Skip to player
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Bookmark
Share
Add to Playlist
Report
Rapsody Shares How She Made the 3 AM" Music Video With Erykah Badu | How It Went Down | Billboard
Billboard
Follow
5/3/2024
In today’s episode of ‘How It Went Down,’ Rapsody shares why she decided to name her new song "3 AM," how she filmed the live performance music video with Erykah Badu and more!
Category
🎵
Music
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
I'm Rapsody and this is how I went down with my new single 3AM.
00:03
Getting to the final lyrical version of 3AM was a process.
00:17
First verse was actually lyrics that I pulled from another song that I had.
00:21
Regardless, when I was talking about love, I wanted to pull from a real authentic place.
00:26
You make me feel like a version, a new person. You make me pull back the curtains.
00:30
I'm not afraid to share what you would hurt me.
00:32
You know, I was really thinking about a relationship that I was in and the emotions
00:36
that I was feeling. It was just really raw and real and it just kind of poured out.
00:42
I took those lyrics and spit them over the version of 3AM beat and it just felt really good.
00:49
The last verse, which is actually performed as a spoken word piece,
00:53
I wanted to talk about the whole journey of love. You fall in love and then you fall out of love.
00:58
What that feels like. Where you can appreciate the experience. You can appreciate how you feel.
01:03
At the same time, sometimes you have to put yourself first and it requires letting go.
01:08
And that was just really the approach of it. You know, the last verse is super emotional though.
01:12
You know, you're like my second adolescence. Like, come on.
01:17
[Music]
01:25
The day that we recorded it, I remember again why I wanted to name it 3AM.
01:30
He played it and at the time it was just a piano that he had and that's kind of what I wrote to.
01:36
And once I wrote to it, we built around that. Like I gave it to him. I recorded it
01:41
in his studio and he built around it. When it came to him, he was like,
01:43
what are you going to call it? 3AM is such a special hour for me. But also on Pinterest,
01:49
I saw like these phrases and it says, I want to know the 3AM version of you.
01:53
Vulnerable, honest and real. And that's what this song felt like to me. Vulnerable,
01:59
honest and real. So I was like, you know, let's call it 3AM.
02:03
[Music]
02:09
The unofficial music video for 3AM. It was super fun. Scheduling wise, I know I wanted to have a
02:15
visual for it, but we wanted to do something really special that I felt like we needed,
02:19
I needed anyway, more time. Erykah Badu was doing her 53rd birthday bash. So, you know,
02:25
I always knew that I was going to go because I wanted, I love celebrating her and celebrating
02:29
her life. The night before the show, we had a rehearsal and she and I went to her rehearsal
02:34
studio with her band and we ran through the song a few times because this will be our first time
02:39
ever performing it, which I needed, you know. Day of the show, the energy was just, it's always
02:45
beautiful at her show. Like we're celebrating her life, family's there, friends there, Dallas,
02:49
Texas is there. And after she was finished with her set, she called everybody back on stage.
02:54
She introduced the record and we performed it live for the first time. So when you see it,
02:59
you're seeing the very first version of a performance she and I have ever done together
03:06
and done of this song, 3AM. So it was a special night for me.
Recommended
3:58
|
Up next
Tinashe’s Creative Process For Viral Hit, “Nasty” | How It Went Down | Billboard
Billboard
7/8/2024
4:55
JoJo Siwa On Creative Process Behind “Karma” Lyrics & Music Video | How It Went Down | Billboard
Billboard
4/11/2024
2:53
McKenna Grace Shares the Inspiration For Her "Gentleman" Music Video | How It Went Down | Billboard
Billboard
5/16/2024
3:45
Dua Lipa On Creative Vision of “Illusion,” Lyrics & Music Video | How It Went Down | Billboard News
Billboard
4/16/2024
6:22
The Weeknd On How His Music Helps Tells the Story of 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' & More | Billboard News
Billboard
5/18/2025
2:39
Rita Ora On Creating “Ask & You Shall Receive,” Working With RAYE | How It Went Down | Billboard
Billboard
7/31/2024
2:22
Laufey Teases New Album: “It’s Dramatic, Big, & Cinematic,” Visuals Are “Surreal & Wonky” | Billboard News
Billboard
6/6/2025
8:25
Lizzo Lawsuit Update, New Music From: *NSYNC, Jung Kook & Jack Harlow, XG & More | Billboard News
Billboard
9/30/2023
19:36
Rapsody On Why ‘Please Don’t Cry’ Is Her Most Vulnerable Album, Working With Lil Wayne, The Resurgence Of Women In Hip Hop & More | Billboard News
Billboard
5/14/2024
1:19
Tyla Wins & Stuns At MTV EMAs | Billboard News
Billboard
11/11/2024
7:53
Billboard Exclusive: Behind the Scenes of Sarz, Asake & Gunna's "Happiness" Music Video | Billboard
Billboard
12/12/2023
5:17
YG Talks About 'Run' Music Video, Upcoming New Album 'I've Got Issues' & Giving Back to The Community | Billboard News
Billboard
9/6/2022
0:51
XG’s ‘AWE’ & “HOWLIN” Is Out Of This World | Music You Should Know | Billboard News
Billboard
11/8/2024
5:29
Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt talk “Prototype” Release, ‘Superficial’ & “I’ll Do It” Success | MYSK | Billboard News
Billboard
1/18/2025
1:20
Taylor Swift Hints At Tour & Becomes Cinderella In Sparkling ‘Bejeweled’ Video | Billboard News
Billboard
10/25/2022
8:50
Feid & Yandel Concert Shut Down, Country Power Players Recap, Cardi B Won’t Be Releasing An Album & More | Billboard News
Billboard
5/16/2024
1:14
Adele Shares ‘Easy On Me’ Preview On Instagram Live | Billboard News
Billboard
10/11/2021
3:32
Fuerza Regida’s JOP On “SECRETO VICTORIA” Catchy Inspiration | How It Went Down | Billboard
Billboard
8/28/2024
5:59
JoJo Siwa's "Guilty Pleasure" Music Video: An Exclusive Behind the Scenes Look | Billboard
Billboard
7/15/2024
6:24
French Montana on His Film 'For Khadija,' Rise of Afrobeats, Reality TV & More | Billboard News
Billboard
6/16/2023
9:28
Eminem’s Slim Shady Receives Obituary, ZICO Teases New Music From Jennie, Jimmy Fallon Shares Top Moments With Billboard Chart Toppers & More | Billboard News
Billboard
5/15/2024
4:19
Lizzo Talks New Rap Venture On ‘MY FACE HURTS FROM SMILING’ | Music You Should Know | Billboard News
Billboard
7/1/2025
1:02
LE SSERAFIM’s ‘CRAZY’ Release & Special Jin Appearance | Billboard News
Billboard
8/30/2024
1:02
Kiely Williams of 3LW Claims She Hooked Up With ¾ B2K At Once | Billboard News
Billboard
1/23/2023
6:38
Bella Poarch Talks About Her New Music Video 'Living Hell' Which Is Out Now, BLACKPINK, SavagexFenty Show & More | Billboard News
Billboard
8/13/2022