Best Songwriter/Rapper?
The last few blogs I’ve talked about how hip hop works best in musical theater, and why someone who creates hip hop should write for musical theater. This blog is about the who.
Which hip hop artist would make a good writer of theater songs?
I’m not going to suggest any particular artist, but rather instead I’d like to talk about what a songwriter/rapper needs in order to be good and successful as a musical theater songwriter.
A good hip hop lyric should rhyme. Natural, multiple word, rhymes are the best. So are rhymes that are rare, unusual, unique. No “spoon under the moon with June.” They should also float smoothly on top of the beat.
Second, a good theater song should move the story along or reveal the character. The latter is where hip hop excels. A good hip hop song tells a story about a person, what happens to them and how they deal with it. It reveals character.
Finally, it takes real talent. Writing a song is difficult, but writing a hip hop song is even more so. Writing a hip hop song that fits seamlessly into an existing work is the most difficult. Not many artists can do this.
Who Would YOU Vote For?
As a theater company we intend to reach out to any artist who believes they can write hip hop musical theater. We already have reached out to some, and are now actively working with them. Unfortunately there is a LOT of talent out there that we don’t know, so please help us out.
Who do you think fits the bill? Drop us a line in the comments section below and introduce us!