Ep 4: The rise of the singing rapper

It's pretty common to hear rap and R&B influences on the same track, but that wasn’t always the case. Hip-hop was not received with open arms by many in the R&B establishment. Still, rappers found creative ways of being heard on the radio, while others pushed beyond stereotypes of Black masculinity to find a new voice. Some artists mentioned in this episode: Kwamé, DJ Frankie Crocker, Sugarhill Gang, Melle Mel, Teddy Riley, Bell Biv DeVoe, 50 cent, Kanye West.