Jay Z and Linkin Park - 'Collision Course'

Rap Forum

This Week's Hot CD: Jay Z and Linkin Park's 'Collision Course'

The mash-up represents another notch in the evolution of music, a step beyond sampling in which entire songs by one artist morph seamlessly into a tune by someone else.

Purists don't like it because the creativity of actually coming up with your own song is replaced by cleverly mixing and matching genres, a process that seems like a musical parlor trick. Former rapper Jay Z and hard rockers Linkin Park got together for MTV's Ultimate Mash-Ups in November and turned "Collision Course" around quickly.

The result is, appropriately enough, mixed. When it works, Jay Z's smooth raps counter the razorlike aural scream of Linkin Park. Big loud guitars crash into hip-hop beats, bounce off and make a new sound that takes full advantage of both acts' knack for great hooks.

When it doesn't work, and that's about half the time, the music sounds bolted together, the tempo shifts lurching forward and clanging together like a grinding gear.

- Seattle PI

I don't quite understand this pairing. I have only heard Encore/ Numb, but it seems like it's just Linkin Park giving Jay Z the opportunity to rap to their music and then LP get to sing a verse at the end. I don't see much collaboration going on.

But, I do like Encore/ Numb.

Funny how Jay-Z has already released 2 albums since he officially retired from recording

I heard the original Encore on the weekend and I actually like the Linkin Park/ Jay Z version betterthan the original. I think Encore goes really well with the LP music and it sounds good

the Linkin Park/Jay-Z "Hybrid"



..an interesting experiment....


and in my opinion, a failed one.