What seems to be the most accepted and welcomed counterpart to Hip-Hop is the beloved genre of R&B. Over the years, this union often created the ultimate blend of edge and soul showing that Hip-Hop could evolve and expand while reaching new depths and a broader range of listeners.
Songs like Method Man and Mary J. Blige’s famed “You’re All I Need”, Nas and Lauryn Hill’s “If I Ruled The World”, and The Roots and Erykah Badu’s ‘You Got Me” are all prime examples of how the art of this particular collaboration could help shape an important sound and staple in Hip-Hop. However, some hook-ups come along every now and then to make you wonder why the hell they ever happened in the first place. It has to be a motive behind it, it just has to. Right? Of course, walk with me.
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Being natural music lovers, we sometimes forget that the music business is in fact a business and of course in business, money has to made, reputations and careers have to be kept up, and stars have to be born. That’s when the suspiciously forced collaborations between artists who’s names don’t even sound right being said in the same sentence come in. Record labels grab up the newest artist who hasn’t gotten arrested yet and puts them on the same track with a seasoned star past their prime that’s ready for the second, third, or God-love’em, sixth run in their career. It’s a great business move that often benefits everyone involved in the collaborative project, but if done hastily, the artists end up owing their record labels for money and time wasted and all that’s left is a bad song, video, and of course, a much deserved spot on the list below.
Let’s take a look at some collaborations that didn’t quite work out for anyone involved. In no particular order because, let’s face it, can we really measure the level of bad decision-making skills? Let’s go.
Mariah Carey Feat. Nicki Minaj – Up Out My Face (Remix)
From the lyrics to the vocals to Nicki’s overly-autistic flow, Mariah’s remix to“Up Out My Face” is the pinnacle of bad Hip-Hip/R&B collaborations. In fact, so bad that soon after this song was released, the album that it was on, Mariah’s thirteenth studio album, was canceled without further info. The cheesy Nick Cannon-directed video for the song didn’t help matters either.
Janet Jackson Feat. Khia – So Excited (Remix)
Perfect example of a good song gone wrong. The presence of Khia on this track was utterly unnecessary and didn’t help her career nor Ms. Damita Jo’s. It peaked at number ninety on the Billboard Hot 100, but on the upside, managed to become Janet’s seventeenth number-one dance hit.
Ja Rule Feat. Bobby Brown – Thug Lovin’
Unlike the other songs on this list, “Thug Lovin’” actually made it onto the top 10 chart peaking at #8 on Billboard’s Top 10 Singles list in 2002. But come on, the strain of Bobby’s voice and his facial expressions in the video makes this collab ridiculous in its own rite.
Trina Feat. Tweet – Panties Off
Besides promoting straight prostitution, this collaboration is awesomely bad because of its weak lyrics with the hook to match. However, it didn’t stop Tweet’s hustle as she was still riding the wave of “Oop’s, Oh My”, the Timbaland-produced banger that dominated the number one spot on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list in 2002.
Amil Feat. Beyonce – I Got That
A young Beyonce got the hook-up and landed a gig being featured on Amil’s alleged breakout track “I Got That” but unfortunately, it flopped and All Money Is Legal was dropped. Eventually, the song hit #1 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles list but the chart only represents the 25 songs below position #100 that have not yet appeared on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. Damn.
Amerie Feat. T.I.- Touch (Remix)
Sorry ladies, this may have been your jam and even your ringtone for a hot minute back in 2005 but a hit song it was not. The track missed the BillBoard Hot 100 list and only reached number ninety-five on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list. Ouch.
Kelis Feat. Nas – Blindfold Me
As the second single on Kelis’ fourth-studio album, Kelis Was Here, this song was made right after the two married and it was so cute to see them together in a video, however, it wasn’t cute to hear them together. Unfortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Jones didn’t make beautiful music together as “Blindfold Me” only peaked at #91 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list. Damn, they could have remixed “Milkshake” or something.
Bow Wow Feat. Omarion – Hey Baby (Jump Off)
To this day, I don’t know how these guys got away with rapping and singing about girls being “jump offs” when 99% of their supporters are girls. Anywho, this song didn’t do shit on the charts but like Amil’s joint up top, it managed to reach #2 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles list.
So what we learned is that as long as waning superstars continue to lose their luster and mediocre rappers keep getting overly-hyped and pushed to the masses by money-hungry suits, there will always be room for those awesomely bad Hip-Hop/R&B collaborations. Happy listening.
