-[Rapping] ♪ You thought Bernie could save you, ho ♪
♪ Pay back all them dollars I gave you, ho ♪
♪ Don't forget this is a business ♪
♪ Keep praying for that forgiveness ♪
♪ 20 years 'fore you finish ♪
♪ And then boom, I hit you with that interest ♪
♪ But getting an education's the American dream ♪
♪ And I'm that bitch, Sallie Mae ♪
♪ I want to so some schemes ♪
♪ Do some schemes ♪ Come with a hook right there.
You say, ♪ Schools and schemes ♪
♪ Schools ♪
-Is you rapping about student loans?
-Welcome back to "Late Night."
We're here with Issa Rae.
[ Cheers and applause ]
So this is your wonderful new show.
It is called "Rap [Bleep]."
-How are you saying it right now?
-"Rap [Bleep]." -Yeah, how are --
Is it going to be like "Rap Bleep"?
-Oh, it's going to be beeped, yeah.
We found out earlier today. -Oh. [Bleep].
-Yeah, so they'll beep you as well.
-Okay. [ Laughs ] -So you obviously knew
when you named the show "Rap [Bleep]"
that this would be a problem.
-I did, yes.
I anticipated that it was a tentative title,
and then I talked to HBO legal, like, what can we get away with,
because we had an asterisk in the title
and then we replaced it with an exclamation point,
and they were like, "It's totally fine."
Like, "TV Guide" can print that.
And so then it was like, yes, it's out there,
but now it's on billboards and little kids are seeing it.
And sorry, parents.
[ Laughter ]
But they can read, which is great.
-Yeah!
They can read, that's great. -That's so good. Yeah.
-I also feel like that's one of those words --
what are -- kids are hearing that at a pretty young age now.
You know? -Kids are.
If they have great parents.
[ Laughter ]
-So you've got -- this is about two friends
who reconnect to start rapping together.
What gave you this idea?
-I am a huge rap fan,
and this idea has kind of been gestating for a while.
I've always wanted to have something set
in the music world,
and this is just such an exciting time.
Like, there's so many dope female rappers
who are out here killing it.
And one of my favorite producers, a male,
happened to say that all women rap about now is, like,
their vaginas. Like, it's all the same, all the same.
And I was like that's not fair because men rap
about the same thing all the time.
And so that -- that kind of double standard
really interested me.
-Well, it's really fun because there is sort of that
more socially, you know, issue-oriented rap in this,
and then the other that you mentioned.
[ Laughs ] -Yep.
-Look, I already said "Rap [Bleep]."
I don't want to get beeped again.
-Like, I don't know, I don't want to push it.
-[ Laughs ] It's really fun.
The women you've cast are fantastic.
-They're incredible.
They're all new actresses, for the most part.
It's a new cast, and they're killing it.
I'm so proud of them.
-It also seems like you took it seriously,
which as a fan, you would have to.
If you're doing a show about rap,
you have to have actual good rap lyrics.
Does that mean you had to find television writers who were good
at writing rap songs,
or did you actually also hire rap lyricists?
-So what's great is we were able to have a traditional
writers' room, which was, you know, really funny,
brilliant writers.
Some of them were from Miami.
And then just to be able to have, like, authentic rap --
like, the music has to be good.
They actually have to be good rappers.
We got to employ some of my favorite rap artists,
like Pineapple City, Incognita, Dreezy,
and they wrote lyrics for the characters.
And then we had music camps to make music for the show.
And it was like an intricate process.
And then, of course, the two kind of met up.
And it was just -- it was great.
I'm really proud of the music of the show.
-You were only behind the scenes on this show?
-Yes, thank the Lord. -Are you super happy?
-Oh, my God, are you kidding me?
I was writing this show while filming season five
of "Insecure." I was tired of being on camera.
And I was like, "Where can I -- What can I write where I can get
out of this city?" Because I wrote it during quarantine.
I was like, "Ooh, where do I want to be next? Ooh."
If the show gets picked up, Miami.
And then it was just like --
I just get to be behind the scenes and direct --
I mean, not literally direct, but, like, as a producer,
give notes to the amazing cast and contribute to the story.
And so, it was just -- it was a lot of fun.
It was a different muscle.
-You were still on camera obviously in other things.
I just saw the trailer for B.J. Novak's new movie,
"Vengeance," that I think comes out in a couple of weeks.
Looked like a very fun trailer.
Was that a good time?
-That was a great time.
B.J. Novak is incredible.
You know I've been a fan of his since "The Office,"
and his writing, and this is his directorial debut.
And it's just such a smart script.
It's like, you know, set in the true crime podcast world,
which I'm obsessed with.
-Uh-huh. -Which sounds terrible to say.
You know? Like, "Oh, I love true crime murder podcasts!"
-Yeah. You're like, "Do you like make-believe crimes?"
"No, only the true ones." -No, I want it to be real.
I like suffering.
But it's terrible -- It's so bad.
[ Laughter ] I'm sorry.
But the movie kind of explores that in addition to,
like, truth in America now.
And it's just brilliantly done,
and I'm happy to be a part of it.
-Well, I'm so happy to have you here.
Thanks so much for making it back.
It's such a delight to spend time with you.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Issa Rae! The first two episodes of "Rap [Bleep]"
begin streaming July 21st on HBO Max.
And "Vengeance" is in theaters July 29th.
We'll be right back with Nikki Glaser.