The great Nu-Metal implosion left a bad taste in lots of people’s mouths. We get it. Rap and metal tried playing together last century and it yielded some sketchy results…but rejoice! We’ve gone ahead and found five awesome instances of the two genres working in cahoots. We’re talking metal bands collaborating with and/or covering real hip hop artists. No Crazy Town-ish shenanigans here. Honest.
Anthrax & Public Enemy – “Bring The Noise”
The definitive rap/metal mashup that started it all. Listen to Scott Ian bust rhymes with Chuck D himself as Anthrax throws some heavy metal muscle behind Public Enemies’ music industry take down. Whether you caught Anthrax and Public Enemy on tour together in the early 90’s or grew up blasting “Bring The Noise” via Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, there’s no denying that this is iconic mashup of genres has definitely stood the test of time and will probably outlive us all.
System Of A Down & Wu-Tang Clan – “Shame”
Easily The highlight of the Loud Rocks metal and hip hop compilation, there’s just something uncanny about hearing Serj Tankian’s unmistakable wail side by side with Wu-Tang Clan’s commander and chief RZA, on this early millennium collaboration. Wu-Tang’s gritty beats mesh perfectly with System’s buoyant instrumentation and best of all, the song captures the intensity and irreverence of both acts have become legendary for.
Faith No More & Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. – “Another Body Murdered”
The fabled Judgement Night movie soundtrack was like the epicenter of rap and metal cross pollution in the early 90’s. Slayer teamed up with Ice-T, Biohazard went apeshit with Onyx, and Faith No More went into the Twilight Zone with Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. Their collaboration is a surreal mixture of gangster rap bravado and horror movie dread. Also, Faith No More seem to go extra hard when they serve as a backing band and not having to worry about lyrics frees Mike Patton up to explore all kinds of weirdly awesome hysterics.
Six Feet Under & Ice-T “One Bullet Left”
Ice-T is no stranger to the metal realm. He’s had his hardcore/thrash band Body Count for ages and even collaborated with Slayer long before he got the call to guest on “One Bullet Left.” Chris Barnes, a media pariah after his explicit Cannibal Corpse lyrics caused boycotts around the globe, thought the author behind “Cop Killer” would make a swell duet partner and boy was he right. Ice-T impassioned delivery coupled with Barnes’ indecipherable growl pushes this song into the stratosphere of guilty Six Feet Under pleasures.
Rage Against The Machine – “How I Could Just Kill A Man” [Cypress Hill cover]
Rap had always been a crucial element to Rage Against The Machine’s distinctive sound and on their final album of cover songs, Renegades, the band decided to pay homage to some of the genre’s greats that influenced them. Their rendition of Cypress Hill’s first single “How I Could Just Kill A Man” pays service to B-Real’s original flow while completely rejiggering the song into one of the most bombastic tunes in Rage Against The Machine’s repertoire and proves that nobody does this stuff as well as Rage. Try not to blow out your speakers on this one.
What are some of your favorite metal/rap collaborations? Will Ice-Cube ask Korn to open the NWA reunion tour? How has Ben Weinman’s Dr. Dre t-shirt not disintegrated by now?! Let us know what you think in the comments below.
We’ll leave you with The Dillinger Escape Plan and Jarren Benton’s collaboration video, “Rage” because it’s fitting and it rules.
