Project Description

6 Rap Artists

Who Changed Their Genre

 

By – Natalia Jones from RAP TV

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Rap evolved rapidly in the last decade and Drake may have played a huge role in that. Drake introduced the idea of melodic rapping or singing rapping—and many rappers are buying it. However, there are rappers that switched their genre or tweaked it a little. In a few cases, the genre flip was made possible through collaboration with artists from other genres. In all of these, it is easy to see how hip hop can blend with other genres of music. In this post, we are going to look at 6 rap artists that changed their genre.

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1. Snoop Dogg

The American rapper, songwriter, and producer is one of the rappers that flipped their genre. In 2007, Snoop Dogg released a song titled ‘Sensual Seduction’. Rather than the usual hip hop that made him popular, the track was a groovy disco-funk. Satisfied with the outcome, he teamed up with Dam-Funk in 2013 for ‘7 Days of Funk’. He did not fail to rev up the piano-laden melody with his signature rhythmic flow. Dogg backs up the nostalgic track with colorful throwback-themed visuals.

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2. Lil Wayne

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. is most popular as Lil Wayne. However, what rap fans will not forget in a hurry is how he compiled an entire project bathed with Rock. Wayne acclaims himself as the ‘Best Rapper Alive’ but the ‘Rebirth’ album also test his versatility and proves that he could be more. Obviously, genre flip is a gamble but Wayne was able to win this one with loud accolades.

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3. Kanye West

One of the first rappers that made a remarkable twist in the industry was Kanye West with the release of his electropop project ‘808s & Heartbreaks’. Rather than hardcore rap, West dives into rap-sings creamed with auto-tune. The style was uniform throughout the entire 12-tracks. One of the hit songs from the album was ‘Heartless’. To date, it remains one of his best projects.

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4. Childish Gambino

Childish Gambino is a lot of things; musician, producer, director, actor, and DJ. However, in the world of music, he is more prominent in the hip hop genre. However, the track ‘Redbone’ in his 2016 album ‘Awaken My Love!’ is a clean deviation into R&B. It feels surreal to see the lovey-dovey part of Gambino as he spews romantic lyrics in a falsetto. The track is still nothing short of epic.

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5. Young Thug

Jeffery Lamar Williams is popular for his stage name Young Thug. His music has had a huge impact on contemporary rap. What makes his style of music unique? It is definitely his willingness to experiment with cross-genre. One such songs is ‘Wyclef Jean’ which has huge reggae influence. Thug takes experimental hip hop further in 2017 with ‘Beautiful Thugger Girls’ which blends pop, R&B, and country sounds together.

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6. Future

Talk about prolific rappers and Future will easily come to mind. His self-titled album ‘Future’ was a typical display of the rapper’s prowess. However, the follow-up album, ‘HNDRXX’ was nothing like rap fans expected. HNDRXX was rap-infused and showed the rapper’s softer and romantic side. He recruits artists from other genres like Chris Brown in ‘Pie’ and The Weeknd in ‘Coming Out Strong’ to deliver what will become a remarkable album.

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Conclusion

Obviously, these are not the only rappers that have switched genre. However, these rappers caught our attention for their ability to deliver flawless tracks or albums that have endeared them to non-rap fans. Flipping genre is not bad especially if you are trying to grow your fan base. Nevertheless, you need to do it right.

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