Rap as alternative to singing?

[total-recoil]

I posted before about my attempts to learn to sing so this is an update. I've been finding it pretty tough so far to find my singing voice so one idea I had was maybe I could try rap? Much as I hate modern rap, in actual fact the original rap music I grew up with was really pretty good. More on that later.
The reasoning behind this idea is that rap will strengthen my voice and be a kind of middle ground between just instrumental with no vocals at all and at least some vocals. I still maintain that vocals are really important if you want your music to make an impression. And anyway, learning to rap can maybe ease me into actual singing.
As ever I have swatted up quite thoroughly on my subject matter and it seems rap may have been derived from Jamaican reggae. There are also a few tracks that aren't really rap at all but still use spoken voice to a beat. I can instantly think of, say, Scatman John and does anyone recall Rapture by Blondie?
Anyway, I tried it. I made a backing on synth but made it kind of funky/jazzy. Started out just counting to the background like one, two, three, four, five, six, seven eight as you'd expect in an aerobic class. Not sure if that's my own invention. Played it back and I sounded awful but instantly realised it was expression in my voice that was lacking. I also noticed black rappers very definitely have expressive voices so they sort of lower and raise pitch to make the vocals sound meaningful. So, I tried doing that too. And I went low. Rather than going mid range as when I try to sing I lowered my voice fairly deep. At that point it sounded much better. I would say better than my singing attempts so far.
By the way I also tried sneaking in lyrics after just counting.
Now to give you some idea of how rap was done in 1980, check out Kurtis Blow. No swearing and violence in the lyrics and check out the intonation, image, delivery and the lyrics which are pretty good.

Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rapping (live on TOTP jan'80) - YouTube

 

[Ereth]

I think it's a good idea. It'll help you learn how to project your voice and learn how to incorporate natural rhythm into your songs.

(But FYI, it's not just "black rappers" who can do that. Anyone is capable of pitch control. Actors and vocalists do it all the time, for example.)

 

[total-recoil]

O.K., in typical aspie fashion I practised for over 8 hours yesterday on a diet of hot coffee and synth at full blare. The backing 5 channel track I composed (in my opinion) sounded awesome and a dose of the seventies chic sound I want to recreate. But the rapping was awful. At first I thought it wasn't too bad but eventually it dawned on me I was pretty damned hopeless.
Anyone who wants a laugh I reproduce the verse I was using and many of you will know this as The Sugarhill Gang. The idea was to do it over and over again to my backing as a vocal exercise but really I couldn't get my breath:
"I said a hip hop,
Hippie to the hippie,
The hip, hip a hop, and you don't stop, a rock it
To the bang bang boogie, say, up jump the boogie,
To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat."
I confess I took comfort in the idea that if any of the people at work tried to pull that off, it could maybe even sound worse than me!!
Sooo, I've been online and finding other sad cases such as mine. Girls who would love to be able to rap, for example, but (like me) feel they haven't go "it". And the kind hearted, experienced MC's telling us all you need time to find a way that projects your own voice.
Anyway, here is some light at the end of the tunnel. Just as I was considering advertising for a decent rapper who was into soul and funk, I tried again but did something much easier. I tried using words I had less difficulty pronouncing and left off trying to do the Sugarhill Gang (it's too advanced). I used a simple rhyme with words I can get my mouth around. Took a deep breath. Put backing on full. Then took the bull by the horns with confidence, yelled it out and made sure I got attitude and tone. And wow, on playback it sounded much much better. At least I think it does. So, all I need I guess is to play it to someone who's going to be fair, not be deliberately negative but not be too kind to spare the barbs (if needed).
Really, I'm getting a bit excited about it all. Much as I hate modern rap with all the swearing and the violence, I've learned a new kind of respect for hip hop as a genre. Enough to know this is really an art form and it isn't in any way easy. Really good hip hop artists need to be pretty decent poets (at street level), need to be able to control their delivery, intonation, timing and expression.
I do know there are people who can rap and cannot sing and there are people who can sing but cannot rap.

 

[total-recoil]

The way it's done to perfection:
Kurtis Blow - "The Breaks" on Soul Train TV show - YouTube

 

[total-recoil]

Finally found exactly what I was looking for. John Larkin a former jazz musician combined scat with rap to create a different sound. He also had a stammering disability and speech impediment but turned his disadvantage to advantage in the use of scat/rap. I'm not too clued up on scat but it's origin comes from jazz and uses nonsensical sounds as a kind of vocal instrumental.
What strikes me, though, is Larkin's rap voice at 55 years of age is very different to what you hear today but seems to work just fine.
Anyone who feels hip hop is a dead duck, feel free to check out this track by Larkin. It never made it in the U.S. but hit the charts in Germany and became a sensational hit in Japan. Maybe someone will recall this guy:
Scatman John - Everybody Jam! 1996 HD 720p - YouTube

I think it's a good idea. It'll help you learn how to project your voice and learn how to incorporate natural rhythm into your songs.

(But FYI, it's not just "black rappers" who can do that. Anyone is capable of pitch control. Actors and vocalists do it all the time, for example.)

 

[total-recoil]

I decided I want to do a track sort of based on what John Larkin is doing here. So far, the advice I got is that in order to develop a rap style that people will take seriously it has to be your own voice. I also found out that rappers have to use similar training methods to actors so practice involves repeating a sentence over and over again and changing the expression and tone of voice to convey different moods. Now, one problem we have as aspies is many of us have monotone, robotic voices so I'm working on making my rap style lose that habit so doing a lot of playback and recording. As for the synth side of it I figure I can handle it O.K. (been at it a year now but lots and lots of practice and mixing).
I have this idea that if John Larkin could rap about his speech impediment, why couldn't I rap about aspergers? Not so openly that it's broadcast just hidden meaning. Which brings me to the most tricky part for me: Lyrics. I really struggle to write verse and am still kind of blank as to how to go about it.

I think it's a good idea. It'll help you learn how to project your voice and learn how to incorporate natural rhythm into your songs.

(But FYI, it's not just "black rappers" who can do that. Anyone is capable of pitch control. Actors and vocalists do it all the time, for example.)