5 Music Collabs That Shook the Genre & 5 That Left Us Shaking Our Heads

5 Music Collaborations That Shook the Genre & 5 That Left Us Shaking Our Heads

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for 5 of the most revolutionary collabs in music — and 5 that should have stayed in the drafts.

Shook The Genre: “Numb / Encore” (2005)
Jay-Z & Linkin Park

Rap-rock collabs can be a risky business. While artists from both genres can potentially cross over to new audiences, they can also damage their credibility by “selling out.” Look no further than confusing combos such as Black Sabbath and Ice-T, or Weezer and Lil Wayne. Thankfully, Linkin Park and Jay-Z feel like a natural fit on “Numb / Encore.” Mashing up their existing hits on the EP “Collision Course,” the track lays Jay-Z’s “Encore” verse over the original “Numb” track with Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington’s vocals. Rather than coming off as forced, the song was instead a force to be reckoned with, winning the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Rap-Sung Collaboration.

Shaking Our Heads: “ME!” (2019)
Taylor Swift feat. Brendon Urie

T-Swift usually knows how to kick off an era, but one of these things is not like the others. “ME!,” the lead single from her “Lover” album, gave listeners whiplash with its juvenile sound. After Taylor went darker with “Reputation,” she returned with a song right out of “The Wiggles.” While fans might have been excited to see her work with Panic! at the Disco’s Brendon Urie, he only added to “ME!”’s immature vibe. Together, Swift and Urie felt like two theater kids who were given too much creative control over the school play and needed to be reined in. Ryan and Sharpay Evans, anyone? While we hope these two work together again in the future, next time has to be more age-appropriate.

Shook The Genre: “The Boy Is Mine” (1998)
Brandy & Monica

You might as well throw in the towel, because it’s hard to imagine an R&B collab more iconic than this one. While Brandy and Monica both have impressive solo careers, “The Boy Is Mine” was truly their time to shine. The supposed real-life rivals joined forces on the song, vocally dueling over an electric harp about a man they shared feelings for. Both singers went all in on the song’s concept, assuming character and not even pretending to like each other — even their 1998 VMA performance was filled with tension. “The Boy Is Mine” was clearly written before the women-supporting-women era, but it makes up for its message with a great story and some explosive enemy chemistry.

Shaking Our Heads: “Him & I” (2017)
G-Eazy & Halsey

From Sonny and Cher to Beyoncé and Jay-Z, many of pop’s power couples have made music magic. Unfortunately, G-Eazy and Halsey aren’t among them. The pair released “Him & I,” a song that made their year-long relationship seem more toxic than anything resembling couple goals. In addition to lyrics about fighting and bonding over substance use, the track positioned them as the “2017 Bonnie and Clyde.” Yes, that’s an actual line. In their defense, while this lyric instantly aged the song, it also came true in a way. Halsey and G-Eazy split in 2018, making “Him & I” a perfectly cringey time capsule for the previous year.

Shook The Genre: “Scream” (1995)
Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson

These siblings are known for their soft, smooth, whispery voices, but they finally snapped here. In the mid-’90s, Michael Jackson enlisted his sister Janet to hit back at the media that had been hounding him for a decade, for everything from tabloid tall tales to serious allegations. The result was “Scream,” an angry response that blended dance-pop, R&B, funk, rock, and even had some sci-fi elements. Aside from the song’s innovative sound and famously expensive music video, “Scream” was a show of familial support during a rough personal period for MJ. While the media didn’t lay off him by any means, we at least got this cathartic collab from pop’s biggest brother and sister.

Shaking Our Heads: “Secret Love Song” (2016)
Little Mix feat. Jason Derulo

What happens when you record a tragically beautiful, poignant song about star-crossed love, and then add Jason Derulo to the recipe? Unfortunately, Little Mix’s experiment yielded disastrous results. While “Secret Love Song” was written about same-sex couples who can’t be together because of homophobia, Derulo’s verse instead describes an affair. But that’s not all — besides adding a grimy meaning to the heartfelt track, his vocals are hammier and cheesier than a bodega breakfast sandwich. Thankfully, Little Mix also released the more understated, featureless “Secret Love Song Pt. II.” Despite being a sweeping romantic power ballad, this song should have had the group ridin’ solo from the very beginning.

Shook The Genre: “Under Pressure” (1981)
Queen & David Bowie

Diamonds are created under pressure, and that certainly holds true for Queen and David Bowie’s teamup. Opening with one of the most recognizable basslines and piano riffs in modern music, “Under Pressure” doesn’t let a second go to waste in its four-minute runtime. Both Bowie and Freddie Mercury have their own signature styles, and you’d be forgiven for thinking them too flamboyant to share the spotlight. Fortunately, the song marries their strengths perfectly without either artist overshadowing or upstaging the other’s presence. Like the best collabs and duets, it feels like a team effort rather than a competition. No matter what Vanilla Ice might have done to the hook later on, the original “Under Pressure” is a bittersweet triumph of two legendary acts.

Shaking Our Heads: “Dancing in the Street” (1985)
David Bowie & Mick Jagger

Bringing together two of classic rock’s most beloved figures seems like a no-brainer for a great song. However, David Bowie and Mick Jagger’s mid-‘80s collab was a literal rock bottom moment for the genre. On their campy cover of Martha and the Vandellas’ “Dancing in the Street,” the pair decided to aggressively belt the whole song. The music video takes things to the next level, with Bowie and Jagger dancing like toddlers on a sugar rush in colorful oversized outfits. On a positive note, they had great chemistry, but some people thought it was too much. The awkwardness was only accentuated in the mid-2010s, when an ASMR-style version of the video went viral. Whatever street these two are dancing on, we’ll gladly take a detour.

Shook The Genre: “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” (1979)
Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer

Nearly two decades before the inaugural “VH1 Divas” special, these two powerhouses blazed trails for a disco decathlon. On “No More Tears (Enough is Enough),” Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer answered the question, “What would a girl power version of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ sound like?” The dramatic, nearly 12-minute track could almost be a suite, comprising several sections. Beginning with a deceiving slow piano intro, both singers abruptly launch into a hi-NRG disco breakdown around the two-minute mark. Summer and Streisand’s collab became the first duet by two female artists to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, paving the way for more in the years to come.

Shaking Our Heads: “Birthday Cake” (2012)
Rihanna feat. Chris Brown

Birthday cakes are a sweet, fluffy wish-making opportunity, and a way to feel surrounded by the warmth and support of your singing loved ones. And while Rihanna isn’t talking about literal birthday cake here, Chris Brown is still the last person who should have been invited. Three years prior to the “Birthday Cake” remix, Brown notoriously pleaded guilty to felony assault after an altercation with Rihanna. Although her feelings towards Brown might be complex and she shouldn’t be judged for working with him, the song still feels wrong to listen to. Not to mention, the line “sweeter than a rice cake” is potentially a dig at Brown’s then-girlfriend Karrueche Tran, who has Vietnamese heritage. Overall, there are much better ways to ring in another year.

Living or dead, what’s your dream music collab? Let us know in the comments.