I'm not sure when the integration of rap and soul began. Either TLC started it or they really took to it, with tracks like "Waterfalls" and "No Scrubs." Notably, "Unpretty" doesn't feature a rap verse by their resident Badass MC Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. The only vestige of their hip hop tendencies is that the song is based on a really good sample from a song called "Don't Look Any Further," lending the song an Earthy, honest, wizened vibe. The track is the kind of thing you wouldn't expect to hit home with me, being as it's an anthem of women's empowerment and overcoming image obsession, but I think it's a really powerful message, well delivered. If I had to compare to their earlier hit, it's a fair bit less heavyhanded than "Waterfalls," delivering a message about a complex issue without cheapening it.
While I was thinking on rap & soul, I looked in on Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)" which is still an excellent song. Notably, as the two genres edges closer together, I think Lauryn was instrumental in melding them. She wasn't a rapper inserting soulful hooks into her songs, she wasn't a soul singer that tossed in a gratuitous rap. Her raps are soulful and her chorus has that same street-tough bedrock in the verses. Compositionally, this tune is a complete success and has been a guideline for female vocalists ever since.
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