Sometimes there’s just nothing like a good genre-collaboration to scratch an itch you didn’t even know you had. Maybe one of the rarer occasions is when hip-hop and alt-rock collide, but when they do, man, it can be a perfect storm.
Over the years, there have been some really cool moments where these two genres have teamed up in beautiful harmony, so how about we discuss a few?
Weezy X Weezer
Weezer’s 2009 album, Raditude, is a fun example of what the band does best. Also, it features a collaboration with Lil Wayne that is like nothing else you’ve heard from the beloved nerd-rock band.
The song is “Can’t Stop Partying”, and structurally it’s basically just Weezer’s version of a party rap track. Weezy’s verse is peak 2000s, with the opening line: “Party like tomorrow is my funeral. Gotta stop mixing alcohol with pharmaceuticals.”
The tune then ends on a strong rhythmic dance vibe, fading out like waking up from a fever dream. Notably, there is also a version with Chamillionaire, which you can watch here.
Jack White and Eminem’s Epic Halftime Show
On Thanksgiving Day 2025, the Detroit Lions took on the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field, but sadly, the home team did not snag a win. However, two of Motor City’s most renowned hometown boys, Jack White and Eminem, still stole the spotlight.
Em had been previously announced as a producer of the Lions’ Thanksgiving halftime show, with White revealed as the main performer. The White Stripes co-founder kicked off the show with a roaring rock display that had everyone cheering, Detroiters and Cheeseheads alike.
Suddenly, in the middle of the gig, Eminem emerged from under the stage to perform “‘Till I Collapse”. This Michigander alliance of alt-rock and hip-hop was one for the history books.
Julian Casablancas teams up with The Lonely Island
This is a bit of a “hear me out,” but I do believe that I’m right.
When comedy-rap trio The Lonely Island dropped their debut album, Incredibad, they included a collab with The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas. The song, “Boombox”, was a “cautionary tale” that you must be careful how you wield the power of a boombox.
The music video for the tune was an SNL Digital Short, like many of The Lonely Island’s songs, and if you’ve never seen, well, it’s just phenomenally outrageous.
Gorillaz
Does it honestly get better than this one? The Gorillaz are the perfect definition of alt-rock and hip-hop, flawlessly blending the two.
Formed in the late 90s by Blur’s Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett (Tank Girl), the virtual band was a revolutionary musical experiment. This is due in no small part to the incredible talents and skills of rapper Del the Funky Homosapien, who was an integral part of the band’s first self-titled album.
The band’s sound is very much an alt-rock style inspired by trip-hop, which has allowed the group to carve out an incredibly niche path for themselves. It has also inspired other virtual bands, such as Dethklok from Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse and, more recently, KPop Demon Hunters.
So, you could say that Gorillaz are the most influential version of the amalgam of alt-rock and hip-hop that has ever existed.
The post 4 Times Hip-Hop and Alt-Rock Collided Perfectly appeared first on VICE.
