Jay-Z/Linkin Park
Collision Course (Warner Bros.)
A street hustler turned jillionaire entrepreneur, Jay-Z doesn't need to sell records. And while rap-rock is one of the few holes in his résumé, his semicollaboration with Linkin Park is less easy payday than image rehabilitation: After a few weeks on the road with R. Kelly, Jigga could stand to be seen with some mild-mannered kids from the 'burbs.
While Linkin Park may still never register on the Richter scale the way Rage Against the Machine did, Collision unexpectedly bestows some street cred upon the band. As heard constantly on rock radio, Linkin's "Papercut" sounds like the ranting of a drama-hungry adolescent. Effortlessly and expertly woven around the Caribbean pipes and percussion track from Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'," the lyrics ("It's like I'm/paranoid/Lookin' over my back") suddenly sound like a verse Biggie Smalls might have spat. Mixed with Jay's "Jigga What," Linkin Park's "Faint" also finds new weight in the presence of a self-described "pimp in every sense of the word": Walk away from Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda and Jay-Z's gonna put the smack down on your ass.
Now Trending
-
Filter's Richard Patrick: "If Rush Limbaugh Had a Massive Heart Attack From Eating So Much Shit, That Would Be Alright with Me"
-
Smells Like Grunge Illuminates: "The Message Nirvana Had Then Is Still So Relevant Now"
-
The Hush Sound with River City Extension and Hockey - Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale, May 22
-
Voice Places
Find everything you're looking for in your city
-
Happy Hour App
Find the best happy hour deals in your city
-
Daily Deals
Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%
-
Best Of...
Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city
- Profile
- Newsletters
- Mobile
- Logout
