Rapsody's 2019 Eve album celebrated inspirational black women that helped break down barriers for the North Carolina MC to pursue her rap dreams. With the PJ Morton-assisted "Afeni," an ode to the mother of Tupac Shakur, Rapsody salutes the late activist. She returned Friday (Jan. 10) to unleash the track's visual by dissecting themes of black motherhood and misogyny.
The clip starts with vocals from Shakur's "Keep Ya Head Up," which is one of Rapsody's all-time favorite songs, and goes on to tell a love story similar to that of Pac's tale. A woman is shown alone walking the beach on the edge of the ocean, as the scene switches to her meeting another man in the middle of an open field.
The couple quickly falls in love, but things take a turn for the worse when they get into a heated argument that leaves the female lead in tears. She then finds out that she's pregnant, which uplifts and heals her spirit, as she raises her baby alone with a new outlook on life. A fitting ending of the Cam Be-directed video finds her happily back on the same beach running alongside her son.
Speaking to Billboard in 2019, Rapsody refreshingly defined her purpose in hip-hop. "I want to remind people that being a woman is a beautiful thing, and it's a part of you, but it's not all you are," the Laila's Wisdom rapper said. "You can just be dope without having to just be about your gender. No matter where you're from, no matter what gender you are, religion you are, you can be dope. I want to inspire people to find themselves and to love themselves and never let nobody box you in."
Watch the "Afeni" video below.
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