Professa,
I have had success recording rap vocals with an SM58, because it's all that we had at the time. The rapper was about 4 inches from the mic. I wanted an in your face sound, so I used the mic close-up. The mic was pointed straight ahead.
We were recording to analog tape (a Tascam 1/4inch 4-track), which I favor for rap (analog). Things just sat better than I think they would have in digital. I didn't use any compression, because the tape compressed the vocals naturally. I did use a little compression during mixdown (3:1 ratio, fast attack, slow release, threshhold at ~ -15 to -20).
I've recorded rap vocals several times in the last year and a half. My first experiences recording it was with
a Tascam DA-88 (Digital 8-track). We recorded it with a condensor mic. We got great clean tracks, but with digital you have to use a lot of compression to make it have that aggressive in your face sound you hear on CD's and radio. If you're recording to digital, I suggest that you record with a little compression (3:1 ratio, moderate threshhold, fast attack and moderate release). Then use a little compression during mixdown (2:1 to 4:1, etc). I'm staying away from numbers, because every track is different. Hope this helps.
Rev E
[This message has been edited by Rev E (edited 05-31-2000).]