Since the very beginnings of hip-hop, the culture has had a very interesting relationship with the other forms of popular music around at different times. Hip-Hop’s first monster hit came from a rock crossover and from "Walk This Way" on, artists who have attempted to bridge this gap have received inconsistent reactions at best. One reason is that these “crossovers” usually are merely hip-hop songs with the popular R&B or soul artist of the moment crooning out a half-assed hook. The alternative, of course, is the same soul artist making a single that attempts to get the “rap” audience by tacking on a verse by a wack MC in need of a royalty check. Most hip-hoppers lament the fact that their music must share radio stations with modern R&B. It is truly a shame that the same station that broadcasts the Wake-Up Show plays Destiny’s Child 100 times per week.
But what happens when a member of this genre makes something truly great? More often than not we ignore it because we associate it with the awful music that rides our radio waves. What is ironic is that the best modern soul music is very similar to the best of modern hip-hop. One of the most recent examples of this has been Macy Gray’s funky debut On How Life Is. This album is straight soul from the jump. While it may get a little poppy for the most picky of listeners, it is a very musically and lyrically deep album. Perhaps the best track on this album is "Still." This song is a beautiful, somber piece in which Macy contemplates the nature of an abusive relationship. The album features many other dope selections, one of which is the monster hit single, "I Try." I know many hardcore hip-hoppers probably front like they aren’t feeling this one, you just might catch them humming the chorus to themselves when no one is around. This album undeniably lives within the realm of soul, but it is apparent that hip-hop had a hand in making Macy the artist she is. Whether it is the subtle extended metaphor of "Still," the storytelling of "I’ve Committed Murder," or the interpolation of an Outkast hook on "Funky For You," hip-hoppers will be hearing connotative bells as they listen to this wonderful debut.
Even more interesting and just plain amazing is the work of the Soulquarians. If you don’t know the members of this collective of genius yet, I pity you. They are Questlove, James Poyser, D’Angelo and Jay Dee of ATCQ. This group produced perhaps the two best albums of the last few years: D’Angelo’s Voodoo and Common’s Like Water For Chocolate. What is interesting and most important about these albums was that they were made almost in conjunction with one another. At first the intention was to complete Voodoo before the group moved onto LWFC, but the production of Voodoo took so long that most LWFC was made while still working on it. The result was two masterpieces that defy almost any convention. D’Angelo’s album has appeal for everyone from Gangstarr listeners to Prince fans. One example of these albums influencing one another is D’Angelo's funky-as-all-hell escapade, "Chicken Grease." The beat for this track was originally put together for LWFC, but when D’Angelo heard how it was developing he nabbed it, and turned it in to one of his albums best joints.
These two albums should stand as an example for both soul and hip-hop artists, of what can be done when we look beyond the constraints of our genres. Not every cross-genre song is a commercial crossover. In my opinion, there is not one song on either Voodoo or LWFC that sacrifices musical or lyrical integrity for mass appeal. These are not the only examples of soul and hip-hop playing with each other lately. Late in 1999 Prince Paul dropped his very innovative compilation, Handsome Boy Modeling School. Easily the best joint on this project was a Portishead-ish soul odyssey called "The Truth." This song featured a sensuous beat, coupled with beautifully delivered lyrics by Molokai and a nice little verse from J-Live. I hope that songs and albums like these serve to show hip-hoppers that there is still some nice modern music outside the realms of hip-hop. Many soul artists are out to accomplish the same things with their music as the GMCs and producers we worship. It is time we looked beyond our biases, and the garbage on our radios, and find that amazing things can happen with modern soul music.
-Sayre Piotrkowski
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