Hit Parade: Say My Name, Say My Name, Part 1
Let\u2019s be clear: Rap has always been musical. But back in the day, rappers generally, well, rapped: talked in cadence over a beat. Fans judged MCs primarily by their rhymes and rhythms, not their melodies.\nNow? Rappers are mostly singers: MCs from Drake to DaBaby slip seamlessly in and out of melody. Some hits that appear on Billboard\u2019s Rap charts feature literally no rapping. When did this change?\nIn this episode of Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy walks through the history of hip-hop\u2014from Gil Scott-Heron to Lil Nas X\u2014to trace the evolving role of melody in rap\u2019s conquest of the charts. The broadening of rap to include more female MCs, from Queen Latifah to Lauryn Hill, had a lot to do with it. But all roads lead through rap-and-B\u2019s power couple, Jay-Z and Beyonc\xe9. The pivot point may have been when Queen Bey realized she could sing with triple-time flow like the baddest MC.\n\xa0\nPodcast production by Asha Saluja.\n\nHit Parade episodes are now split into two parts, released two weeks apart. For the full episode right now, sign up for Slate Plus and you'll also get The Bridge, our Trivia show and bonus deep dive. Click here for more info.\xa0\xa0\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices