In today’s generation, female rappers are finally getting the recognition they deserve. Insert [Saint Bodhi](https://www.instagram.com/st.bodhi/?hl=en) from South Central Los Angeles, who can spit bars just like the greats. One spin of any of her records, and listeners will immediately fall in love with her vivid storytelling, braggadocious punchlines, and undeniable flow—attached with a firecracker spirit and witty sense of humor that fans can’t help but fall in love with.
Kicking off the new year on a high note, Bodhi unleashed the first-ever [_MAD WORLD The Podtape_](https://www.datpiff.com/Saint-Bodhi-Mad-World-PodTape-mixtape.1004235.html), hosted by [journalist, on-camera host, and A&R Shirley Ju](https://www.instagram.com/shirju/) and mixed and composed by [Salva.](https://www.instagram.com/salvabeats) An idea born from Byze One, Radio & Marketing Veteran and CEO of Word Lyfe Promotion, the mastermind behind the world’s first ever mixtape and podcast combined in one.
Bodhi states, “I feel like we just made history, that shit is fire as fuck and everybody needs to listen to it. We’re starting a new journey. I know everybody low-key about to copy our shit. \[laughs\]”
Released via Def Jam, the 13-track project takes Bodhi’s original _MAD WORLD_ EP and intertwines audio from an exclusive interview between Ju and Bodhi, with Salva flipping it into a cross between old school hip-hop and GTA-theme. Bodhi adds, “I love Salva. Salva’s become like a brother to me. Our hearts connect with each other and he’s a genius. It’s easy, he makes it easy working with him.”
Pulling from her knock for storytelling in her music, Bodhi reminds us there’s a part of her that’s not commercial, promising to take you on some form of journey. The crazy part is she only started rapping 3 years ago, previously on a road into becoming a pop star doing pop and alternative music.
Inspired by the likes of Nina Simone, Knedrick Lamar, and Drake, Bodhi explains, “I felt I could rap, then all of a sudden I started fucking rapping. It’s cool because I can translate my thoughts better like that. Without having a melody, I can go deep into myself.”
A standout record from the podtape is “Brand New” featuring Los Angeles’ own Boogie, which Bodhi explains was an actual trial — having to choose between being a credit card scammer or being an artist. Another is the “MAD WORLD Freestyle,” which was also an idea inspired by Byze. She states, “Personally, I was trying to not be a fucking demon. I be having to get my shit together ‘cause I be ready man. I’m this weird balance of being a good person and a bad person. I’m still a nut job.”
Salva adds, “The whole shit is your guys’ interview interwoven with the tracks, I cut it up so it’s a track by track breakdown. My hobby is GTA mods. On the PC, I hack GTA and put my own shit in there. I thought ‘yo, let me do this video of the _Mad World_.’ We did the’Mad World Freestyle’ together, we were kicking it. It’s fun. It’s a hack, it’s not legal. I use their intellectual property so it’s not a real video, but it was fun to edit.”
If there’s one thing she hopes listeners to take away from the podtape, it’s that she will always be transparent—promising that throughout her whole career, they can always count on her being very, very honest… and Salva feels the same sentiment.
Speaking on their friendship, Salva states, “For sure, she doesn’t take no shit. I need that energy right now because I’ve been locked in the pandemic. We’ve all been locked in. She does her shit. She’s really eclectic and that’s how I am as an artist. That’s why I’m not some producer because I never championed rap music or just this or that.”
But Bodhi has bigger plans, she’s ready to bring her musical talents into the film and television world. Most recently, she had the pleasure of working with Def Jam and Marvel on writing her own mini-stories for Storm, creating her own story for the character. She even jokes about quitting music and diving into her actual dreams. She states, “I’m low-key a nerd. All I do is play video games and fucking watch sci-fi movies, go off in space.”
Bodhi is currently working on writing her own sci-fi film, in hopes of bringing her musical talents into the film world and becoming a director. On the music tip, fans can expect a new record titled “Like That Bitch."
