Issa Rae Celebrates 'Rap Sh*t Soundtrack,' & Talks Taking Pride in Creating A Show That Represents "The Now"

Photo credit: Getty Images courtesy of Raedio

The 305 is Live, it’s a Bad B*tch Renaissance, there’s “Nann Badder” and it’s certainly a time to “Seduce & Scheme” with the success of HBO Max’s fan-favorite show Rap Sh*t and now with the release of the show’s ‘Rap Sh*t: Soundtrack.’

On Wednesday, August 24, 2022 Raedio celebrated the ‘Rap Sh*t:Soundtrack’ in Los Angeles with an intimate “Friends and Family” event with Issa Rae, the show’s cast members and the Raedio family.

The night featured great hors d’oeuvres, custom Rap Sh*t cocktails, sounds by the one and only DJ Rtistic, and gifts of custom Levi’s jackets that featured embroidery of classic sayings inspired by the show and soundtrack.

Those in attendance were also entertained by performances from both the cast members and featured soundtrack artists.

“It’s an incredible feeling to finally release Rap Sh*t into the world and have it be so well received,” said creator and executive producer Issa Rae. “Music is the soul of the show and our official soundtrack not only represents our characters but is a love letter to Miami and its unique sounds.”

Executive produced by Rae, the first season’s LP will feature fan-favorite tracks like “Seduce & Scheme” and second single “Nann Badder” from Shawna & Mia (played by Aida Osman & KaMillion) as well as new, original material from Dreezy, Tokyo Jetz, Jean Deaux, BEAM, and Raedio acts TeaMarr, NCognita and many more.

“The development of the soundtrack has been months in the making, as many of the songs are a result of Camp Raedio,” said Benoni Tagoe, president of Raedio.

“The songwriting camp was held in Miami and designed as a creative space to allow artists and songwriters to create original music for the show and soundtrack. We’re excited with the final result and can’t wait for fans to hear the full LP,” said Xtina Prince, Raedio’s head of label and publishing.

AllHipHop’s Rea Davis caught up with Issa Rae to discuss the hit show, its music and more.

AllHipHop: How does it feel to have created all of this amazing content that is culturally relevant, relatable and praised?

Issa Rae: I’m really grateful that people are messing with the show; they’re rocking with the music. It feels great for people to see the fruits of the entire team’s labor. This has been such a collaborative process through and through, and you know, it’s a dream come true.

AllHipHop: What’s your favorite thing about Rap Sh*t?

Issa Rae: My favorite thing has to be the music. Like I love Shawna & Mia as a group. I love their chemistry. I love the songs that they’ve created by way of the collaboration of Raedio and the songwriters that we chose and the producers, and I just love that it represents the now. Like I felt like I set out to do a show that represents this very moment, and I feel like it does just that.

AllHipHop: Do you have your acceptance speech ready for when you take home the 2022 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series?

Issa Rae: It’s a lot of great talent there. I’m not counting on anything. I’m rooting for everybody. I’m lowkey rooting for Quinta. I love her so much. To be able to revive network sitcoms. No one was checking for network sitcoms. All that to say, I’m proud of everybody, but I have no expectations.