RALEIGH — For 33-year-old Jasmyn Fritz, what began as a few text messages between friends about rap music has turned into something tangible — a way to bring people back to the table and off their phones. Fritz, a project manager for Gannett and contributor with Carolina Blitz, has created a new hip-hop-themed card game called Let’s Rap that turns online debates into real conversation.
“I was watching the way people were arguing on Twitter about music, especially during that Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef,” she said. “Everyone was talking, but no one was actually saying anything. It wasn’t even about the music anymore — just noise. I wanted something that would make people slow down and really talk about why they like what they like.”
Fritz said her mind naturally works to problem-solve and create things.
“This isn’t the first idea I’ve had, but it’s the first one I’ve made real,” she said. “I just imagined something that would clear up how those conversations go online, something that points people toward what really makes a song good.”
Each player lays down Let’s Rap cards featuring a rapper and a song or album tied to one of six categories — lyricism, storytelling, delivery, subject matter, feature and album replay value. Players make their case for why their pick fits best, and if there’s a tie, they debate.
“You have to prove it,” Fritz said. “And if you’re not the best debater, there are cards that help guide your thinking so you can speak with confidence.”
One player serves as the DJ, cueing songs, keeping time and helping the group decide.
“If someone’s not familiar with a song, the DJ can pull up a verse or a few lyrics so everyone can listen before voting,” Fritz said. “That’s when people start discovering new artists and really listening to what makes a song great.”
Fritz said she didn’t want another online experience — she wanted people sitting together again.
“I didn’t want a virtual community,” she said. “I wanted something that makes people sit together, laugh, argue a little and rediscover music as something shared.”
Her connection to music began with church and gospel music.
“We didn’t have permission to listen to a lot of music growing up,” she said. “It wasn’t until middle school when we got G105 and then pop radio kind of took over. But I didn’t really listen until high school when I got my own car.”
It wasn’t until 2018 or 2019 that she began exploring hip-hop deeply.
“Once I started really listening, I realized how much artistry there was in it — how layered and intentional it could be,” Fritz said. “I wasn’t just hearing it; I was studying it.”
That sense of curiosity shaped Let’s Rap.
“I think art is a healing aspect of our world that people have stopped engaging with meaningfully,” she said. “The further we get from welcoming art into our lives, the more we lose the ability to even talk about it. This game lays the foundation to get that back.”
Her playtesting events over the summer showed it’s working.
“At every event, people would say, ‘I need to add this song to my playlist,’” she said. “That’s what I love — that this simple game is helping people discover new artists and really listen again.”
The initial deck focuses on artists from 2000 and beyond, but Fritz has already mapped out expansion packs for the 1980s and 1990s, duos and groups, and regional editions for Atlanta, Memphis and the West Coast.
“Even in this first deck, I tried to balance it — big names, veterans, newer voices,” she said. “But I want to make sure every era and every region is represented. Hip-hop is global now, and I want this game to reflect that.”
Born in Henderson and raised in Raleigh, Fritz said North Carolina’s creative energy has helped her push the project forward.
“Raleigh has so much culture — it’s a great place to create and connect,” she said.
Fritz has self-funded Let’s Rap while running a Kickstarter campaign, organizing game nights, and visiting local record stores and coffee shops to spread the word.
“I’m putting everything I have into it,” she said. “Not because I made it, but because of the impact I think it could have. I really believe art — especially music — connects us, teaches us, and heals us. And if a card game can help people talk about that again, that’s enough for me.”
