What Beats To Rap On Should You Choose?

What are the best beats to rap on or instrumentals to sing over when it comes to your craft?  If you are an R&B artist, should you only be limited to the styles that most R&B instrumentals tend to have?  Are you forbidden to writing on something harder?  And must all R&B music be deep and emotional or sensual and passionate?  Or what if you're more of a street rapper reppin' and spittin' about the hood?  Should you not be allowed to write some deep inspiring lyrics to something more subtle and mood setting?  What are your thoughts?  Should thug rappers stay thug rappers and R&B singers not have any emotions other than sweet or deep?

The truth is, with so many different styles out, and so many different producers, there's even more of a variety out now than ever before in terms of what beats to rap on or what you should sing to.  You have producers that strictly deal with dirty south beats, and yet there are R&B singers that have taken these styles of beats and mashed them to the ground with some enraged lyrics that no one would've thought possible.  Or take for instance, the thugged out rapper, who takes sad hip hop beats and flips them to something thought provoking, emotionally inspiring, and with a mood that breaks you down into tears.  And then there's the combo of rapper and R&B singer on club beats that continue to dominate the airwaves today.  Are any of those styles of artists wrong?  Not in the least.  It is the creativity that they desire to bring to the table, and the way they wish to express themselves.

There has been so much stigma to the hip hop artists as to what beats to rap on, and artists being labeled "soft" if they take a variety of R&B beats and decide to rap something over them to express their love for their ladies, or for their mothers.  Does that make a rap artist soft now?  Hell, last I checked, even the most fearless boxers or UFC fighters have emotions and love to express.  So what makes rappers any different?  Not every single day is meant to be a "buss shots and knock some heads off".  But then with that said, sadly, that era in itself has died a bit as well.  

It seems that the new stigma today that has set forth due to the mainstream flow of the hip hop industry and these major labels out, is that commercialized tracks are the only way to go to make it in the industry!  If you don't have that style of commercial beats to rap on, then you might as well kiss a record deal goodbye, unless you're willing to conform to what the industry dictates.  When did hip hop change to this stage of the game?  Or is it just a rant that I'm having alone?  Did the 90's era of rap not have variety?  Were artists not doing different things and expressing what they felt more or less?  Sure, the industry had some words in it, but the artist had more freedom.  But not now... if you don't make that "hook blazin" track with minimal lyrics but a catchy dance vibe, you might as well consider your career done before it starts.. unless you're underground.  If you're trying for the majors though, you might want to get rid of those east coast beats that you planned on spitting to, and break out the dance vibe tracks, since it seems in the industry, the beats to rap on are completely dictated by the major labels.

So with that said, do you feel that there are only certain beats that should be touched by artists as to what they rap or sing to?  Or have you been more about the creativity of rap and hip hop, what it was pioneered to be back way when, when artists had more to say and freedom of expression in the hip hop industry was more dominant?  Would you trade in your entire style of rapping and lyrics to simply get to the commercial level and perhaps make it, or become a one hit wonder thinking that millions lie your way, when in fact, you have to first recoup?  Or would you remain to your style and continue to push your own weight on trying to make your music known?  If you were asked at the door from a major label that heard your work, loved it, but wanted you to conform and change your entire style, and they handed you some beats to listen to... what would be your choice?  What would you choose as to what beats to rap on?