Shady XV: An Exciting Year For Shady Fans

Normally I'm more of a Twitter addict than I'd like to admit, but last night I was glued to it for one reason and one reason only. You'd probably think because of the VMAs right?  Wrong. Well, half right. But it wasn't because of Beyoncé's acceptance of the Video Vanguard Award, it wasn't because of Nicki Minaj or Iggy Azalea (at least not last night), and it wasn't even because of Usher's performance (shocker). I was glued to Twitter of course because of Eminem's Shady XV!  What is Shady XV you ask?  Well now I can tell you (since last night Mr. ILikeToRelease20SecondPromoVideosButGiveNoRealDetails didn't feel like... you know, giving any details).

At first I was excited about seeing an Eminem tweet that read "Blink and you'll miss it... #VMAs #SHADYXV." But of course we should know by now that when it comes to Mr. ILikeToRelease20SecondPromoVideosButGiveNoRealDetails, that was all people were going to get. Oddly enough the real promo didn't come during the Video Music Awards, but on Twitter. Shortly after this tweet, Eminem then continued to tweet a 20 second promo video that ended with the words "SHADYXV" on the screen. Check out the promo video below.

Pretty sweet right?  Now if you think too much about these sorts of things (like me) and start to make your own theories about what this could mean, your first assumption would be that it's another sequel to a classic album. Slim Shady LP 2 possibly?  Man would that be insane!  It only makes sense right?  Following up the successful 2013 effort Marshall Mathers LP 2 with a sequel to a record that started it all?  While all of this sounds cool, to me Shady fans got something equally as cool, released in a statement exclusively from shadyrecords.com. Shady XV is a compilation album release of Shady Record's 15th anniversary of its original start in 1999. It will include the greatest hits of all Shady Records members, including the newly released "Guts Over Fear" record from Eminem and Sia that will be used as the lead single for "The Equalizer," the new movie featuring Denzel Washington.

But there is more than just a compilation album coming folks. Yes that is correct, not only will we be getting a new album of the greatest hits from these fellow Shady Records members that will include new material, we will also be getting new albums from Eminem, Slaughterhouse, Yelawolf, Bad Meets Evil, and even a new D12 record is on the way. Are you excited yet? 

So admittedly I'm pretty damn excited about what is going to be happening in the rap world in what I can only assume to be the next year. I mean it wouldn't be proper to release this 15 year anniversary album the year after the anniversary, obviously, the compilation album is set for a November 24th release date. But in the year to come?!  A HUGE year for Shady Records alone, let alone all of hip hop. I've personally been waiting for a new Slaughterhouse album since after the last one came out (knowing they can do better production-wise, and they will, with Just Blaze at the helm obviously). Only time will tell what happens up until that point. It's funny, it's almost like the calm before the storm all over again. Enjoy Eminem's new single "Guts Over Fear" below.

    

A Mixing of Genres: My Favorite Rock + Rap Crossovers (Songs and Performances)

With Linkin Park making a triumphant comeback onto the music scene (once again) with their live performance on Yahoo this last Friday the 15th, I have to admit I was in awe. Growing up on Linkin Park, it was a nice blast from the past to see them to just kill the entire show, and that encore... oh my. What other bands can say they have as many hits as these guys?  No really, I'll wait. Nothing?  Alright then. Anyways, the performance was too awesome, but then I got to thinking about that Jay-Z collaboration they did awhile ago. Numb/Encore was one of my all time favorites growing up. One thing led to another, then eventually I was online looking up Kid Rock songs (don't judge me). So here is a list of some of my favorite rap/rock collaborations.

Linkin Park + Jay-Z - Numb/Encore

So obviously I had to pick this one with all the buzz Linkin Park has been creating lately with their new album. Plus that song with Rakim?  It's just Linkin Park getting back to making dope music as usual. It'll be interesting to see how they collaborate with other artists like they said they're finally opening up to doing. But I picked this particular one because not only is this song amazing, it's even more amazing live.

Imagine Dragons + Kendrick Lamar - Radioactive Remix

This one is just another example of Kendrick's longevity. Not only the most recent rock + rap collaboration of awesomeness, but on top of that it is just well... nothing short of incredible. Combining the already sweet imagine dragons banger (which sort of had a hip hop feel to it to begin with), then you add in a crazy rock and roll vibe verse that Kendrick destroys via his voice alone (not to discredit Kendrick's verse itself, he does his thing as usual), the finished product is something that appeals to two completely different types of audiences. Bravo to both parties.

Kid Rock, Run DMC + Aerosmith - Bawitdaba/Kings Of Rock/Walk This Way

Okay so admittedly I had to throw this one in because I grew up listening to Kid Rock. Come on, who didn't love Joe C. spitting verses out opposite Kid Rock?  They used this gigantic performance to open up the MTV Video Music Awards in 1999. Definitely the most unorthodox performance of the time, but it seemed to work pretty well. I love the microphone tossing back and forth between Rock and Tyler, I believe I remember hearing one of the two say they almost dropped one of the microphones so they had stopped throwing them after 3 tosses. The most interesting part to me about this performance is that you have one side of it (the rock: Aerosmith), the other side of it (the rap: Run DMC), and Kid Rock falling respectfully in between both genres (at least back then, now it seems old man Rock has sold himself out to country).

DJ Z-Trip ft. Chester Bennington - The Walking Dead

This one's not so well known, but back in 2005 a DJ by the name of Z-Trip collaborated with Linkin Park's own Chester Bennington on a song called "The Walking Dead." Yes...even before all the tv hoopla about some show that shares the same name, there was a song. I remember hearing this song myself when it first came out because I hadn't heard anything like it. What is it with Chester Bennington and Linkin Park being able to gel so well with hip hop and collaborating with rappers?  I certainly wish we got more of that. In case you haven't heard of DJ Z-Trip, he's collaborated with big names like LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Talib Kweli and many more. Thinking about him now I might have to go and check out some more of his work myself.

So those are just a few of some really good rock and rap collaborations. Don't forget that rap did get its start from rock, and of course has flourished as its own genre ever since. So when you think about it, you really do have to pay homage to acts like Run DMC, the Beasty Boys, and guys like that who started it all. Can you even imagine how scary it would have been to hear the backlash and criticism from people who didn't know what it was back then?  I know I can't. Rock has been popular forever, it may have changed over the past couple of decades, but bands are finding ways to make it sound better. Same thing goes for rap (arguably). It may have changed, but now its more global and getting more recognition than its ever gotten. But every now and then it is nice to get a feel for where it all started: an experiment of new sounds. Let me know your favorite rock and rap collaborations on Google+ or twitter (@SuperNovaRover).


(*Disclaimer: I do not own these videos, or the rights to them, or any of the artists shown in them*)