An Eminem song comes on your radio. You’re expecting beats that bounce like a head-bobbing doll and rhymes delivered at a madcap pace. But instead, on his new single “Superman,” you get the blond provocateur doing his best shower-stall serenade.
That’s right, he’s singing. And it’s not the first time.
The 6 million folks who own a copy of “The Eminem Show” know Eminem stretched his pipes on the chorus of last year’s single “Cleaning Out My Closet.” And on “Hailie’s Song”–which isn’t an official single but is getting some radio airplay–he boldly chirps throughout the whole tune.
But Eminem is just one of an increasing number of rappers who are choosing to sing as well as rap.
Busta Rhymes offers up some smooth vocals on his new single, “I Know What You Want.” Ja Rule bursts into a raspy croon on his hit pairings with Jennifer Lopez (“I’m Real”), Mary J. Blige (“Rainy Dayz”) and Ashanti (“Always on Time” and the new “Mesmerize”). And Nelly trades melodic lines with Kelly Rowland on “Dilemma.”
But it’s not just the mainstream chart-toppers who are breaking into song. Bohemian rhymesmith Common pipes an ode to rocker Jimi Hendrix on his new album, “Electric Circus.” And Cee-lo, formerly of the rap group Goodie Mob, showcases his gospel-like voice on several tracks on his debut solo album, “Cee-lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections.”
What makes this trend so surprising is that, in many ways, rap was born as the antithesis of singing. Throughout the 1980s and early ’90s, rappers provided a stark contrast to rhythm-and-blues balladeers. But starting in the mid-’90s, the line between hip-hop and R&B became increasingly blurred. Important producers such as Dr. Dre and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs discovered that rap numbers received more radio airplay if they featured singing on the chorus.
The current trend of rappers singing seems to be a natural evolution. Instead of relying solely on other vocalists, rappers are now singing for themselves.
