rap metal

rap metal, subgenre of heavy metal music. Heavy metal tended to be one of rock’s most porous genres, influencing (and in turn being influenced by) such disparate sounds as psychedelic, glam, punk, and alternative rock. Rap metal (and the related genre, nu metal) represented a fusion of heavy metal instrumentation and hip-hop conventions such as rapped lyrics and “turntabling.”

Rap metal preceded nu metal, and its earliest examples featured rather straightforward collaborations between established rap and metal artists. In 1986 Aerosmith backed Run-D.M.C. on the single “Walk This Way,” and the Beastie Boys released Licensed to Ill, a breakthrough album that combined hard rock samples with playful, intelligent rap that traversed the pop culture spectrum. Anthrax successfully brought rap metal into the 1990s when it joined Public Enemy for a remake of the latter’s “Bring the Noise.” The soundtrack for the film Judgment Night (1993) was arguably the high point of rap and rock’s collaboration, as more than 20 rap, metal, and alternative artists combined efforts on an album that spotlighted both the strengths and limitations that such partnerships could exhibit. By the mid-1990s, groups such as Rage Against the Machine had established a niche as dedicated rap metal bands, combining sharp, politically aware lyrics with driving guitars. Other commercially successful artists included the funk-infused Incubus, deejay-turned-frontman Kid Rock, and the novelty act Insane Clown Posse.