Rap Metal

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Rap metal is a metal sub-genre that fuses rapping with various styles of metal. It technically began in the 80's, but didn't gain prominence until the early 90's when more bands started to devote their sound to the style.

The first combination of rapping with metal is noted to be the novelty single Metal Rap by the Lone Rager, alter-ego of the founder of metal label Megaforce Records. The idea of rap metal being more of a novelty or one-off thing continued into the 80's, with thrash metal bands like Anthrax and Bulldozer playing with the idea (I'm the Man for the former and Dance Got Sick! for the latter). Anthrax would do more metal and hip hop mixes in the 90's though, collaborating with hip hop group Public Enemy for a cover of their Bring the Noise as well as doing a cover of Beastie Boys' Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun. On the hip hop side of things, both Beastie Boys and Public Enemy would sometimes sample metal songs, and later Cypress Hill would as well and even go in a rap metal-influenced direction for a couple albums.

After funk metal/alternative metal band Faith No More struck a hit with their rap metal song Epic in 1989, rap metal started to take off as a genre that both metal and hip hop bands would make use of. Hip hop group Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.'s 1990 debut album features a rap metal song in the form of Pickin' Up Metal, and they would later release a rap metal album in 1997. Hardcore/groove metal band Biohazard went in a rap metal direction with their 1992 album Urban Disicpline, and rapper Tairrie B. would form the rap metal band Manhole. Perhaps the most famous example is rapper Ice-T forming the thrash/rap metal band Body Count and becoming a key figure in both the hip hop and metal scenes. The soundtrack to Judgement Night also helped to popularize the combination of rap/hip-hop with rock/metal, with it featuring collaborations between rock and metal bands with rappers and hip hop groups.

When bands started forming as rap metal in the 90's, some bands blended rapping with a funk metal basis such as Rage Against the Machine and H-Blockx, while others like Stuck Mojo and Clawfinger took more from groove/thrash metal. During the nu metal boom, among the eclectic mix of bands, there were rap metal-oriented groups such as Powerman 5000, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, (h?d) p.e., Guano Apes, P.O.D., and Papa Roach among others. Some of these bands took rap metal further by utilizing more elements of hip hop than just rapping, particularly (h?d) p.e. and the early albums of Powerman 5000 with their blending of metal riffs with hip hop rhythms and turbtablism. The aforementioned (h?d) p.e. as well as metalcore/nu metal band Candiria even have some pure hip hop tracks spread across several of their albums.

(Introduction by Unitron)

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rap metal top albums

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Manslaughter
BODY COUNT
4.07 | 7 ratings

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE Rage Against the Machine Album Cover

Rage Against the Machine
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
3.84 | 83 ratings

BIOHAZARD State Of The World Address Album Cover

State Of The World Address
BIOHAZARD
3.86 | 13 ratings

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE Evil Empire Album Cover

Evil Empire
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
3.75 | 42 ratings

I'm The Man
ANTHRAX
3.75 | 22 ratings

BODY COUNT Violent Demise: The Last Days Album Cover

Violent Demise: The Last Days
BODY COUNT
3.80 | 7 ratings

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE The Battle of Los Angeles Album Cover

The Battle of Los Angeles
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
3.61 | 61 ratings

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rap metal online videos

Rage Against The Machine - Sleep Now in the Fire (Official HD Video)
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
Tupan

Rage Against The Machine - Guerrilla Radio (Official HD Video)
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
Tupan

Rage Against The Machine - Bulls On Parade (Official HD Video)
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
Tupan

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rap metal New Releases

rap metal Music Reviews

METHODS OF MAYHEM Methods of Mayhem

Album · 1999 · Rap Metal

martindavey87

Back in 1999, drummer Tommy Lee quit world-famous glam rockers Mötley Crüe, to embark upon a new endeavour delving into the (then) increasingly popular world of rap metal. The result was a smorgasbord of genres and guest appearances known as Methods of Mayhem.

Personally, I love rap metal. I think the worlds of metal and hip hop blend together perfectly. Both in musical terms, in attitude, and in image, the two were made for each other. And this album is a fine representation of that. With an excellent production and very polished writing, this album is nonstop adrenaline and energy.

Besides Tommy Lee, this album features the likes of Fred Durst, Kid Rock, Snoop Dogg, Lil’ Kim, Phil X, Chris Chaney, The Crystal Method, and Mix Master Mike. There’s a true mix-up of rockers and rappers, but somehow the album flows coherently, as though everyone is all operating under the umbrella of this being one very legit band, rather than a whole bunch of guest appearances for the sake of it.

Sadly, there are a couple of songs that are kind of passable, but for the most part, this is a solid album, and when the band get it right, damn, they really smash it out of the park! ‘Hypocritical’, ‘Who the Hell Cares’, ‘Get Naked’, ‘Proposition Fuck You’, ‘Anger Management’, ‘Narcotic’ and ‘Crash’ are all absolute bangers that make this album a more than worthy addition to any rock, metal, or hip hop collection. The only real shame is that it would be ten years until the next album.

60 days ago
3 comments
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Report #884804

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE The Battle of Los Angeles

Album · 1999 · Rap Metal

SilentScream213

Just like their previous material, this album loses me in how repetitive and simple it is. Testify opens the album with a perfect example of what you can expect here. A groovy, funky riff kicks off the song well, the ever-impressive bass offering a great backbone. After repeating for a bit, the music all dies down to allow Zack to spit some venom. Then the riff comes back, then it disappears again… The whole time, the drums are essentially playing the same simple beat. By the end of the song, what seemed like a strong riff turns into “wow, that was the only riff on the song and I’m just about tired of it now.”

And then the next track does just about the same thing. Of course, the second track also offers a terrible… kazoo section? There are some surprises on the album, but usually they aren’t… great. The album does have a decent amount of variety between tracks, it’s more so that every track relies on one or two ideas and just repeats them over and over. Sleep Now in the Fire is definitely one of their best songs though.

What IS consistently great, is the basswork. Eternally funky, doing juicier leads than the guitars, the bass has so much power here. Any fans of great lead basswork can appreciate this. Unfortunately it doesn’t save the album from being rather boring, thanks to the other members playing quite simple, repetitive, and unevocative music. Vocal deliverance is strong, but lyrics range from great to poor, and just like the folly of the instrumentation, suffer from being far too repetitive.

9 months ago
0 comments
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Report #881227

STUCK MOJO Pigwalk

Album · 1996 · Rap Metal

Unitron

"My only gun control is a steady hand"

Have more badass words ever been spoken on an album? I don't think so. While Snappin' Necks showed how good rap-thrash could truly be, Stuck Mojo went all out with aggression and a new atmosphere with Pigwalk.

Pigwalk is like Strapping Young Lad meets The Prodigy with Bonz's no holds barred vocal attack that is like Busta Rhymes on crack. This is an album of industrial machinery, ominous breakbeats, and some of the most aggressive rapping put to record. What reminds me of Strapping Young Lad could come from Devin Townsend being at the producing helm (with a couple vocal screams too), which definitely gives Stuck Mojo's crushing sound an extra electronic bite.

Mental Meltdown, (Here Comes) The Monster, Only the Strong Survive (which the opening lyric comes from), Violated, and the chugging mosher of Down Breeding are my personal favorites, though the whole album is great. Inside My Head is an interesting break in the metal, being an ominous ambient breakbeat track.

The following album Rising is my favorite Stuck Mojo album, but this is a close second.

more than 2 years ago
1 comments
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Report #439715

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE Rage Against the Machine

Album · 1992 · Rap Metal

SilentScream213

Another one of those “did it first” albums that in my opinion doesn’t live up to the hype its legacy implies. Aside from Anthrax’s “I’m the Man” and a couple Faith No More songs (if we’re being generous), there really wasn’t much Rap Metal prior to RATM, and certainly not a full album of it. The band certainly took a unique approach and recreated Hip-Hop using entirely real Rock instrumentation and original music, even using some guitar effects to mimic sound effects you might hear in traditional Hip Hop. It’s innovative, but a lot of those “guitar sound effects” end up sounding really annoying, like the siren whine on “Fistful of Steel” or the bass drops on “Township Rebellion.”

Zack sounds angry, and his delivery is good, but man some of the lyrics are weak. Oftentimes he’ll repeat a phrase over and over, and the chorus to the first song gives you a sense of that, where he just says “burn, burn, yes you’re gonna burn” a whopping 8 times. The guitars and the drums suffer the same problem. Sometimes Tom comes up with a decent riff, but after hearing it repeated 16 times over a very boring, monotonous drumbeat, I’m sick of it. The riffs don’t match Zack’s mood, either; they’re far more groovy than angry, and the slow, simple drumming gives no sense of urgency or energy to what /should/ be an angry, energetic album. The music sounds like something to chill out to, not exactly what you want for a revolution. The songs are also way longer than necessary, none under 4 minutes and repeating the same simple ideas over and over again. They’d be much better in short chunks, but they wear themselves out before they’re over.

One huge plus to this album is the bass. Timmy does a phenomenal job with his rhythmic groove, doing way more than backing the band and adding super spicy melodies to the mix. This is the one instrument I didn’t find repetitive at all; he’s definitely got a “lead bassist” thing going on.

Overall, not a bad album at all, but one of the most overrated in my opinion. Rap Metal is a genre that might not have too much room to succeed, but I’d love to see later bands take it in a different direction.

more than 2 years ago
0 comments
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Report #688418

SHOOTYZ GROOVE Jammin' in Vicious Environments

Album · 1994 · Rap Metal

Unitron

Many rap metal bands were a lot more metal than hip hop, that's not to diss all those bands, Stuck Mojo is probably my favorite rap metal band but you could just as easily call them a thrash/groove band. From a standpoint of reaching the peak of what a genre can be, I'd say the unfortunately forgotten Shootyz Groove perfected it like no other band prior to the nu metal explosion where better and deeper genre infusion became more common.

When the band name drops both Slayer and A Tribe Called Quest in the liner notes as inspiration, you know you're getting the real deal. These guys have the riffs of a thrash band, the funky hooks of both hip hop and funk metal, and the lyrical flow and performance of a classic hip hop group. The first thing I thought of when I first heard them is if The Pharcyde went metal. The way the two rappers trade off one another and their exuberant delivery reminds me a lot of the aforementioned band, especially in my two favorite tracks In the Ocean and Soulfreak. In the Ocean especially stands out, with the vocals flowing perfectly with the song's thrash riffs.

This is the kind of album that perfectly appeals to both hip hop and metal fans.

more than 2 years ago
0 comments
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Report #612369

rap metal movie reviews

BODY COUNT Cypress Hill 6th Annual SmokeOut Presents Body Count Featuring Ice-T

Movie · 2005 · Rap Metal

martindavey87

This is a decent enough DVD of Body Count’s performance at the 2003 SmokeOut Festival. I mean, it’s Body Count. So you know the energy and aggression will be off the hook. While the picture and audio are of a great quality, and the set list totally rips, sadly, this DVD is so damn short! Rapper frontman Ice-T announces that they had to cut a couple of songs, making what I guess would have been a 45-minute set into a measly 35-minute one. Including a five-minute behind-the-scenes feature, as well as a “photo gallery” of pictures taken from the performance you’d have just watched, it’s overall a pretty pointless DVD.

BUT, if you’re a die-hard Body Count fan, then you’ll still enjoy watching this. But it’s just not worth the money unless you find it dirt cheap.