Opinion: Singing Vs Rapping: Equal But Separate

By Efe Omorogbe

It takes a while for it to hit home but it eventually does. Almost always. Rapping and singing are like men and women, or black people and white people – equal but separate. True, both are vocal performances, usually accompanied by background music delivered in a recording studio or before a live audience, but that’s about it.

Rapping and singing are worlds apart. Both require different types of skill and largely operate different codes. It matters little whether we’re talking Naija or American rap. The dynamics are different, but this fact is often unrecognized.

Recent outrage over disparaging remarks made by Don Jazzy about rappers calls to mind the reaction that followed similar ‘anti-rap’ comments made by the likes of the late maestro Barry White. Both positions are however, hinged on two different core points.

Barry White viewed rap as an art form for less talented ‘kids’ who couldn’t sing. Like a large number of music buffs and power players, it took a while for Mr White to understand the phenomenon. There were others who weren’t quite as kind. They labelled the rise of rap a fad and gave it 8 -10 years to run its course and disappear into oblivion but the prophecy didn’t come to pass. 33 years since the release of the first official rap record, Sugar Hill Gang’s ‘Rappers delight’ in ‘79, rap music and the Hip-hop culture has simply grown stronger and become increasingly dominant. Rap’s elite corps – Jay Z, Dr Dre, and Eminem, among others, are major execs responsible for putting out and guiding new generation multi- platinum artistes like Rihanna and Kanye West. Despite them pushing 40 or over, they’re still making hits and don’t look like they’ll be slowing down anytime soon. Even Barry White would be impressed.

I was on an overdose of Pop-R&B (Michael Jackson and Ralph Cameron), reggae (Bob Marley and Third World), highlife (Uwaifo, Olaiya and Osayomore Joseph), country (Kenny Rogers and Don Williams) when the movie Breakin’ (1984) broke in and Hip-hop took me hostage. And nothing was the same, ever. I just knew after my first viewing that a movement has crystalized somewhere. The presence and influence had been growing for a bit. Even pop groups like New Edition had started incorporating rap into their songs like the ‘83 break out single, ‘Candy girl’ but the movie connected all the dots for me and my homies and set the wheels in motion.

It’s amazing how what took me, a teenage boy in Sapele, Delta State (then Bendel), less than 2 hours to grasp, escaped major music minds for so many years. Like Barry White, they didn’t realize this was a totally different ball game with different rules and an overwhelmingly strong appeal, so they labelled it “the weaker alternative when you can’t really sing” and buried their heads in the sand, hoping it would fade away.

That was a long time ago. Mr White saw the light eventually and repented. Meanwhile, Quincy Jones, one of the greatest music producers of all time, recognized the value of rap early on. His seminal Back on the Block (1989) album lined up Ice T, Melle Mel and Kool Moe Dee, alongside first class vocalists like El De Barge, James Ingram, Al B Sure, Siedah Garret and … yes, Barry White.

While the likes of Bone Thugs, Nelly, Ja Rule and of late, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Kanye West , T-Pain and Drake have increasingly blurred the line between singing and rapping, the fact remains that a vast majority of singers can’t rap and majority of rappers can’t sing. The good thing is, they know it, so the smart ones don’t even sweat it. Need rap on the track? Get a true blue MC to lace the joint and if you’re getting too excited, adlib. Period.

The relationship should be one of mutual respect – respect borne out of recognition that you do your thing, and I do mine.  One isn’t necessarily less talented than the other. It’s like comparing F1’s Sebastian Vettel with Valentino Rossi. There’s no basis!

Don Jazzy’s Naija rap comments, which he promptly clarified and apologized for, basically focus on the issues of cultural relevance and language barrier. The ‘McDonald’s vs. Mama Put in AJ’ analogy in my opinion, addresses his views about how the average Nigerian connects with rap music like Modenine’s which he perceives as elitist in language and therefore, limited in appeal. Is this opinion logical? I think so. Do I agree with the general submission? Nah!

Wow! I’m out of space. Let’s continue this convo next week guys.

Peace! –  More now than ever!