Rap literacy check: Did you know that not all rappers rap about their lives in relation to the rap game? Rhymes about hope, anxiety, success or disappointment might actually be about an artist’s personhood, not their livelihood in the entertainment industry. It’s a point that Oddisee has been working to drive home lately. Instead of obsessing over his career arc, he’d rather the world hear his multitudes.

“My fans, and the journalists who appreciate my music, genuinely want more for me,” the DMV-raised rapper says. “So they assume I’m frustrated, and they assume my music must be about that frustration. It’s not. I’m really happy. I’m doing great. I’ve made a living from music for a decade and I’m doing good. These songs are about everyone.”

He’s talking about “The Iceberg,” a new album that feels more spacious, quick-pulsed and accessible than anything he’s done before. And the deeper the rapper spelunks his own brain — “Moment of silence for me, I don’t really need applause/Think I’m loud enough when I’m alone with all my inner thoughts” — the more he sounds like an introvert finding clarity in an extrovert’s medium.

“In today’s world, we put ourselves through so much scrutiny — our income bracket, our weight, our hair, our social circle, how big it is, how much influence we have,” Oddisee says. “It’s hard to even focus on getting applause from other people when we’re trying so hard to get approval from ourselves.”

Show: With Olivier St. Louis on April 20 at 9:30 Club. Doors open at 7 p.m. 202-265-0930. 930.com. $25.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLSwtc2gpq6sl6q2pbGOpqysoZNkvKWwyKycnmWnpMKtsIyloKSdXam8bq%2FLnpirZZFis6bDjK2foqaXqHq2vIyamaitpGK1qr%2BMsKaro12htqexjJuYpZmemLJwfo9qbmhoZGR%2BdHvAaWudaWZtsG59wJ5rZmlhmoRuhZdxbmZpkWqAcoDBbm2aaGiUwLW70bJloaydoQ%3D%3D