Music

7 of the Most Unforgettable Rap-Rock Crossovers in History

Genre crossovers are a tricky thing.

Many bands have bolstered the genre: Groups like Beastie Boys, Death Grips, Twenty One Pilots, and Rage Against the Machine have given their own hip-hop spin to traditional alternative music, while rappers like Post Malone and Lil Peep have used rock-inspired beats to varying degrees of success. Most exciting of all, though, is when rock bands, who are strictly known for rock, team up with rappers, who are strictly known for rap.


Sometimes it’s corny, sometimes it’s thrilling, but a good rap-rock collaboration is hard to forget. Here are just a few examples—the cheesy, the bold, and everything in between.

Jay-Z and Linkin Park: “Numb/Encore”

Linkin Park’s industrial, nu metal breed of rock is a perfect canvas for hip-hop facelifts. Their mashup of “Numb” with Jay-Z’s “Encore”—both songs released in 2003—remains arguably one of the most seamless examples of rap-rock collaborations. The song won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, served as the lead single for Linkin Park and Jay-Z’s Collision Course mashup EP, and it might’ve helped spawn Bey-Z’s affinity for indie rock.

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