Author : Jennifer Stone
Collaboration most of the time seems like a good idea for any artist, especially for a musician, and through collaboration, the world gets to witness two or more geniuses giving birth to something worth remembering for decades to come. The world of hip-hop is no different in this case. In the 1990s the beef between the West Coast and East Coast gave rise to incredible partnership but they were considered too predictable later on. Collaborations and joint projects can often result in exceptional music and usually exhibit the meetings of minds. Working with other artists is encouraged or restricted depending on the climate of the culture. The most interesting and path-changing creations are often the results of music when created interregionally or, even better, international.
Although the process of collaboration is a compromising way where none of the artists should feel like their creative output was restricted and their talent could not be expressed with full potential but it is also a way of presenting two or more unique ideas and unique flairs of the artists which makes the track even more surprising, interesting and enticing to say the least. Although many of the collaborations may contain big names, the sound of the tracks may not seem authentic and relatable so, one of the most important things in collaboration is to be inspired by each other’s work and the mutual love for music to create something spell-bounding.
Some of the most iconic hip-hop collaborations that changed the course of the music industry and introduced the world to some of the big names that are currently dominating the industry are discussed in this blog, have a look.
Young Money – ‘Bed Rock’
Many people do not know this, but this track was the first one to put faces like Nicki Minaj, Tyga, and Drake out into the world. Before this track, they were only known in the U.S. but ‘Bed Tock’ was literally the bedrock of their career which shot them into the limelight in front of the whole world. This track effectively launched their career and made a clear beginning of a new era in the hip-hop industry where these stars would go on to dominate for the next ten years. Although Nicki Minaj, Tyga, and Drake got their break of a lifetime, the track also featured other artists like Gudda who did not seem to find much success. This track is a legendary collaboration with a potent combination of artists.
Noreaga ft Nature, Big Pun, Cam’Ron, Jadakiss & Styles P – ‘Banned From TV’
Right now Noreaga is mainly known for his podcast Drink Champs but the kids of the late 90s and early 2000s still remember the blockbuster hit tracks he has created at that time. Even though things did not go as his fans thought but he was one of Roc-A-Fella’s most promising artists. He was in fact among the first-ever rappers who had worked with The Neptunes on a major label release. A track called ‘Superthug’ created by him is known to be the first hip-hop hit produced by The Neptunes. Apart from this, Noreaga is also known for his hit single ‘Banned From TV’. Produced by Swizz Beatz, ‘Banned From TV’ contains a sample of ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra’ by Richard Strauss. The track was released as the third single for Noreaga’s debut album N.O.R.E.
DJ Premier Ft Kanye, Nas, KRS One & Rakim – ‘Classic’
The 2007 song, Entitled ‘Classic (Better Than I’ve Ever Been) is a DJ Premier remix version of ‘Better Than I’ve Ever Been’ produced by Rick Rubin which features Kanye West, Nas, and KRS-One without Rakim. The new version was appreciated a lot more due to it being more funky and more aggressive in nature. KRS-One and Rakim were considered to be ground-breaking lyricists during the peak of their game in the 1980s and through their creativity; they managed to shift the culture to a new direction. Along with them, Nas collaborated, who was pushing his boundaries further in the 1990s with his critically acclaimed albums Illmatic and It Was Written. Even though Kanye West is not considered to be a lyricist but his ability to curate a cohesive and aesthetically exciting body of work is second to none and with all the generations of the culture featured on one track, it is truly a collaboration of unity and love.
Busta Rhymes ft Mary J Blige, Rah Digga, Missy Elliot, Lloyd Banks, Papoose & DMX – ‘Touch It (Remix)’
The impactful and jarring beat that switches every four bars of ‘Touch It’ is considered undeniably sinister and bass-heavy. The track was produced by Swizz Beats in 2005 from Busta Rhymes became an anthem. The track was based on a catchy sample from Daft Punk’s ‘Technologic’; the sparsely produced and dark instrumental track became extremely popular in clubs. Busta added fuel to the fire by bringing out a string of remixes featuring various hip-hop icons. The original version was the lead-off for the Brooklyn rapper’s seventh studio album, The Big Bang and it reached number one on the UK Singles chart. But the new version only features Busta alone and his remix saw far more popularity and became successful enough in getting certified platinum by the RIAA. There are four more remix versions of this track, one which includes just the females, one featuring Lloyd Banks and Papoose, and the final one featuring DMX. But the ‘ultimate remix’ created by Trevor Smith features all of the above-mentioned artists and is considered to be one of the best hip-hop collaborations in history.
Kanye West ft Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj – ‘Monster’
This track immediately became a legendary track when it was released in 2010. Even though the entire world anticipated that the killer combination of artists this track holds would definitely establish it as a hit, it performed more than anyone hoped or thought and it claimed its position by becoming an anthem. The track was featured on what is considered to be the act’s best project ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ which was produced by none other than Kanye. This track of 2020 shows why collaborations are of utmost importance and the ability of Kayne to recruit the best for his fifth studio album. From Elton John to Bon Iver the artist’s creativity and desire to create alongside others knew no bounds, so it resulted in his finest body of work. Before the song was released as an official single due to its popularity, Kanye even admitted at one point while editing ‘Monster’ that he was considering removing Nicki Minaj’s verse from the single because he didn’t want the males to feel overshadowed. However, Minaj blew critics away, and the track helped solidify her place within hip-hop. ‘Monster’ is inarguably the best hip-hop collaboration of all time.
Collaborations like these might be smaller in numbers but big enough to change the world’s perspective about Hip Hop. And this can only happen when the collaboration comes naturally.
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