The Growing Phenomenon Of Singing In Rap

Andre 3000 was recently interviewed by Vibe’s Keith Murray. During their discussion, the MC explained how the stance on singing in rap has recently changed. Drake, Childish Gambino, Chance The Rapper, and auto-tuned Kanye West, all have merged singing with their raps in a way that appeals to the masses. Adlib after adlib, “Coco Butter Kisses,” off Chance The Rapper’s Acid Rap, starts off with a soulful, melodic hook, followed by a series of playful slangs and internal rhymes. He spits: “Okie dokie, alky, keep it lowkey like Thor lil bro/ Or he’ll go blow the loudy, saudy of sour Saudi“. Here, singing and rapping merge to perfection. While bars do successfully tells a story, however mundane it may be, the singing of the hook and morphing of sounds at the beginning of his verse appeal to different senses that rapping alone does not always capture. This is what takes the allure of the song to a universal platform.

Andre says:

“Now, most rappers have to have some type of vocal melody. (…) Back then it was scary to even try something like that. Not everyone was just breaking out singing verses [laughs]. People would tell me, ‘Come on, dude. We want them raps. We not trying to hear you sing.’ (…) It was scary, but I just went with my own gauge of what I thought was dope. That’s the only thing that I have. That’s what separates me from everybody else. I can’t say that I’m more talented than this other rapper or a much better producer or actor than other rappers, but I know what I know. I know that once I feel a certain thing it’s not up to anyone else to decide at that point.”

On the same topic, Drake said:

“People fucking love to sing, that’s what I never forget, (…) But you can’t say my bars aren’t up there with the best of them. People keep challenging me about what real rap is. Is it the shit you know all the words to, or the shit that sounds fast and complex? I don’t have the answer. At the same time, I know I can do a couple things.”

What do you think? Are you a fan of singing in rap?