Rhapsody is the second album by Mr. Mike

Mr. Mike

Mike Walls , better known as Mr. Mike, is an American rapper best known for his time spent with Suave House Records from the mid to late 90s....

, released on September 7, 1999 through Priority Records

Priority Records

Priority Records is an American record label, owned and operated by EMI, which has made a name for itself dealing primarily in hip hop, pop and world...

. The album was mainly produced by Mr. Mike and Battlecat

Battlecat (producer)

Kevin Gilliam, better know by his stage name Battlecat, is an American hip hop producer from Long Beach, California.-Biography:He is well known for producing artists such as Snoop Dogg, The Game, Xzibit and Tha Eastsidaz along with a number of other West Coast rappers...

, though Fredwreck

Fredwreck

Farid Karam Nassar, better known as Fredwreck is a record producer from Los Angeles, California. He got his big break when he became a producer for Dr. Dre's newly founded Aftermath Records label, and went on to work with Snoop Dogg's record label Dogghouse Records and became a known producer on...

 produced "How Tha South Was Won".

Background

After his successful 1996 debut Wicked Wayz

Wicked Wayz

Wicked Wayz is the debut album by Mr. Mike, released on July 30, 1996 through Suave House Records. Most of the album was produced by Suave House's production team, Smoke One Productions, while production duo E-A-Ski & CMT produced six tracks....

, Mr. Mike left his label Suave House

Suave House Records

Suave House Records, better known as The Legendary Suave House, is a record label located in Houston, Texas founded by Tony Draper. In April 2008, Suave House signed a joint venture deal with Koch . The label's first release under the partnership was an Eightball & MJG Greatest Hits album titled We...

 and signed with Priority

Priority Records

Priority Records is an American record label, owned and operated by EMI, which has made a name for itself dealing primarily in hip hop, pop and world...

, where he began work on this album. Though Mr. Mike took a lengthy amount of time to complete the album, he worked on the album for almost two years, the album failed to become a commercial success and only made it to 172 on the Billboard 200

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

, a farcry from his previous effort which peaked at 29.

Along with a single, a music video was released for "Texas 2000", though it failed to make it to the Billboard charts.

Reception

Though not as commercially successful as Wicked Wayz, Rhapsody did gain a positive review from Allmusic. Allmusic's Keith Farley gave it four stars out of a possible five and called it a "solid balance of groove and reflection that works well for fans of either mood" and credited "Texas 2000", "Why Fall in Love with the Struggle" and "How Tha South Was Won" as the album's highlights.

Track listing

1. "Intro"- 1:38
2. "Rhapsody"- 4:05
3. "Texas 2000 (Give 'Em What They Want)" - 4:11
4. "It's a Shame"- 3:59
5. "Ghetto Strain"- 4:06
6. "Gasoline Station"- :33
7. "Why Fall in Love With the Struggle"- 3:57 (featuring Mack 10
   Mack 10
   Dedrick Rolison, , better known by his stage name Mack 10 is an American rapper and actor. He was a member of hip hop trio Westside Connection, along with Ice Cube and WC...
   
   )
8. "Come on Everybody"- 5:15
9. "Killing Fields"- 4:30
10. "How Tha South Was Won"- 4:08
11. "Partners in Crime"- 4:12
12. "What da Deal Iz"- 4:07
13. "Don't Nobody Really Care"- 3:55
14. "Know One Knows"- 4:58
15. "Play the Cards I Was Given"- 4:01 (featuring Ras Kass
    Ras Kass
    John Austin IV, better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is also a part of hip hop supergroup The HRSMN along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt...
    
    )
16. "Every Time I Close My Eyes"- 4:37

Charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
Billboard 200	172
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop	36

Personnel

• Battlecat - Producer, Mixing
• Dah-Dah - Producer
• Manuel J. Donayre - Artwork, Art Direction, Design, Digital Artwork
• William Hames - Photography
• Gerardo Hernandez - Producer, Mixing
• Mack 10 - Performer
• Mike B. - Producer

• Mr. Mike - Vocals, Producer, Liner Notes, Executive Producer, Mixing
• Fredwreck Nassar - Producer
• Ras Kass - Performer
• Art Shoji - Art Direction
• Kris Solem - Mastering
• Marvin Watkins - Executive Producer