Scat singing is not for everyone, most can’t get the syllables and tempo right which messes the lead on lyrics. Only a few can keep it harmonic. Yes, it adds coloration and more emotions to a song but it can also kill a song.
Usually singers do it awfully because they want to scat like Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, Jill Scott, in Hip Hop Lauryn Hill and Andre 3000 to mention a few.
Scatting is a reflective sound of an instrument or sounds alike. I am shying away from the word “improvisation” while describing Scat singing because once you’ve heard “Sarah Vaughan – Shuile A Bop” you’ll realize that scat singing is a skill more than an ability.
In South Africa, Simphiwe Dana and Mam’Sibongile Khumalo are the ultimate example of natural scat singers. Mr.Gold (The Brother Moves On) takes scatting to another level.
Jazz has and is still a rich source of influence to rap music. Scat singing is one thing I wouldn’t want to spill over into rap music. But quite funny enough I’ve heard more scatting on rap songs this past few months than I have prior to 2009.
Rap in its form is poetry, meaning the point of convergence is the words. The origins of Rap which evolved from poetry can be traced back to “Toasts” (Jamaican folk stories told in rhyme) also “jelis” (West Africa). The essance of Toasts and the story’s by Jelis was around the words.
Take Away Point:
RAPPERS SHOULDN’T SCAT QHA!!!
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@Una_Ramses (Unarine Ramaru)
#NB In Hip Hop we have something we call Beatboxing. There is a thin line between Beatboxing and scatting which makes the two seem alike. These shall be discussed in dept at a later stage.