Got It Made

The Oakland native had yet to be born when Too $hort debuted in ’85, but the funky, freaky spirit of her hometown’s rap history is at the core of Kamaiyah’s music. After years of label drama and delays, *Got It Made* is independently released, and the rapper’s sense of relief is visceral: “I love myself, I trust myself, I don’t need nobody else,” she crows on “Pressure.” Kamaiyah holds her own across the 10 laidback slappers here, but the handful of features are A1: Trina is the perfect foil on “Set It Up,” a strong contender for 2020’s best song about slashing your man’s tires, and when Too $hort himself pops in to talk his shit on “1-800-IM-Horny,” the cipher is complete.

Free of her stifling major-label contract, the Bay Area rapper sounds rejuvenated, delivering fiery screeds on self-reliance of all sorts.

Record label drama, personal loss and creative blocks have placed more than a few obstacles in Kamaiyah's way since her acclaimed 2016 debut...