Originally published in Verbicide issue #20

The rise of Psalm One to respected rap artist isn’t what you’d call typical.

As an only child growing up on Chicago’s south side, Psalm — aka Cristalle Bowen — dabbled in music, picking up saxophone and singing in the church choir, but her real passions laid elsewhere.

Psalm wanted to grow up to be just like Bill Nye the Science Guy.

“I’m sitting in front of the television as a latchkey kid, right? And Bill, you know the science dude, Nye, comes on and slams into his chem bench. He then produces smoke from liquid. I was hooked ever since.”

When not in the lab working towards her chemistry degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Psalm practiced her rhymes, and in 2002 wound up self-releasing an (aptly titled) debut, Bio:Chemistry.

With smart — often sardonic — lyrics set to tasty beats, it wasn’t long before Psalm won an underground following. She went on to earn her chops with the emcee collective Nacrobats, and in 2004 signed with Rhymesayers Entertainment, home to hip-hop heavyweights MF Doom and Atmosphere, among others.

Trading in her Bunsen burner for a mic is proving to be a successful move for Psalm, one that she says wouldn’t have been possible without support from friends.

“No one ever really taught me how to rap, I just did it a little bit and displayed it every now and then to really close friends. They encouraged me. I was fragile back then and I probably would have stopped if someone told me I sucked,” says Psalm, who counts Snoop Dogg and Prince among her biggest musical influences.

Despite her own moniker, Psalm considers herself less religious now than she once was: “I grew up believing I was [very religious] and I still have a relationship with God, but I don’t preach.”

Well, maybe not preach, but Psalm definitely knows how to speak her mind. That righteousness comes across loud and clear on her second full-length release, The Death of Frequent Flyer, particularly when on the track “Rapper Girls” Psalm takes some not-so-subtle shots at female rappers who rely on their bodies to sell music.

Still, Psalm is quick to clarify she’s no uptight goody-goody; it’s just that she has been deliberate about making a name for herself based on talent, not some sexed-up image.

“I’m a dirty old lady with a pottymouth and a libido,” she admits. “Yet, I’ve always been an emcee first,” says Psalm, who is currently in the midst of a packed tour schedule with fellow-Rhymesayer Brother Ali — and loving it. “So far every night has gotten consistently better…kicking it off in Duluth, Minnesota was surprisingly fun.

“I always get a kind of nervous feeling that tells me I’m getting ready to go on. I ‘channel’ it, as we like to say in the ‘biz’…by the second song I’d have looked a gang of kids in the eye, so I feel a vibe and I’m good to go.”

Traversing the country, Psalm is accepting the idea of being seen as a role model for future young female rappers.

“The prospect of that now doesn’t necessarily bother me, as long as I’m taken not-too-seriously at all times,” she says. “A girl asked me once what she should do about her image and I told her, ‘either buy a thong, or practice.’”