Sometimes opposites attract. You’ve seen it happen in real life all the time—you know, those couples who seem like they would never get along but actually are deeply in love? It can happen, it really can! But that sort of dynamic doesn’t just save itself for matrimony. No, it can also happen in music. Want a few examples? We got you!
Videos by American Songwriter
Here below, we wanted to explore three occasions when musical opposites seemed to attract. Three times when collaborations popped up that you’d least expect. Indeed, these are three epic times jam bands and hip-hop collided and coalesced.
Jay-Z & Phish
It was a warm summer night on June 18, 2004, when maybe the greatest rapper of all time connected with maybe the greatest jam band of all time. That’s right, Phish brought Jay-Z up to the stage that evening at a show in Jay’s hometown of Brooklyn, New York, to perform two of the lyricist’s tracks, “99 Problems” and “Big Pimpin’”. The result? A collaboration that everyone in the audience—and those on stage—will remember forever. The musicianship, the stage presence—incredible!
The Roots & Dave Matthews Band
On March 6, 2004, Dave Matthews Band was given a big honor. That night, the group received the Chairman’s Award from the NAACP. While that might seem a bit strange on the face of it, it’s important to remember that Matthews was born in South Africa and three of his original band members were Black. But all that aside, the evening included a collaboration for the ages between DMB and the Philadelphia-born hip-hop group, the Roots. Together, they played the DMB hit, “Crush” and covered Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”
Galactic & Chali 2na
When the New Orleans-born funk band Galactic connected with Los Angeles-based rapper Chali 2na, magic happened. Chali boasts much bounce to his deep-voiced slow and it was an aesthetic that Galactic was able to accentuate. With big horns and an energy that could get just about anyone out of their seats, the two acts built and built into a crescendo of epic sonic proportion in the live recording above. Check it out and prepare to move your feet!
Photo of Dave Matthews by David Loi
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