Best Non-Hip-Hop Songs Featuring Hip-Hop Artists
By: Grace Malone
“Kill Us All” by The Neighbourhood ft. Denzel Curry
Released in 2018 on the album Hard To Imagine The Neighbourhood Ever Changing, the song is the first and only collaboration between this alternative rock band and Denzel. It perfectly combines the alternative hip-hop element that Denzel Curry brings throughout his discography with The Neighbourhood’s dark, rock instrumental. Over a psychedelic, punching guitar riff, Denzel opens the song with an aggressive verse. Jesse Rutherford of The Neighbourhood follows with a quiet, dark chorus and verse with an overall theme of impending doom. The duo’s sounds, though from different genres, directly complement each other to make an incredible song about the world as we know it completely changing.
“American Boy” by Estelle ft. Kanye West
The breakout single on Estelle’s 2008 album Shine, this song walks a fine line between disco, pop, and R&B sounds. Like the preceding song, “American Boy” is opened with an energetic verse delivered by Kanye West. The two trade verses throughout the single to make a catchy story about a cross-continental romance. As well as Estelle earning a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, the song reached #1 in the UK and topped charts across multiple countries. Interestingly enough, the song has more hip-hop influence than just Kanye, as it was produced by will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas. The chemistry between Kanye and Estelle will forever make this song one of the best singer-rapper collaborations.
“Walk This Way” by Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.’s original idea was to sample the iconic rock song “Walk This Way,” and make their own song with it. However, a new idea was eventually pitched to the hip-hop group: re-recording the original song in collaboration with original Aerosmith members. Using all of the same lyrics from “Walk This Way,” this unexpected mash-up is a cover and hip-hop feature combined. The fusion between rock and hip-hop is heard not only in the members of Run-D.M.C. rapping the words to “Walk This Way,” but also in the ingenious way a bouncy, catchy hip-hop beat is paired with Aerosmith’s iconic guitar riff. The song proved to be worth it for both artist groups, as Run-D.M.C. became the first hip-hop group on the Billboard Top 10, the song peaking at 4, as well as the track reinvigorating excitement around Aerosmith.
“This Time Around” by Michael Jackson ft. The Notorious B.I.G.
The 1995 single “This Time Around” from the album HIStory carries an unusually aggressive sound brought by Michael Jackson. The album and the single, being made around the time Jackson was battling allegations against him, was a direct diss at those accusing him. Bringing in Biggie to rap a verse on the song was a strategic move on Jackson’s part, as the lyrics he raps show how he directly relates to the betrayal Jackson was feeling at the time. The two blend seamlessly over the sharp, dark instrumental of the song; one of two songs that they recorded together (the other being “Unbreakable”).
“Lost+” by Coldplay ft. Jay Z
A remix of Coldplay’s song “Lost,” this single appears on the 2008 album-EP mash-up titled Viva La Vida (Prospekt’s March Edition). This collaboration came about through the friendship between Jay-Z and Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin. The melancholy, alternative rock song features the rapper performing a hard-hitting verse over an almost orchestral-like instrumental. Eventually, the band went on to create a music video for the remix, which also featured Jay-Z rapping his verse on a television set on stage with Coldplay.
