Has Rap Been Innovative With Auto Tune & Singing Rappers (Fad Or Career Booster?)

Hip-hop has gradually shifted away from the asphalt assault of hard-core '90s rap toward more melodic, tuneful fare. Ja-Rule, 50 Cent, and Pharrell Williams' rock/rap/R&B fusionists N.E.R.D. were at the vanguard, followed by Andre 3000 of Outkast and Gnarls Barkley's Cee Lo Green (formerly of rap group Goodie Mob). Previously acclaimed for their rap skills, the latter two's hybrid efforts, respectively, "Hey Ya" (2003) and "Crazy" (2005), respectively, became two of the '00s' top-selling records. Eminem has even tried his hand at crooning over a few of his hits, including his recent smash single "I'm Not Afraid".

Kanye West's largely Auto-Tune crooned "808s and Heartbreak" paved the way for Drake and Kid Cudi, two of the most popular artists of Generation Y, who balance singing and rapping in equal measure. Even Lil Wayne, who boasted of being "the best rapper alive," briefly abandoned the craft for this year's much-maligned rock-rap Frankenstein, "Rebirth."

No small label better signifies this shift than Stones Throw. Releasing contemporary jazz, soul and funk records, its output expanded to include anything with a deep groove. Camu Tao (deceased) and DJ Nobody are two other notable artists that have taken on this trend and made a shift in their music.

But the question still is, should everyone be using this technology on their albums just to support what otherwise would be a very weak project? Jay-Z's release of DOA (Death Of Autotune), proved that even Mr. Rock-A-Fella himself couldn't even put a dent in the current trend in the business.

With technology continually increasing the number of tools available to musicians, the ability to switch between styles is getting easier. Auto-Tune allows everyone to be the singer they want to be. I totally support change and innovation in the rap industry, but even with the success of Flo-Rida, T-Pain, Akon, and numerous others who have followed in the footsteps of the aforementioned artists, is it a trend that will fade away, or a career booster that will help further an artist's audience?

Only time will tell....

by
DJ Giovanni Nsane
c.p. 2010