Jean Grae, “Jeanius” (Blacksmith Records/ Warner Bros.)

By BRETT JOHNSON/The Associated Press

For most indie-rap diehards, pairing producer 9th Wonder (Jay-Z, Erykah Badu) with South African-born, Brooklyn-bred rapper Jean Grae is an ideal match-up. Formerly of underground hip-hop darlings Little Brother, 9th Wonder’s known for subtly textured, retro-sounding beats - looped, dusty soul samples and drum kicks that pop. Meanwhile, Grae’s respected for being among a species of rapper facing extinction - the female MC.

Her immodestly titled disc “Jeanius” fulfills much of the promise of the vaunted collaboration. (An early version of “Jeanius” surfaced as a bootleg in 2004). Grae’s conversational flow is packed with equal amounts boasting and poignant insight. She’s as adept at punchline rapson “2-32’s” she explains: “Impeccable rap flow/ second to that wordplay/ akin to a verb hitting a piñata on the eve of it’s birthday.”

Yet Grae’s also willing to reveal details of a past abortion on the solemn “My Story” and her indie rap struggles on “Don’t Rush Me.” On the latter, she rhymes: “There’s nothing like knowing yourself/ Like the way I know that smoking’s kinda broken my health/ Like the way I know my flow don’t make appropriate wealth.”

By mid-disc, it becomes more evident that mainstream success has eluded Grae in part because her dense, deliberate flow - now over Wonder’s hypnotic, mid-tempo tracks - is strictly headphone music. Her songs require close listening to be fully appreciated. But that suits a lyricist like Grae, a cult heroine who’s sorely needed in today’s hip-hop world.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: On the sultry “Love Thirst” Grae plays a hyper-literate rap coquette, proving she’s not all about b-girl posturing and identity politics.