S. Samuel
R&B singer Trey Songz recently offered his take on rapping over singing and said when it comes to spitting on a microphone, most emcees fall behind him.
Along with pronouncing his rapping skills, Songz also spoke highly of music veteran Lauryn Hill‘s emcee talent.
“I don’t think no singer can rap better than me,” Songz said in an interview. “I think I rap better than most rappers. Rapping is just fun for me — It’s a creative expression and it’s easy, it flows – it’s not something I’m trying to do, it’s not something I’m putting out for sales; it’s just to show how much I love it. I actually think Lauryn is the best who ever did it, actually incorporating the two. Just how conceptual she was and the thought process she had to go through to sounds that she made, that Miseducation [of Lauryn Hill] album was phenomenal. The mixture of the two, how they just mixed so cohesively like there were no steps missed.” (Soul Culture)
In August, Roc Nation rapper J. Cole offered his take on hip-hop artists singing and R&B stars like Chris Brown rapping.
“I think it’s dope. Why not? Who says Drake can’t sing if he wants to sing? Who said Chris Brown can’t rap if he wants to rap? It’s just adding another facet to your style. It’s just evolution man. The sad truth is, is some of our legends from the past came out now, people would think they were boring. You’ve just got to find a balance.” (VIBE)
After 17 year-old pop singer Justin Bieber released his “Speaking In Tungs” freestyle last fall under the rap alias “Shawty Mane”, Dipset affiliate Vado gave him his co-sign.
“I was shocked! He killed it! He sounded like [Notorious] B.I.G.,” Vado said in an interview. “When I seen it on Twitter, I didn’t believe it. We need to keep his verse for the remix! We might finish the remix this weekend, and let Justin go first. I’m definitely going to contact him.” (New York Daily News)
Last year, Young Money‘s Drake talked about his ability to pen both R&B and hip-hop records.
“With R&B, I know my sound. I know I make records to f*ck to,” he explained in an interview. “The way Jay and Wayne write rap, I write R&B. I don’t write lyrics down on paper. The other day, I was in the studio with Alicia Keys, and I wrote two songs just speaking to her. I wish I could write that way for rap. With my rap songs, there’s so much of me I have to give that I don’t know if I could ever just flow. The thing is, I’m a great rapper. There’s two elements to rap: having the thoughts, and then being a great rapper. I can really rap the sh*t that I write. My tone, my inflection. When I listen to myself on records, I don’t feel like I don’t belong there. When I listen to ‘Forever,’ with three of my heroes, I fit right in.” (Complex)
Check out Trey Songz’s interview down below:
