This year, multiple collaborations in hip-hop have either been teased or announced, and a few of them will see strange combinations of artists from, either different sub-genres of rap or two completely different genres altogether.
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Among these are trap artist Lil Durk and country singer Morgan Wallen, trap producer Metro Boomin and intensely lyrical rapper J.I.D., and Playboi Carti and NBA YoungBoy, who both make trap music, but occupy two completely different sectors of the genre with vastly different approaches. But, wacky joint projects like these got us thinking about which previous collaborations in hip-hop have been the most bizarre. Here are seven of the most unusual collaborative songs in rap history.
1. Ed Sheeran, Meek Mill, and A Boogie wit da Hoodie (2019)
In 2019, Ed Sheeran took a head-scratching left turn with No.6 Collaborations Project, his fourth studio album.
On the LP, he made a concerted effort to work with artists of different genres and styles. While this led to songs with Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, Eminem and 50 Cent, Travis Scott, Young Thug, Chris Stapleton, and more, the most bizarre joint song came with “1000 Nights,” featuring brash Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill and melodic trap rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie.
2. J. Cole and j-hope (2023)
In October 2022, world-famous K-pop group BTS announced that they would be taking a hiatus from music to complete their mandatory military enlistment in their home country South Korea. Before this, though, their frontman j-hope decided he wanted to pull off one of the strangest collaborations in K-pop history.
In March of 2023, a month before j-hope began his stint with the South Korean army, he released “On The Street” with J. Cole, the beloved introspective rapper who rarely does feature verses. The song would peak at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 36 on South Korea’s Circle chart.
3. Nas and Damian Marley (2010)
In 2010, Nas not only decided to come together for a song or two but chose to connect with Bob Marley’s son Damian for an entire album. Released in May of that year, Distant Relatives sees the legendary New York emcee collide with the Jamaican reggaeton singer for 14 songs. Ahead of the LP’s release, Nas spoke on the decision to work with Marley.
“Right now, I’ll tell you first, I’m working on an album with Damian Marley,” he told MTV in 2009. “We tryin’ to build some schools in Africa with this one and trying to build empowerment. We’re tryin’ to show love and stuff with this album. So, the record’s … all about really the ‘hood and Africa also as well.”
4. Kanye West, Rihanna, and Paul McCartney (2015)
A month before Kanye West released his explosive seventh studio album The Life of Pablo in February 2015, he decided to connect with two pop icons from completely different generations. Joined by Rihanna and Paul McCartney, he dropped “FourFiveSeconds” in January, which saw him and Rihanna handle the vocals while McCartney dominated with an acoustic guitar performance.
“FourFiveSeconds” would go on to peak at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and currently sits at 4x platinum certified by RIAA.
5. Young Thug and Elton John (2018)
Young Thug has always been a bit of an outside-the-box thinker in hip-hop, as his inspirations span far and wide. One of his most beloved artists is Elton John, who he decided to cover on his 2018 EP, On The Rvn. Remixing John’s 1972 smash hit “Rocket Man,” Thug’s “High” not only paid homage to the iconic singer, but also included him for additional vocals.
“Young Thug, who I love and have met, he dropped a track,” John said of the collaboration. “It’s a remix of ‘Rocket Man.’ And I don’t usually play my own stuff on this show but this is so cool and so good. These things are the great surprises in what I do. Sometimes you hear something that you never knew was going to happen or never thought was going to happen in a million years.”
6. Jay-Z and Linkin Park (2004)
In 2004, Jay-Z decided to dabble in mainstream rock on the album Collision Course with Linkin Park. For most of the songs on the 6-track tape, the tandem decided to re-envision some of their best respective hits. In some cases, such as “Numb / Encore,” the remix ended up being more successful than its two original renditions.
7. Travis Scott, Young Thug, and Justin Bieber (2014)
Travis Scott’s 2015 debut studio album, Rodeo, is still widely considered one of the best debuts in hip-hop of this millennium. With hits like “Antidote” and “Mamacita,” the LP catapulted Scott into the mainstream where he never looked back. However, one of the most forgotten but impressive songs on the track list came with “Maria, I’m Drunk,” featuring Young Thug and Justin Bieber.
Originally, the song was only included on physical copies of the album due to clearance issues. But, nearly half a decade later, the track was finally added to digital streaming platforms, as fans can now bask in the harmonious glory of one of Bieber’s greatest hip-hop offerings of his career.
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