A Girl Cried Red

If you’re familiar with <i>1992 Deluxe</i>, which gave shouts to Emily the Strange and sleeping in cemeteries, you already know Princess Nokia isn’t your average rapper. <i>A Girl Cried Red</i> is a needle-scratch moment for the underground MC as she trades raw bars for raw feelings. One of the New York native's best lines—“Smash my heart in pieces/It looks so good on the floor”—becomes a recurring, jet-black motif that floats through some of the songs. “Morphine”, “For the Night” and “Little Angel” smoothly merge hip-hop and delicate emo, touched by simple guitar and heartfelt confessionals.