Song You Need: Nappy Nina and JusMoni get real on “Prayer Posture”

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Nappy Nina has been prolific ever since her 2015 debut tape, Naptime. Last week, the Oakland-born emcee delivered her fourth studio album, Morning Due with Brooklyn-based and artist-run label LucidHaus, following her two 2019 records The Tree Act and Dumb Doubt as well as her collaborative album with JWords, Double Down.

With jazz in her genealogy, the musician and poet moved to Brooklyn around a decade ago and found artistic camaraderie with JWords, maassai, and other hip-hop acts that were drawn to the genre. Recognized for her breezy flow, warm intonation, and sincere songwriting, Nappy Nina now presents a two-minute psalm with "Prayer Posture," featuring Seattle singer-songwriter JusMoni and produced by frequent Pink Siifu collaborator Nelson Bandela.

Nappy Nina and JusMoni complement each other effortlessly on the track as they ponder life's tumultuousness. "I'm questioning ends, enjoy the broke," Nina spits. "Shit won't last on some quarter notes / I may laugh but I'm hoarding hope and reading my homies' horoscopes." JusMoni's presence adds symmetry: "I feel like the worlds on fire, none of us know how to swim / Pushed back but I'm crazy now, tryna figure out my ends / Been out in the world for a while now, should probably learn how to swim." With an austere focus, the two artists express what it feels like to throw a Hail Mary when you're drowning, in both desperation and the satisfaction of having made the attempt at all.