Rock and rap have had an uneasy relationship since rap’s inception. At times they’ve been at odds, in direct competition for the attention of kids and culture. At other times, they’ve made alliances, with both great results (Run-D.M.C., Linkin Park) and plenty of less fruitful ones.
In recent years, the barriers between genres have blurred, with artists making music that doesn’t quite fit into either category, either pleasing everyone or no one (ie: Post Malone). Fittingly, more and more music fans are caring less about genre and are enjoying whatever gets played for them – though rap seems to be winning out in the culture war over rock.
So what’s a fan of rock and punk supposed to do when it’s far more likely they’ll be hearing rap when they arrive at a party or club? Well, the answer is to find some rap you like! And that’s what we’re here for.
Our Rap for Rock Lovers playlist is an audible gateway drug, curated with choice rap songs that incorporate rock beats, live instrumentation, or at times feature rock n’ rollers themselves collaborating with rappers. Featuring both classic artists (Public Enemy, Ice Cube), modern stars (Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak) and incredible indie acts (Black Milk, Buck 65, P.O.S.), this is the playlist of songs that fans of rock, punk, emo and rap should all be able to agree are fire.
Listen and follow:
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