With ALT+LDN – London's first hip-hop and alternative rock festival – happening next week, here's 10 rock and hip-hop crossover events we'd like to see…
With the UK's first rock and hip-hop festival, ALT+LDN, on the horizon this month, it got us thinking about all the other great crossover potential there is, given how much the two genres have collided in the past.
And, more than anywhere else, the live arena is where this combination has the potential to shine the brightest. At the end of the day, any concert is all about that energy the audience feels as a musician takes the stage and everyone loses their mind at once. On top of that, having rock bands and hip-hop stars touring together could result in some onstage collaborations that wouldn't come about otherwise.
Here, then, are 10 other hip-hop and rock collaboration tours away from ALT+LDN that we'd pay to see in a heartbeat…
Few metal bands could share the stage with Tyler, The Creator and not get overwhelmed. But if anyone could do it, it would be black metal primitives Watain, whose all-in attitude and blood-drenched stage show feels like it would strike a chord with Tyler. Worth it if only to people-watch the protesters who show up…
What both rapper/R&B singer Frank Ocean and party punks FIDLAR do well is reflecting on their hedonistic lifestyle. Both Frank and FIDLAR write about doing some crazy shit in the name of a good time… and then feeling deeply unfulfilled by it all. This raw humanity would bring out a really intense – and, crucially, really entertaining – mixed crowd of introspective party animals.
Raw, unadulterated entertainment. Both Childish Gambino and Muse know that even awesome, inspiring music needs some gorgeous visuals and awesome stage moves to make it truly amazing, even when it's deeply self-aware and socially conscious. The scope, scale, and pure excitement of this tour would be absolutely breathtaking. Watch Donald Glover dancing to Hysteria and see how quickly everyone goes fucking nuts…
The reasons this match-up would work are pretty obvious. That said, there’s also something about Sleep's Matt Pike and the Dee Oh Double Gee sharing the stage that feels totally natural. They’re both old-school Cali dudes, who have marched to the beat of their own drummer since Day One. Also, yeah, obviously, the chronic.
Cardi B and Paramore have something fascinating in common: they’ve surpassed everyone's expectations. Cardi went from stripping to becoming the biggest pop star in the world, while Paramore grew from an emo-rock band to an arena-packing rock mega-act. But, more important than that: imagine if Cardi joined Paramore onstage for a duet. Damn, dude.
To be fair, horror-obsessed rapper Necro and gore metallers Exhumed have collaborated before; the latter appeared on the former’s track Necrotura, from his metal-themed album The Circle Of Tyrants. To have the two of them trade off headlining shows would illustrate just how sick and twisted fans of both metal and hip-hop truly are. And really, isn’t that what bringing these genres together is all about?
This show would be bleak, but man, would it be awesome. The confrontational rage and detachment of Death Grips could only share the stage with one act: scathing black metal duo Anaal Nathrakh, whose music brims with detestation and contempt for mankind. That said, knowing both of these acts, they might not even show up – and if they did, they’d draw the most nihilistic crowd imaginable.
Hear us out! Yes, Kendrick Lamar's music is considerably less brutal than that of Napalm Death. At the same time, Kendrick's music is still pretty no-bullshit, and he's a socially-conscious genius in his field. Meanwhile, Napalm have always been incredibly politically-minded, and have never dumbed down their brand of furious death metal. This might be the most confusing one of the bunch, but if it happened, it'd make history.
Unlike a lot of the acts on this list, Jim Jones doesn’t play experimental or unorthodox hip-hop – he writes pretty traditional rap about hardcore shit. Because of that, he’d fit well with Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society, who produce classic outlaw biker metal, just like dad used to get hammered to. These shows would probably result in a lot of dudes in the audience hugging after duffing each other in the face.
What goes best with hallucinatory hip-hop-driven electronica? Swedish clown metal, of course! Both British beat artist Darq E. Freaker and Swedish power-groove band Avatar have a hyperactive insanity to their music that other bands can’t quite touch on. This tour would get a little bizarre, but let's be real: it'd also be fun as hell.
Of course, while none of these are actual, real-life things, ALT+LDN is! The festival takes place on August 30 at London’s Clapham Common.
