Featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled’s song “I’m The One”
Thanks to his collaborations with rappers like Drake, Rick Ross, and T-Pain, DJ Khaled was a constant fixture on the Billboard Hot 100 between 2006 and 2016, although he was never able to reach the top of the charts.
That was up until April 2017, when he had an epiphany and asked pop icon Justin Bieber to perform the hook for “I’m The One.”
The song served as the summer of 2017’s anthem because it was peppy, upbeat, and insatiably catchy.
Clipse and Justin Timberlake in “Like I Love You”
With Justin Timberlake’s debut solo song “Like I Love You,” producers The Neptunes transformed the singer from a cheesy pop prince into a sexy R&B superstar in just over four minutes.
Aiding Timberlake’s coming-of-age was Pusha T and Malice, collectively known as Clipse, whose raspy Virginia raps acted as the perfect accompaniment to JT’s sultry vocals.
Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift collaborated on a remix of the pop star’s song “Bad Blood.
Taylor Swift recently recruited rapper Ice Spice for a remix of her song “Karma.”
In honor of the duet, Insider took a look back at some of the best and worst pop-rap collabs ever.
Kanye West’s song “Heard ‘Em Say” with Adam Levine
On Ye’s 2005 sophomore album “Late Registration,” which had cameos from rappers like The Game, Paul Wall, and Common, Adam Levine was the odd man out.
However, the lead singer of Maroon 5 didn’t sound out of place.
The singer’s delicate tenor brilliantly complemented Ye’s introspective raps in the project’s standout moment, the exquisite chorus on “Heard ‘Em Say.”
Mariah Carey’s song “Fantasy (Remix)” with Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Rappers frequently appeared on Mariah Carey’s songs in the middle to late ’90s as part of her transition from pop princess to R&B icon.
The remix of her 1995 song “Fantasy” that she worked on with Ol’ Dirty Bastard was the best of the bunch.
The song not only reached No. 1 in every country and sold over 6 million copies, but it also cleared the way for rap elements to take centre stage in mainstream music.
Fifth Harmony’s song “Work From Home” with Ty Dolla $ign
Because pop and rap have such conflicting aspects, collaborations between the two genres can seem jumbled and garbled.
But in 2015, Fifth Harmony and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Work From Home” expertly avoided that issue.
Ty had lots of freedom to show off his hip-hop skills, while Fifth Harmony had plenty of room to give the juicy R&B chorus thanks to the song’s sparse production and tropical-sounding synths.
Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry’s “Swish Swish”
Katy Perry’s discography is filled with excellent rap duets, such as “California Girls” with Snoop Dogg and “Dark Horse” with Juicy J.
She did not collaborate with Nicki Minaj on “Swish Swish” in 2017, a disjointed mix of pop, EDM, house, and rap.
Bone Thugs N Harmony’s song “Home” with Phil Collins
One of the most bizarre rap-pop collaborations ever took place when Phil Collins and Bone Thugs N Harmony collaborated on the song “Home” in 2003.
With Bone Thugs’ customary creative chopper-style lyricism over Collins’ Tarzan-like rhythms and next to his echoey voice, the song, which samples his 1985 smash “Take Me Home,” seems like a fever dream.
Even stranger, the rap group decided to add Collins as an honorary member following the song’s debut and gave him the moniker “Chrome Bone.”
Ed Sheeran’s song “Remember the Name” with Eminem and 50 Cent
The 2018 song “Remember The Name,” which Ed Sheeran collaborated on with Eminem and 50 Cent, isn’t very good.
The hook is dull. Sheeran’s rapping abilities are at best basic, and they sound strange compared to Eminem’s irate stanza about getting nails stuck in his eyes.
Even though 50 Cent’s verse is the finest of a (very) terrible lot, it sounds like it was added at the very end just for sentimental reasons.
Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood (Remix)”
When Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar collaborated on the remix of Swift’s “Bad Blood” in 2015, both artists changed up their signature sounds.
For the release of “1989,” Swift had abandoned her country roots to become completely pop, and Lamar had switched from his usual harsh flow to a more radio-friendly one.
Combining them produced an uninspired tune that didn’t do each artist’s skills justice.
Wale’s song “Chillin'” with Lady Gaga
Fans of the up-and-coming rapper Wale had high expectations when his debut album “Attention Deficit” was released in 2009.
But “Chillin'” with Lady Gaga, the album’s debut hit, was anything but.
“‘Chillin” was a mess,” Brandon Soderberg of Spin commented in 2012. For some reason, Gaga imitated M.I.A. on it, and its syrupy pop appeal appeared to go against a lot of what Wale had established over the preceding five years.
It wasn’t a Wale song, he said, and it wasn’t a Gaga song with Wale thrown in there, either.
