The task of honoring the efforts of other women pioneers did not fall on Rapsody alone, however, the way he did it on his new album Eve, you get the feeling that he was fed a full platoon court ration. His conviction is no clearer than the “Nina” proper award for the last singer / iconoclast, the classic sample “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” in a very purposeful manner.
“Nina” starts with an introductory part of Simone, taken from the 1965 singer album, Pastel Blues. By setting the bar on such a level, Rapsody can attract an intelligent crowd to its recordings. In the opening bar, Raps makes a candle about the historicity of Emmett Till. He talked about Henry Louis Gates, one of America’s newest “public intellectuals” who was also a colored person. In fact, the whole song acts as a collection of historical footnotes incorporated into the music. Be sure to view the full album (here) after you are done with the “Nina” music video. Comments below.