All musicians are universally linked together no matter what genre it may be. Whether it's Hip-Hop and House, Reggae and Metal, or R&B and Folk. They all share the common goal of reaching the listener and make them feel compelled. Which is why it would make complete sense for two great genres to mesh together and create something captivating for the listener. We are all easily influenced and so musicians are always influenced by each other.
Take pioneering Hip-Hop group Run-DMC. Heavily influenced by Rock and Roll they sampled many drum breaks of late 1970's Rock and Heavy Metal records. Their 1985 album King of Rock uses over a hundred cut and scratched samples and incorporates them into a 9 track LP. That album also featured the interesting track Roots, Rap, Reggae, which was one of the first rap/Jamaican Dancehall hybrids. Their next album, Raising Hell, was not so much as influenced as King of Rock was. However, the single Walk This Way was a revamp on the 1975 Aerosmith single of the same name. This famous collaborations is often credited as helping break rap into mainstream popular music as it was the first rap song to hit the Top 5 in The Billboard Hot 100, and the remake demonstrated how elements of Hip-Hop could be part of rock and pop songs, harking back to the DJing of Afrika Bambaataa, who would mix in tracks by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Grand Funk Railroad among the more usual funk breaks. This 1986 remix helped reboot Aerosmith's career.
Another famous influence on an artist is the 1977 song Punky Reggae Party by Bob Marley. The song was written by Marley as a positive response to the release of a cover version of Junior Murvin's "Police and Thieves" by English punk band The Clash, on their first album. Referring to the party of the title of the song, the lyrics mention several punk and reggae groups: "The Wailers will be there, The Damned, The Jam, The Clash-Maytals will be there, Dr.Feelgood too." The song itself influenced Punk bands to begin inserting Ska and reggae into their music. The nine minute song by Marley is by far one of his greatest recorded tracks ever. The five minute scat performance by Marley truly captures the spirit of his music.
One final important collaboration, and the most recent, is the coming together of Hip-Hop legend Nas, and Damian Marley who is the son of Bob Marley. Their album, Distant Relatives, not only blends together musically but also lyrically. The album's central themes concern ancestry, poverty, and the plight of Africa. The title itself derives from Nas and Marley's relationship, their shared African ancestry, and the shared ancestry of the entire human race; which musically and lyrically inspired each recording. This album holds a special place for me because I was blessed with the chance of meeting these two artists.
All in all, music is inspiring to everyone. Whether it be you or I, musicians themselves, we are all inspired by something to do great things.
