April 5th, 2006
Psalm One
Key release: 2005's Bio: Chemistry II: Esters And Essays; a forthcoming Rhymesayers debut
Hometown: Chicago
Psalm One's story is the familiar tale of a hungry young hip-hopper torn between the excitement of performing and recording and the irresistible lure of a life in chemistry. Okay, so her story's a little atypical… like most everything else about her. After graduating from college, Psalm One worked in a lab, but she quit to pursue a career in hip-hop, both as a solo artist and as part of the defunct crew Nacrobats.
After garnering substantial buzz with independent releases, ingratiating live shows, an appealingly down-to-earth B-girl-next-door persona, and opening slots for labelmates MF Doom and Brother Ali, Psalm One hooked up with indie-rap powerhouse Rhymesayers, which is set to release an as-yet-untitled album later this year, with production from Atmosphere producer Ant and up-and-coming Chicagoans Thaione Davis and Overflo.
On two of her favorite tracks from her new album:
"'Rap Star' is the single. It's extremely tongue-in-cheek, a "Look at me, I'm going to be a big star" sort of thing. It underlines the message that you can be a backpacker and still appreciate mainstream music, and vice versa. In terms of hip-hop, you don't have to be one or the other. Then with "Macaroni & Cheese"—you'll have to excuse my French, but a lot of it is shit-talking. I do make really good macaroni and cheese, so I've got a girl singing about that. It's funny. It makes me giggle, anyway."
On her unusual career path:
"I was a chemist for two years. That was academically a dream of mine. It was fun for a while, but eventually, the rap thing was calling me more."
On who's the New What's Next:
"I like P.O.S. from my camp, if I can give a cheap plug. I like Longshot from Chicago. I think Ghostface might blow up even more this year." —Nathan Rabin
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