In the premiere episode of the HBO Max comedy Rap Sh!t, executive producer Issa Rae's first major project post-Insecure, Shawna (Aida Osman), a socially conscious rapper, fervently announces her retirement from the rap game.
Never mind that she's a relatively unknown 20-something artist who's barely stepped foot in the game to begin with – after dropping out of college to work with a producer, she's found only fleeting, minor viral success, and that was ... two years ago. She's done. Out. Over an industry that only values female rappers who show off all their assets while putting in the "bare minimum with no originality."
