The Weeknd is a Grammy Award-winning music artist, famous for 2016’s hit album (and title track), Starboy, and his collaboration with other high-profile artists, including Kanye West and Alicia Keys. However, given his unique sound and mixing of musical genres, people often wonder if The Weeknd is a rapper.
The Weeknd is not a rapper, at least not in the traditional sense. Though he can rap, and does occasionally have hip-hop-inspired tunes, his sound errs on the side of R&B and pop, rather than hardcore rap artists such as Eminen and Dr. Dre.
Read more below about The Weeknd’s rise to fame, his unusual sound, and how his boundary crossing of musical genres has won him legions of fans.
Toronto Roots
The Weeknd was born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye on February 16, 1990. His parents were Ethipoian immigrants who had fled to Canada, where they had Abel and built a life in the Scarborough area of Toronto.
His parents ultimately split, with The Weeknd being raised by his mom and grandmother, and though he rarely saw his father, he did not hold it against him. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he described the relationship with his father, saying, “I saw him vaguely when I was six, and then again when I was 11 or 12, and he had a new family and kids. I don’t even know where he lived – I’d see him for, like, a night. I’m sure he’s a great guy. I never judged him. He wasn’t abusive, he wasn’t an alcoholic, he wasn’t an asshole. He just wasn’t there.”
Though he had an otherwise normal childhood, when he became serious about pursuing music as a career, he dropped out of high school and moved to a different part of the city. It was here that he would meet Jeremy Rose, an R&B producer, whom he worked with early on in his career.
Musical Meeting
Though The Weeknd and Rose would eventually have a falling out, The Weeknd walked away with several songs that would ultimately appear on his self-released debut, House of Balloons, a mixtape that received rave reviews from critics. The Weeknd had no record contract, he had simply uploaded the mixtape online
After the release, The Weeknd began performing at local clubs in the area. Superstar artist Drake, who had become a fan of The Weeknd’s, attended one of the shows, and the duo began collaborating, with Drake appearing on one of The Weeknd’s songs, and The Weeknd working on Drake’s album, Take Care.
Starboy and Superstardom
The rest is history. The Weeknd would subsequently sign a record deal, release four studio albums and collaborate with numerous megastars. His 2016 hit single “Starboy,” which featured the iconic Daft Punk, topped the charts and the song’s music video was essentially a short Hollywood thriller set to the song.
The Weeknd’s unique sound set him apart from other performers at the time. Of his distinct style, Teen Vogue, wrote, “The Weeknd cannot be restricted to a single musical genre — and he’s not trying to be. Although he is often placed in hip hop and soul categories, his sound is one that really doesn’t have any boundaries.”
You can see several rap superstars discuss The Weeknd and his work in the YouTube video below.
It’s the reason why The Weeknd can effortlessly collaborate with superstar songstress, Ariana Grande, but also accompany Kanye West and Travis Scott, the latter two both known for their incredible rap skills.
A Little Musical History
Rap music has dominated the charts for several decades, though it actually dates back to the 1920s, it would become mainstream in the 1980s, and capture media attention throughout the 1990s and into the new millennium. It’s counterpart, R&B picked up steam in the 1940s, and has been a mainstay on the music scene ever since. Though the two genres are often lumped together, and often do complement each other, they are distinct forms of music, and it can be hard for artists to transition between the two.
The Weeknd, however, has found a way to seamlessly transition between pop, R&B, and hip-hop, making him not only a superstar, but the perfect person to collaborate with for many other artists. Though he may not exclusively be categorized as a rapper, he can rap, and it’s always possible that future albums may have a heavier hip-hop influence.