“For the last year, there’s been a lot of music comin out
The shit been weak, knowhatI’msayin?
A lot of nigg*s trying to take hip-hop
And make that shit R&B, rap, and bullshit yaknowhatI’msayin?” – The Rza

The mid-90s was a foreshadowing of the hip hop we have today. Most of the popular songs of the time were a mix of rhythm and blues singer with an established emcee. Such songs as “Only You” by 112, “Can’t you” by Total, and “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey were some of the biggest songs of hip hop’s Golden Era. This rubbed a lot of the hardcore hip hop heads the wrong way. They believed that the true essence of hip hop should not be merged with the more pop-centric ballads of the mid-90s.

Fast-forward to today, hip hop artists in 2020 meld the two worlds of hip hop and R&B seamlessly on almost every record. The most popular emcees of today will be rapping during the chorus and singing on the hook which would have been unfathomable almost 20 years ago. Some of my favourite emcees from the mid-90s, The Notorious B.I.G and Big Pun, playfully showed off their singing chops in songs such as “Playa Hater” and “The Rain & The Sun.” Even though they were poking fun at themselves, it can be seen as a changing of the guard in regard to hip hop artists singing in their songs.

In the late 80s, some of the more popular R&B singers would rap during certain parts of their songs, Bobby Brown and New Edition, but it had never really been done on a mainstream level the other way around.

Now in today’s hip hop landscape, the most popular artists (Young Thug, Future, The Weeknd, Gunna, Lil Uzi Vert, Post Malone) all have introduced an element of sing into their artistry. The emcee most responsible for this shift is undoubtedly October’s Very Own, Drake. He came in the game singing and rapping and caught a lot of flack from the hip hop community. Currently, Drake is the most popular hip hop artist in the world and famously penned the line, “That’s why every song sound like Drake featuring Drake.”

He has mastered the art of rapping in the chorus and singing on the hooks of songs. The rappers coming into the industry after him saw his success and have added their own style to it. Roddy Rich is a prime example of this for the new-age hip hop artist of 2020. Singing and rapping interchangeably on songs would have not been looked upon favorably two decades ago. Now, is almost mandatory if you want your song to be a commercial success.

After hearing the Brandy/Monica battle on Verzuz, I decided to make a mix of my favourite R&B songs of the mid-90s which featured some of the biggest hip hop artists of that era. Do you think there is too much singing in rap? Is the hip hop of today really just Rap and Bullsh*t? Leave a comment or share.