Live From Mainstream’s Underground: Hip-Hop’s Most Unexpected Collabs Posted by Lucas Garrison on 07/15/13 | Filed under Underground, Mainstream, Collaborations

A few months ago, I attended a Jamla showcase and after I had a chance to meet almost the whole squad including one of my idols, 9th Wonder. I also got the chance to chat with Rapsody in what was my “welcome to the business” moment. To tell you the truth I was nervous as shit and the whole conversation is a blur so I don’t remember exactly what we talked about, but I do remember her telling me she was going to do a song with Wale. Since the show, I have really been looking forward to the collaboration, I was excited but also a little nervous considering Wale and Rapsody aren’t exactly milk and cookies. Well, I am happy to report that “Dark Knights” is dope! While it might be the newest collaboration of underground and mainstream artists who don’t have the same styles, it is most certainly not the first.



Lil’ Wayne ft. Tech N9ne & Andre 3000- “Interlude”

Considering how far and how fast Tech and Strange Music have risen in the past few years, this might not seem like a total stretch, but in terms of style and overall scope of where these two artists stand it definitely came as a shock to me and many others who know that Tech is one of the pillars of underground hip-hop. While his content and integrity is intact, he has gained a heavy following and is respected by emcees from all walks of life; like Lil Wayne for one. Its pretty incredible that Wayne put Tech on the “Interlude” of one of the best selling albums of the past few years, The Carter IV. What’s interesting is that Weezy doesn’t have a verse on this. Perhaps he knew not to even try because, Tech absolutely body the beat and I don’t think he could keep up. I can only imagine what some Wayne fans thought when they hear someone rip a beat like that; Wayne cancould crush a beat when he was at his best, but I don’t think there are too many emcees who can rip something like Tech. Oh yeah adding even more appeal to the Tech collab is the fact that Andre 3000 is also on the cut; not bad for an indie emcee.



Pacewon and Mr. Green ft. Snoop Dogg and BURNTmd - "Lock Me Up"

Considering Snoop Dogg’s latest collabs—under the Snoop Lion moniker of course—have been with the likes of Major Lazer, Miley Cyrus, Big Sean, French Montana, and Drake it might be hard to believe that just a few short months ago, in late 2012, Snoop hooked up with Pacewon and Mr. Green and BURNTmd on “Lock Me Up”. Besides the insanely awesome video (I have a soft sport for animated music videos) the best part is that Snoop doesn’t demand the most time or attention, he only adds the hook. I feel like most emcees as big as him would demand a verse or two, but Snoop is happy to let Pacewon (who kills it) and BURNTMD take the spotlight. His voice sounds so good over Mr. Green’s crackling edgy beat and he really ties the cut together, doing more with less. You can check out BurntMD's entire new album here, and stream/download the remix right here.



K-OS ft. Drake- “Faith Pt. 2”
I don’t hate Drake—on occasion I will play a cut or two—but I don’t think he is very good. He has a lot of energy, but I find his stuff mostly forgettable; there isn’t anything I hear and am blown away. His forgettable-ness is never clearer than it is on “Faith Pt. 2” (part one is apparently lost foerver). Drake kicks off the cut with a decent 16, although it sounds like he is whispering a secret, but as soon as K-OS comes in I forget he was ever on the song. K-OS is like a grown-mans Drake. He can sing and rap but does it with a little more umph and soul than Drizzy; the hook on this is outstanding. Also, why don’t I listen to K-OS more? I love everything he does but for some reason I never listen to him and can’t name more than a few cuts.



Asher Roth ft. Rye Rye, Justin Bieber & Chris Brown- “Actin’ Up”

I am going to be careful of what I say here because I don’t want an army of Biber fans after me, but if you were going to tell me I had to listen to him rap I would laugh in your face but probably believe you. If you told me he would be rapping alongside Asher Roth I would quickly slap you in the face. It’s not that Asher is some hip-hop legend, (he does has his own frat/mainstream appeal) but I can’t imagine a context where the two would even meet let alone mesh musically. While Asher fans know of Bieber, I don’t think they listen to him and I think I can count on one hand the amount of “beliebers” who know who Asher Roth is. It’s not like this song was from 5 years ago either; it was released last month. The song is energetic, unique and in true Bieber fashion, catchy as fuck. While it crazy to see Bieber and an underground emcee team up, I wouldn’t expect a K.R.I.T/Bieber collab anytime soon (thank god).



Jurassic 5 ft. Dave Matthews Band – “Work It Out”

Talk about artists with crazy fan bases, Dave Matthews Band has one avid fan base. Pop quiz: How can you tell if someone is a Dave Matthews Band fan? Don’t worry they will tell you. In all seriousness, I don’t really hate the band, but their fans are often so in your face about how great they are it makes me dislike them; making matters worse there are millions and millions of them. Considering how popular they are, its pretty amazing to see them on a cut with Jurassic 5. Their styles are completely different and, while immensely talented, Jurassic 5 does not have nearly the same reach as DMB. Still, fan bases don’t matter when it comes down to the music so as expected “Work It Out” is phenomenal and very well done. While their lanes are dramatically different, both are so talented and quality-driven, making this cut feel so natural.



In hip-hop we often treat the mainstream and the underground as two separate circles, but these kinds of songs go to show that it is not so cut and dry. Maybe we should look at it like a Venn diagram, there are two separate arrears, where some parts may never, ever meet, but there is a middle section where the two come together to form something that fans of both can enjoy.

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