3 Crossover One-Hit Wonders That the Class of 2001 Just Can’t Quit

Right around the time that the internet became popular amongst young people (thanks, America Online!), music was changing. In the late 1990s, music fans were moving away from grunge rock and so-called gangsta rap and appreciating bubblegum pop and nu metal.

Videos by American Songwriter

Indeed, the late 90s and early 2000s were a time of great sonic transition. As a result, there were even some groups blending seemingly disparate genres. And that’s just what we wanted to highlight here. These are three crossover one-hit wonders that the class of 2001 just can’t quite!

“What It’s Like” by Everlast from ‘Whitey Ford Sings The Blues’ (1998)

In 1992, Los Angeles-born rap group House Of Pain scored a timeless hit single with their lively track, “Jump Around”. But seven years later, one of the members of that group went solo and scored his own one-hit wonder. That’s right, Everlast (formerly of House Of Pain) nabbed a top-15 single with his tune “What It’s Like” from his 1998 LP, Whitey Ford Sings The Blues. It was a drastic departure from the party tracks of before. On Whitey Ford Sings The Blues, Everlast used his rap bravado and percussion, but sang sad stories with his acoustic guitar. Somehow, it was all the rage around the end of the 90s. His songs popped up on MTV and radio everywhere.

“Butterfly” by Crazy Town from ‘The Gift Of Game’ (2000)

Rap and rock. Rock and rap. The two blended together so well around the turn of the 21st century thanks to groups like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. Another group that blended genres was Crazy Town on their hit single “Butterfly”. The song used rap beats and rhymes to blend rock instruments and some traditional singing techniques. The result was a crossover smash sensation that was all over the TV and radio airwaves in 2000 and beyond.

“Drive” by Incubus from ‘Make Yourself’ (2000)

It’s almost like this song is a combination of the combination songs listed above! Here’s what we mean: “Drive” by Incubus is an acoustic-driven song that boasts some subtle hip-hop production techniques, including some tasteful record scratching. In the mid-90s, groups like Sublime were famous for taking genres like rock, reggae, and rap and blending them up. Well, Incubus took up the mantle a few years later and brought it all together on their hit, “Drive”.

Photo by KMazur/WireImage