

The album received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song.


Track listing

Track listing and credits adapted from Tidal. ;Notes * Amber Navaran, Max Bryk, and Andris Mattison are collectively credited as Moonchild, their band name, for their feature on "Nobody".


Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. * Rapsody – lead vocals , engineering * 9th Wonder – engineering , recording arranger , additional vocals *
Anderson .Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...
– additional vocals * Black Thought – additional vocals * Gwen Bunn – vocals, vocal arranger *
Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...
– vocals * Coup de Grace – guitar, piano, recording arranger * Eric G – recording arranger * Ka$h Don't Make Beats – engineering * Khrysis – engineering * Terrace Martin – keyboards , recording arranger , saxophone , synthesizer , vocals * Merna – additional vocals * Musiq Soulchild – additional vocals * Amber Navaran – vocals * Max Bryk – keyboards * Andris Mattison – keyboards * James Poyser – keyboards * Taylor Jon Shepard – additional keyboards * Heather Victoria – additional vocals * Marlon Williams – string arranger , guitar, recording arranger * Young Guru – engineering


Charts


References

{{Authority control 2017 albums Albums produced by 9th Wonder Albums produced by Khrysis Albums produced by Nottz Rapsody albums Roc Nation albums