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Is the 'rent-a-rapper' trend here to stay?


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Old 17-07-2016, 01:04
wilpeep
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Since the mid-noughties, it seems like every other pop song sacrifices a middle 8 for a rapper to come along and add another verse. Sometimes it's done well, most of the time it's not. But I think there's one thing we can agree with... this trend has gone on far too long.

The recent release of Britney's song Make Me shows to me that the rent-a-rapper trend has well and truly passed its peak. The random inclusion of G. Eazy adds nothing to the song and never seems to end. Occasionally Britney has used rappers in a way that enhances her songs, but I can't excuse the lazy verse-chorus-verse-chorus-rapper-chorus formula anymore. It's old, tired and belongs to another era. There is nothing cool or edgy about including a rapper on a pop song anymore (especially not second-rate rappers that nobody has heard of).

My fear is that the rent-a-rapper trend is here to stay. It's been going for more than ten years now. It seems to have become so ingrained in pop music that it doesn't look like it's going to die out. I really hope I'm wrong...
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Old 17-07-2016, 01:24
barbeler
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I was fed up with it when Curve did it on Ten Little Indians in 1991.
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Old 17-07-2016, 04:24
Edward Skylover
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I like the inclusion of Lil Wayne on Let Me Love You.
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Old 17-07-2016, 08:22
Thorney
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Since the mid-noughties, it seems like every other pop song sacrifices a middle 8 for a rapper to come along and add another verse. Sometimes it's done well, most of the time it's not. But I think there's one thing we can agree with... this trend has gone on far too long.

The recent release of Britney's song Make Me shows to me that the rent-a-rapper trend has well and truly passed its peak. The random inclusion of G. Eazy adds nothing to the song and never seems to end. Occasionally Britney has used rappers in a way that enhances her songs, but I can't excuse the lazy verse-chorus-verse-chorus-rapper-chorus formula anymore. It's old, tired and belongs to another era. There is nothing cool or edgy about including a rapper on a pop song anymore (especially not second-rate rappers that nobody has heard of).

My fear is that the rent-a-rapper trend is here to stay. It's been going for more than ten years now. It seems to have become so ingrained in pop music that it doesn't look like it's going to die out. I really hope I'm wrong...
cant you just listen to music without renta rappers in it, I find them quite easy to avoid basically if a song has the word 'featuring' I tend to give it a wide berth these days.
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Old 17-07-2016, 08:33
woofwoof77
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I agree with OP.
Nothing worse than hearing a song and thinking to yourself 'oh i like this ' then in comes some rapper ive never heard of with a stupid name and RUINS it.

The worst was when they did it with the Band Aid 20 song with Dizzee Rascal
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Old 17-07-2016, 09:45
barbeler
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Surely there was never a greater misjudgment than that use of Moon River in a commercial. I see they've taken that bit out now.
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Old 17-07-2016, 10:04
wilpeep
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cant you just listen to music without renta rappers in it, I find them quite easy to avoid basically if a song has the word 'featuring' I tend to give it a wide berth these days.
Yeah, but if the main artists are artists I like, I'm not going to avoid one of their songs altogether just because of a rapper in the third verse. It's just a disappointment when it happens.
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Old 17-07-2016, 12:41
Jeannie_Wilson
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Yeah, but if the main artists are artists I like, I'm not going to avoid one of their songs altogether just because of a rapper in the third verse. It's just a disappointment when it happens.
Yes, If i'm a fan of a particular artist, I usually want to listen to them alone and not some dreadful rent a rapper ruining my listening experience halfway through the song...and that's exactly what they do, imo.

I understand that it's a trend but it's so infuriating.
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Old 17-07-2016, 12:42
Thorney
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Yeah, but if the main artists are artists I like, I'm not going to avoid one of their songs altogether just because of a rapper in the third verse. It's just a disappointment when it happens.
True bring back guitar solos I say or a good sax break
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Old 17-07-2016, 13:57
scrilla
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I think it's a way of bolstering up pop tracks and making the main artist seem more 'cool' or 'down'. I don't usually like the artists in question so it tends not to affect me but I do roll the eyes. The rappers are often not the most credible and the paychecks are good. I love Hip Hop - the good stuff - not the current dross that receives mainstream airplay and if more critically-acclaimed MC's were to drop a verse on a pop record here and there I think it would be career damaging.

I'd compare it to the incongruous 'rock guitar' solo that turns up in the odd Soul or Reggae track: unwanted!

Is it not possible, sometimes, to dig and find a cut without the rap? In the days of the CD single their used to be a variety of mixes available.

Or grab some free software like Audacity and attempt a custom mix! Maybe you'll end up a record producer a year or two down the line making good £££ and you can thank me for suggesting it ...
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Old 17-07-2016, 14:03
scrilla
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cant you just listen to music without renta rappers in it, I find them quite easy to avoid basically if a song has the word 'featuring' I tend to give it a wide berth these days.
I've read this "featuring" viewpoint before on here. It can mean anything though. Could be an original artist who has been sampled, a vocalist (often the case with dance genres) or an instrumentalist. It's really just giving a significant credit (I've records by males where the singer is a female and the credit is nowhere or buried in small print) but I suppose it's being used as a marketing tool now. Maybe all the collaborations are supposed to drive up sales i.e. fans of both artists will buy...?
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Old 17-07-2016, 14:27
Dandem
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Sometimes the rapper outshines the actual artist though. "Bad Blood" is a prime example of that. Kendrick Lamar blows Taylor Swift out of the water.
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Old 17-07-2016, 14:41
SummerShudder
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I won't listen to anything with this rent a rapper nonsense on it.

Lady Gaga's Do What U Want is ruined by R Kelly's generic cameo. I hate how all the rap cameos are about the rappers themselves as if trying to get their name out there. They are always saying their own name and bragging about themselves.

It's really not that hard to rap a few lines, they act like they are the highlight of the song.

Scrilla, I don't now know if you are anti all guitar solos but they take skill and are often the highlight of the song. RHCP would be nowhere without John Frusciante's solos. Some solos make the song e.g. Sweet Child O Mine.
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Old 17-07-2016, 14:52
wilpeep
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I won't listen to anything with this rent a rapper nonsense on it.

Lady Gaga's Do What U Want is ruined by R Kelly's generic cameo.
I hate how all the rap cameos are about the rappers themselves as if trying to get their name out there. They are always saying their own name and bragging about themselves.
To be fair, R Kelly is a singer and that song was more of a duet than a feature. I personally like that song, although I can't say I'm not disappointed that she's also had 'rent-a-rappers' in the past. She's so much better than that.
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Old 17-07-2016, 14:58
SummerShudder
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To be fair, R Kelly is a singer and that song was more of a duet than a feature. I personally like that song, although I can't say I'm not disappointed that she's also had 'rent-a-rappers' in the past. She's so much better than that.
I think it ruins the song because apart from that it is a very 80's sounding pop synth track. With the R Kelly cameo it just takes it off into a generic RnB direction.
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Old 17-07-2016, 15:31
scrilla
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Scrilla, I don't now know if you are anti all guitar solos but they take skill and are often the highlight of the song. RHCP would be nowhere without John Frusciante's solos. Some solos make the song e.g. Sweet Child O Mine.
No I'm not anti *all* rock-style guitar solos. They have their place - in Rock music. I don't mind the Chilli Peppers. I don't like them being used to punctuate Reggae and Soul music (which I listen to a lot) where they seem inappropriate in the way that a rap break will to others in the Pop tunes they like.

The thing about 'chart acts' is that they'll do what they need to do to 'chart'. I'd see the Chilli's as a group who'd be there doing their thing for their audience, regardless of massive popularity or not, whereas many of these popstars are doing what they're told because they are in it for the money over and above creating music / expressing themselves. They probably don't even know there'll be a guest rapper on the track when they record it much of the time. The accountants/committee will decide that - if you get my (rather cynical) drift...
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Old 17-07-2016, 15:55
Thorney
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I've read this "featuring" viewpoint before on here. It can mean anything though. Could be an original artist who has been sampled, a vocalist (often the case with dance genres) or an instrumentalist. It's really just giving a significant credit (I've records by males where the singer is a female and the credit is nowhere or buried in small print) but I suppose it's being used as a marketing tool now. Maybe all the collaborations are supposed to drive up sales i.e. fans of both artists will buy...?
I am being flippant I do use discretion and common sense one of my favourite songs right now is actually a featuring song. Chvrches featuring Hayley Williams - Bury It.

Which again is away to sell them to US radio as a band that can be played on Modern rock stations even though they use synths, all marketing. Although I think Lauren was/is a Paramore fan.
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Old 17-07-2016, 17:11
fredthe3rd
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I'm a big rap fan, but I agree that a random rap verse in the middle of a pop song often doesn't really fit.
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Old 17-07-2016, 17:42
scrilla
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I'm reminded of Mantronix, a Hip Hop producer / MC duo who came on the scene around 1985. Kurtis Mantronik had been producing R&B acts like Joyce Sims anyway and moved the Mantronix band/brand towards R&B/Club music eventually when the MC left.

He discovered a singer called Wondress and they had a hit with "Got to Have Your Love" a club track with a featured rap on it which was later covered by Liberty X.

I guess I'm mentioning this because it's an example of someone who works in Hip Hop producing songs with featured rapping that integrates really well with the track rather than someone shoving a rapper on for a few bars due to it being fashionable. The 12" is sublime:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RCZ0KMZik4



It's quite common in Reggae to have a track that features a singer alongside a 'toaster' (MC) in combination style:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a2PQ134jag
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Old 17-07-2016, 23:30
FMKK
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I don't mind Make Me, even the rapper section. I have no idea who on earth G-Easy is though. Discount Drake?
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Old 18-07-2016, 00:47
SuperAPJ
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Mantronix[...]discovered a singer called Wondress and they had a hit with "Got to Have Your Love"
It's interesting to learn female singer's name, as I've only ever seen or heard of the track being credited to Matronix alone.
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Old 18-07-2016, 08:02
little-monster
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I always wonder whether the rent a rapper thing is a ploy to try and get on Urban radio in the US.

Jessie j got played on Urban radio purely thanks to BoB and Nicki Minaj being used on Price Tag and Bang Bang,
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Old 18-07-2016, 09:32
snukr
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The question should be, why is rap still popular? It's been around far too long.
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Old 18-07-2016, 11:35
mushymanrob
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Since the mid-noughties, it seems like every other pop song sacrifices a middle 8 for a rapper to come along and add another verse. Sometimes it's done well, most of the time it's not. But I think there's one thing we can agree with... this trend has gone on far too long.

The recent release of Britney's song Make Me shows to me that the rent-a-rapper trend has well and truly passed its peak. The random inclusion of G. Eazy adds nothing to the song and never seems to end. Occasionally Britney has used rappers in a way that enhances her songs, but I can't excuse the lazy verse-chorus-verse-chorus-rapper-chorus formula anymore. It's old, tired and belongs to another era. There is nothing cool or edgy about including a rapper on a pop song anymore (especially not second-rate rappers that nobody has heard of).

My fear is that the rent-a-rapper trend is here to stay. It's been going for more than ten years now. It seems to have become so ingrained in pop music that it doesn't look like it's going to die out. I really hope I'm wrong...
it dates back at least a decade earlier as i was making the same point 21 years ago..
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Old 18-07-2016, 11:38
mushymanrob
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I'm reminded of Mantronix, a Hip Hop producer / MC duo who came on the scene around 1985. Kurtis Mantronik had been producing R&B acts like Joyce Sims anyway and moved the Mantronix band/brand towards R&B/Club music eventually when the MC left.

He discovered a singer called Wondress and they had a hit with "Got to Have Your Love" a club track with a featured rap on it which was later covered by Liberty X.

I guess I'm mentioning this because it's an example of someone who works in Hip Hop producing songs with featured rapping that integrates really well with the track rather than someone shoving a rapper on for a few bars due to it being fashionable. The 12" is sublime:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RCZ0KMZik4



It's quite common in Reggae to have a track that features a singer alongside a 'toaster' (MC) in combination style:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a2PQ134jag
ah... we agree on something!
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