Hip hop singing is different from regular singing. A hip hop singer cannot afford to steal the spotlight for 4-6 minutes like the regulars do. No sir. Good hip hop needs the ability to sizzle from the moment the hook is hit on the hip hop track. What makes it even more difficult to produce a top 5 hip hop singers list is the sheer volume of talent in the pool. There are so many names that come to mind.
So here’s an attempt to make sense of the chaos.
Nate Dogg: According to many, the undisputed king of hip hop singers. Dogg has been on the trail of almost every hip hop song released from the West Coast in the last 12 years or so. For more evidence, you may want to listen to “Not Funny” and “Next Episode.”
T-Pain – A great artist with a voice that can melt your heart. T-pain burst onto the scene in the winter of 2005 with the debut ‘Rappa Trent Sanga’. Most of his songs provide ample evidence that this man is at a level of creativity far above his contemporaries.
Mary J: Some people call her the queen of hip hop soul. For good reason. This 24-year-old singer has an incredibly strong voice and knows exactly what to do with it. She has a multifaceted personality that brings her closer and closer to becoming one of the most successful musicians of recent times.
Akon: He appeared in 2004 and since then no one has stopped him. To his credit, he has over 20 Billboard Top 100 songs and has also made over 150 guest appearances. His hit numbers are many. Listen to ‘Locked Up’, ‘Ghetto’, ‘Belly Dancer’ or ‘Soul Survivor’.
Devin The Dude: No one might know that his real name is Devin Copeland, but they would recognize this man’s voice on songs like ‘Just Tryin to Live’ and ‘To tha X-Treme’. The New York Times has called him “a bright freak with a spaced flow.” Unfortunately, The Dude is more popular as an underground hip hop artist and has yet to achieve brilliant mainstream success.
