Do Win Again and Eminem Rhyme
Late on Thursday (June 3), the latest leaked track from Eminem's eagerly-anticipated sixth album Recovery hit the Internet. "Won't Back Down" is a powerful burner that features some shout-along verses from Slim Shady that bounce and dart all over a bottom-heavy, bluesy track built by DJ Khalil. Though some fans were skeptical of the fact that Pink was on the track, her rugged-but-pretty pipes add a great twist to the chorus. Past Emimem albums haven't contained a ton of guest spots, so each and every tag-team Shady chooses is gone over with a fine tooth comb. But "Won't Back Down" ranks up there with some of Eminem's best songs, which means the team-up with Pink should be considered a gigantic success.
On paper, Eminem and Pink don't seem like they would work very well together. Though Pink has brushed up against the hip-hop world in the past (most notably on the hip-hop centric cover of "Lady Marmalade," which featured a verse by Lil Kim), but this is her first real high-profile hook on a rap song. She acquitted herself well, and "Won't Back Down" can now be included on the list of the most successful left-field rap collaborations of all time.
Run-DMC and Aerosmith, "Walk This Way"
Though it's regarded as a classic now, this collaboration was a big risk for both sides. Aerosmith were only just beginning to mount a comeback after a few years in obscurity, and Run-DMC were just building their own credibility (and the commercial viability of hip-hop). But it worked, and the rest is history.
Nelly and Tim McGraw, "Over and Over"
Despite the fact that hip-hop and country music have an awful lot in common and share a similar lineage, there haven't been too many crossovers between country stars and rappers. That changed in 2004, when the two teamed up for "Over and Over" (which appeared on Nelly's album Suit). The track was a massive success and elevated both parties, and it helps that it's a smooth jam that caters to both of their considerable talent.
Busta Rhymes and Ozzy Osbourne, "This Means War!!"
Just about every Busta Rhymes collaboration sounds unusual because of Busta's signature flow, which is unlike any other in the business. (His team-up with the ODB on the remix of "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check" made perfect sense, though.) Still, that didn't stop him from reaching way, way outside of his box for this track from his 1998 album E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front. The track centers around a sample of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man," and though it is something of a mess, it's a truly inspired mess (not unlike Rhymes' finest moments).
Jay-Z and Chris Martin of Coldplay, "Beach Chair
Jigga is actually one of the more equal-opportunity collaborators out there. Southern rappers? Check. R&B stars? Of course. Metal bands? Sure, why not? But Jay-Z's collaboration with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin (on his 2006 "comeback" album Kingdom Come) is perhaps the rapper's most bold gambit — and one that paid off in spades. Jay probably deserves most of the credit, because when Kanye West brought Martin in for "Homecoming" on the 2007 album Graduation, it didn't work nearly as well.
Kool G Rap and Haylie Duff, "On the Rise"
Veteran rhymer Kool G Rap still has plenty of fire to spit, and though his 2008 EP Half a Klip was unjustly overlooked, it contained a killer track that featured the older member of the Duff sisters. Buoyed by a stunning DJ Premier beat, "On the Rise" matches Rap's hot verses with a brief, ethereal hook from Duff.
Wyclef Jean, Pharoahe Monch and Kenny Rogers, "Kenny Rogers - Pharoahe Monch Dub Plate"
Like Jay-Z, Wyclef seems to want to collaborate with everybody from everywhere, but his best left-field experiment was this track from his 2000 solo album The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book. It matches a verse from Monch's savage "Simon Says" with Rogers singing his classic "The Gambler." It's an insane, unhinged, somewhat goofy three minutes, but it totally works.
Eminem and Dido, "Stan"
Of course, before there was Pink, there was Dido. A somewhat forgotten English chanteuse, Dido lent her voice (and the hook from her track "Thank You") for Slim Shady's smash hit "Stan." Of course, "Stan" also lead to one of the weirdest live collaborations in hip-hop history when Elton John teamed up with Eminem for a performance of this song at the Grammy Awards.
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/2578755/eminem-pink-wont-back-down-2/
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