Hip-Hop Goes Broadway

Oh My God

Hip-Hop Goes Broadway by Superfruit

Recommended by Kim C.

"Listen to parts 1 and 2. By the way, Superfruit is Scotty and Mitch from Pentatonix.

Two of my favorite genres come together in these glorious little snippets. I guess with the rise of Hamilton this past year, it's not such a crazy concept. Either way, these Broadway renditions of my favorite hip hop songs are seriously entertaining!"

Good point about musicals with rap songs making it a more palatable concept. I remember watching a show called In the Heights that married the two genres years before Hamilton.

...I just looked it up, and In the Heights was also created by Lin-Manuel Miranda. I should have expected that - he's a talented dude. He wrote the earliest draft of In the Heights his sophomore year of college. (x)

I love when people take a song and, to quote American Idol, make it their own. I'm not talking about minor tweaks - I'm talking about total transformations like the covers in Hip-Hop Goes Broadway. The result forces you to explore what makes up a genre.

In the second video, Hotline Bling and The Hills are pretty much sung with the same melody as the original songs, so you really have to look at what exactly changes to make them more "Broadway."

What even is the musical theater style? Is it the way it's all about the vocal line? Is it the harmonies and the copious use of counterpoint? Or is it the vocal technique - the belting, the vibrato, and the clear annunciation? The storytelling, the emotion, the in-character intensity?

Other covers in here, however, encourage you to question what makes up a song. Is it still Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe if it's simply new lyrics put over the chord progressions from the Phantom of the Opera?

I dunno, son.

Probably not.

But anyway, these arrangements are amazing. The way they've written the music is fun, and the way they've added context and personalities is hysterical. Thanks for the recommendation, Kim. I'm sure I'll be on Superfruit's YouTube Channel for the next several hours.

Overview:

Genre:
Showtunes!!

Favorite Part:
Hold On We're Going Home

Verdict:
Hip-hop and musical theater go together like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong.

P.S. It's most fun if you know the original songs.