Collaborations have never been sought out more than they are today. When an artist releases a project one of the first things people look for is the list of collaborators, producers and featured artists. Sometimes the collabs turn out really good and other times they are atrocious. Rappers tend to work mainly with other rappers and your occasional R&B singers. But once in while you find very strange combinations that are just so unexpected they leave you scratching your head about how they even happened. Here are a few such instances where the collabs actually turned out way better in real life than on paper.
Wale & Lady Gaga: ‘Chillin’ (2009)
When I first heard this song I thought “what’s going on here?” It was clearly an unexpected collaboration despite the fact that I didn’t know who Wale was when it came out. The surprise was more towards Lady Gaga’s appearance on a rap song. Being the weirdo she is it was strange to see her on a “normal” song and with an unknown rapper nonetheless. However, the song is actually quite dope and it did land on several charts in the USA and elsewhere.
Wyclef Jean and The Rock: ‘It Doesn’t Matter’ (2000)
The Rock is one of the most recognizable and highly paid movie stars of today. But before he was on the silver screen he used to entertain us as a pro wrestler in WWE. As his start continued to rise as the most charismatic WWE superstar he somehow managed to end up on a song with Wyclef Jean called it Doesn’t Matter. Rock doesn’t sing on the song he just shouts out his catch phrase as a response to various things that Wyclef mentions in the song. While rather unexpected the record actually worked. It’s a fun song.
Nelly & Tim McGraw: ‘Over and Over’ (2004)
Nelly came into the game as an anomaly. He kind of sang his raps which was not something people did at the time. He was however embraced by consumers and has had a phenomenal rap career. Throughout his career he has collaborated with various artists such as Pharrell, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Rowland and Jaheim which are not far-fetched features. A strange one though is his collaboration with country superstar Tim McGraw with whom he sang Over and Over. On paper it is a disaster but the record itself is pretty, darn good with a catchy hook and gentle beat.
Run DMC & Aerosmith: ‘Walk This Way’ (1986)
Walk This Way is often labeled as one of the greatest rap songs of all time, partly because it’s lit and also because of the impact it had when it first came out. It helped to cement Run DMC as a force to be reckoned with in the mainstream and helped to popularize rap and make it more accessible to the general public. It’s also one of the songs that helped solidify rap-rock as a genre in its own right. The track ended up winning several awards, charting in numerous countries and sold many copies.
Puff Daddy & Jimmy Page: ‘Come With Me’ (1998)
Puffy is not a great rapper but one thing he knows is how to put a record together. He has had hit after hit, some of which are his and others which he helped produce under his label Bad Boy Records. In 1998 he ended up working with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page on a song titled Come With Me which was featured on the Godzilla soundtrack and ended up being a huge hit. It sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. Puffy adds a sort of crooning rap vocal over the grandiose beat which gradually escalates as the songs progresses.
