It Takes Two: A History On The Excitement Of Hip Hop Collaboration Albums

    In a game fueled by ego, beef and shit-talk, it is always a bit surprising when two emcees, good friends or not, decide to make an album together; most rappers don’t like sharing the spotlight or their paycheck. 2011 has seen a lot of artists putting aside these issues in name of piquing fans interest and making quality music.

    Jay-Z, Kanye West, Eminem and Royce Da 5’9 Reigniting A Trend

    Two rappers uniting to make an album has been a relatively rare thing in the past, yet in 2011 we’ve already seen albums from Keith Murray and Canibus, KRS-One and Bumpy Knuckles, Eminem and Royce Da 5’9, and most recently, Jay-Z and Kanye West. The last two are obviously the most remarkable considering the labels and budgets involved. Interscope/Shady, Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella, etc just aren’t going to let their respective cash cows throw an album out there without the machine working behind it. It wouldn’t have been the first time a label preventing a collaboration from happening, or at least delaying it. Still waiting on that Ghostface and DOOM album aren’t we?

    Some collaborations are just meant to be. The first time you hear two emcees on a track together and they just click so perfectly, it becomes a countdown until they release an entire album together. That was certainly the case in 1995 when I first heard Method Man and Redman together on “How High.” Sixteen years later the two are synonymous with one another, but when that single dropped they were just two blunted rappers who shared a label and a “Month of the Man” advertising campaign. The two kept the collaborations coming on their respective solo albums, but it took four years before they could connect and give people what they’d been salivating for. Blackout! never reached the heights of “How High,” mostly because the producers brought their B-games, but Red and Meth still sounded like they were born to rap alongside each other.

    (A side note about Blackout!, track 9 is a skit called “Where We At” where Redman welcomes listeners to side 2. This might just be the last time an album was constructed with cassette format in mind, or referred to.)

    The same can be said for Eminem and Royce Da 5’9; the Detroit emcees were magic together. Em has never sounded as good with D12, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre or any of his frequent collaborators. The same can be said of Royce and his partners-in-rhyme over the years. His Slaughterhouse crew is phenomenal, but he doesn’t have quite the same chemistry with any of them as he does with his pale faced buddy. Their recent project, Hell: The Sequel got some mixed reviews, but there is no denying how great they sound together. Stick those two in a room together with no beats and they could rhyme for days, or at least that is the impression I get when I hear them on wax together. It is truly a case of emcees bringing the best out of each other.

    Shelved Collaboration Albums Coming Out Of The Woodwork

    It is unfortunate that label politics have put the brakes on the Ghostface and DOOM project, they’re another example of rappers who click perfectly. Long before they appeared together on DangerDOOM’s “The Mask,” fans had been fantasizing about a collaboration. They seemed like a natural fit; a shared love of comics and outrageous non sequiturs. And the mask thing of course. When the collaboration came to fruition it was everything us Hip Hop nerds had imagined and more. Thankfully, the word is the project is back on track and now being called DOOMSTARKS (rather than Swift & Interchangable).

    Not all collabs are born out of these circumstances, some of them seem to come out of nowhere. Take KRS-One and Buckshot for instance. When they released Survival Skills  together in 2009 they had appeared on exactly one song together before that. The song in question wasn’t exactly an intimate affair either, it was ‘98 posse cut “5 Boroughs” that featured seven other emcees (Cam’ron, Keith Murray, Killah Priest, Prodigy, Run, Redman and Vigilante for those wondering). It may only seem strange to unsuspecting fans though, some artists are long time friends who rarely have schedules that allow them to get in the booth together. KRS and Bumpy Knuckles hadn’t done a song together in 19 years when they came together to release Royalty Check this year.

    When a good friendship is the basis of an album together, it is usually shines through pretty clearly. Perhaps none more evident than a Slug and MursFelt albums, you can hear how much they feed off one another. Celph Titled’s projects with Apathy (No Place Like Chrome) and J-Zone (Bo$$ Hog Barbarians ) are other fine examples. On paper, I didn’t really care about Canibus and Keith Murray’s union as The Undergods. But their shared anger and industry outcast status led to some wild energy on that record. They were certainly drawing off the other’s energy in the booth.

    The latest pairing of Jay-Z and Kanye West is an interesting one no matter your feelings on either of them. It is easily the highest profile collaborative project Hip Hop has ever seen. This is two multi-time, multi-platinum artists, both with huge egos and reputations for the utmost control over every aspect of their albums. So many factors worked against this album happening; Kanye had just finished an intense recording period and promotional run for his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album and was likely due to take time off before going on tour. Two artists and business men with so much going on, it wouldn’t be easy to coordinate schedules to do this. Sure, they have worked together dozens of times as both emcees and as emcee/producer, but an entire album of co-billing is an entirely different animal. Toss in the fact that Watch The Throne was released by Jay-Z’s former label and this only gets harder to fathom that is became a reality.

    Hip Hop Collaboration Albums That We Still Wish To Hear

    So if Jay-Z and Kanye West can get it together to release an album against all odds, and Eminem and Royce can get back into the studio after a prolonged beef, where is our Nas and AZ album?  When are Crooked I and Tech N9ne going to make it official and actually release an album with both names on the marquee? Aren’t Mos Def and Talib Kweli due to reunite? How about Andre 3000 and Cee-Lo? Two insanely unique, creative artists who can sing and rap better than most people alive when they actually choose to do it. There are only two ways that album could go, timeless masterpiece or horrifying train wreck. Don’t you want to hear it one way or another?

    The combinations are endless and emcees seem to be coming around to the idea, what tandem do you want to hear for an entire album?

    J-23 is HipHopDX’s Editor-At-Large. He was a full-time member of the staff since 2001, and has was DX’s longtime Music Editor. J lives in London, Ontario.

    169 thoughts on “It Takes Two: A History On The Excitement Of Hip Hop Collaboration Albums

    1. I’m already calling the combination of Crooked I and Tech N9ne “Crack I9” and would preorder it right now if I ever could.

      Nas and AZ have needed to do a full album ever since Illmatic came out.

      Andre and Cee Lo would be amazing.

    2. WHAT ABOUT J DILLA X MADLIB = JAYLIB
      MADLIB X DOOM = MADVILLAIN
      BLU & EXILE

      MAN THE LIST GOES ON

      I USED TO GO TO DX TO GET INTO NEW HIP HOP NEWS..
      THIS WAS AROUND 06-07..
      WHEN JOELL ORTIZ WAS ALL OVER HIPHOPGAME WITH HIS 125 GRAMS..
      I REMEMBER CAUSE DX WAS THAT NEW COOL SHIT..

      NOW ALL THESE NIGGAS DO IS OBSERVE THE SURFACE AND IGNORE THE DEEPER UNDERGROUND..

      YO DX
      JAY SAID WATCH THE THRONE IS ‘BOOM BAP’

      THIS NIGGA IS GETTIN ALZHEIMERS.

      1. 06-07?? DX WAS THAT NEW COOL SHIT??? man brotha i’ve been coming to this website and sohh.com since 99-00 and it still was’nt new. i remember when there webpage layout was all gray and dark gray. anyways dx never really ignored the underground they just forget to put it up some times. I think there just caught up in the whole watch the throne, bad meets evil stuff. but if it was’nt for dx I would’nt ever known of underground rapper such as buck 65, k-os, company flow, and even mf doom back when he was with mf grimmm. so much respect to dx.

    3. Just a small critique. Many writers, and even many more younger writers, fail to incorporate Southern Hip-Hop in their “history of…” articles.
      If you look at the Hip-Hop music scenes in Houston and Memphis, they’re self sufficient, meaning the artists in those city can make a lot of money without having to go major.
      In realizing this, the artist in those city have been putting out calabo albums way over a decade. They figured out a long time ago that the people want their favorite rappers on tracks together.
      You look at albums like:
      Lil Keke & Slim Thug
      Slim Thug & ESG
      Lil Kee & Big Hawk
      Z-ro & Lil Flip
      All the old Swisha House Projects

      Now you may say everybody on this list is garbage, but one thing you can’t deny is each one of these projects made money.
      The South is so far ahead of everyone else when it comes to collaborations because they know how much money is out there. They don’t have a problem setting their egos aside for the greater good, something east-coast artists rarely do.

      I know yall remember that Juelz Santana & Lil Wayne “Can’t feel my Face” mixtape. That was hot fire (in my Dylon voice)!

      Think of how successful calabos like Nas & AZ, Common & Black Thought, J Cole & T.Calmese, or Wiz and Drake would be.

      Know your history fam.

      1. South is the reason why hiphop is in this situation…Midwest>WestCoast>EastCoast>South…if u dont agree with what im saying i dare u to name me a wack rapper from Midwest

      2. war – I think its Midwest>EastCoast>Westcoast>and then South with midwest and eastcoast very close. Ryan Kanye West isn’t wack he makes great beats and is an OK rapper (nothing amazing but he’s not wack…)

      3. hes buggin cause im from east coast but my boy kendrick lamar is a BAD motherfucker from the west coast nobody fuckin w. him

    4. Lil’ Wayne is coming with 4 collabo-albums.
      1) TBA with Drake
      2) Like Father, Like Son 2 with Birdman
      3) T-Wayne with T-Pain
      4) I Can’t Feel My Face with Juelz Santana

      1. Hahaha Hopit, I love how you call mainstream listeners trolls, then recomment Birdman and Rick fuckin’ Ross on there next Callabo. No disrespect homie, but the only dudes more mainstream than that would be the rest of YMCM or Kanye West…

        Fucking Trolls hahaha

      2. ? I didn’t call mainstream listeners trolls? I said that fans of mainstream hip hop will be interested in these project. Nigga and Anonymous are trolls…

    5. He’s always snubbed on these articles but I think one of the best collaborators in hip-hop is Cage. Leak Bros, Nighthawks, Smutt Peddlers, he can make a really good collab album and he had really good dynamic with all the guys he collaborated with

    6. snoop and dre…..game and the old 50cent would be good like this is how we do or hate it or love it…..biggie pac is they alive…..suge knight and vanilla ice lol

    7. YESSS!!!! Bo$$ Hog Barbarians got a mention. that’s whats up. props dx. that album is so goddman ill. i remember getting that shit from ughh the day it came out and damn near breaking my neck. j-zone at his absolute a++ game on the beats, and he was spittin some ill funny ass shit too. man j where you been man, i want another instrumental album or something.

    8. Dream collabo-albums:

      1) 50 Cent & Eminem
      2) Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
      3) Dr. Dre & Ice Cube
      4) Game & 50 Cent
      5) Brother Ali & Slug
      6) R.A. the Rugged Man & Vinnie Paz

      1. Your 1 – 4 have already done shit together so many times, its like me asking for a Tech N9ne and Krizz Kaliko cd…

    9. MADVILLAINY = Best Collabo Album EVER

      Collabos I’d like to hear:
      Rza & Eminem
      Tyler & Jay Electronica
      Sean Price & Stoupe
      R.A. the Rugged & Redman
      Pharoahe Monch & Diplo

      1. Co-sign on the Sean Price & Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind and R.A. the Rugged Man & Redman projects!
        Waiting for Blackout 3 too!

    10. 1.Nas and AZ (dj premier producing all of it)
      2. Styles P and Jadakiss
      3. Ghostface Killah and R.A The Rugged Man
      4. Lloyd Banks And Fabolous
      5. Pusha T and Young Jeezy

    11. Old Eminem and Redman woulda been sick since Off the Wall is crazy (I say old em b/c the new one wouldn’t sound right with Red.)
      And yes NaS and AZ need to make a collab album…

    12. Lupe Fiasco & Nas
      Stoupe & Del Tha Funkee Homosapian
      Tech N9ne & Eminem (just because, I mean shit that’d be dope)
      Black Thought & Jay Electronica
      Outkast & Gorillaz

      1. murs and 9th wonder is an MC producer collab this write up is about 2 MC collaborations but I definitely agree they made some of the dopest albums I’ve heard

    13. How exactly is Nas + Damian Marley not a hip hop collab album? Best album by far of any of these duo albums. Guess Damian Marley is not “hip hop” enough to make the list. SMH

      1. Props man. I was mad that they didn’t mention that album. That pretty much started the trend of big name collaboration albums for the past year or so. Distant Relatives was so sick because you brought two talent heavyweights together to make an amazing album. Ye and Jay were not the first.

      2. you know damn damian marley is not classified as a rapper. he label himself as a rapper, he doesnt put out rap songs. it wasnt a diss… damien marley is just not a rapper. neither is r kelly (best of both). stop being so sensitive.

    14. -Hopsin & Tech N9ne
      -J. Cole & B.o.B
      -Eminem & Tech N9ne
      -Hopsin & B.o.B
      -Eminem & B.o.B

      I’d love any of those

    15. Eminem & Lil B
      Nas & Soulja Boy
      Big L & Waka Flocka
      Tupac & Lil Wayne
      Canibus & Gucci Mane

      These right here would be the best collaborative albums!!!!

      1. As funny as these combinations sound, it might bring out the best in both artists. You just never know how creative it might sound. Think Flavor Flav and Public Enemy. He was just a glorified cheerleader! I like hearing things out of the ordinary.

    16. Royce da 5’9″ and Tablo from Epik High
      Sam the Kid and Mc Solaar
      Slug from atmosphere and canibus
      Outsider and Twista
      Zeebra and G Dragon

      1. Em X Nas

        Can’t wait to see Nas murdered on EVERY track !

        Hey, I even have a better one.

        Jay-z X Nas

        Can’t wait to see Nas murdered on EVERY track !

      2. That would be unreal. But it would body Jay’s career. Jay-Z wouldn’t be able to keep up with all of Em’s flows, metaphors etc.

    17. nas and a az album is a must, but i wouldnt mind nas doing a collab album wit someone like dmx either if he back on his x shit

    18. Nobody needs a Nas and AZ album for the fuck of it. To hear that AZ raps circles around him? Compared to Nas, he still sounds fresh as fuck and his rhyme scheme is leagues ahead.

    19. I think a lot of what’s going in hip hop is outdated these days. Smif & Wessun w/Pete Rock is dope…but would’ve been better 13 or 14 years ago. I think Nas is likely aware of that; their collaboration album had a window of 3 or 4 years after Doe or Die…after that, it’s just not fresh any more. I would definitely still check it out…have to be stupid not too…but I think the time’s passed…

    20. AZ & Nas would be the most uninspired, dumb and forced album in years. They have no chemistry anymore, get over it or do you all live in the past?

    21. I saw on liner notes that WTT had “documentarians”…maybe someone recorded the collab of Kanye and Jay Z in the making??

      Be interesting piece of history!

      1. Nas’ 8th grade poetry CAN’T go over anyone’s head, you dumb fuck. If you want to rate them properly, make sure that you stay to the truth at least. Jay is the guy who flies way over all ya heads, because his shit is way more complex than anything Nas has ever dropped. Jay’s verses need to be decoded, ask yourself why such a book for Nas doesn’t exist. Has Nas ever had a decent double-entendre? No! His low intelligence doesn’t allow him to think of any. And now, go listen to Nasty and hail a dropout as the GOAT who writes cringeworthy lines that rival Gucci Mane’s in terms of whackness. Jay is the master of lyrical dexterity and metaphors, Nas is the master of terrible good will poetry that appeals to losers, who get all wet when he speaks of sadness and dark clouds upon him. Jay’s ”Grammy Family” Freestyle is better than Nas’ discography. Get the fuck outta here and identify yourself with a loser who asked his baby mama if she fucked Jay.

        ”Yeah, look
        I’m so far ahead of my time, I’m bout to start another life
        Look behind you, I’m bout to pass you twice
        Back to the future and gotta slow up for the present
        I’m fast, niggaz can’t get past my past
        How they propose to deal with my perfect present?”

      2. i agree completely on the point that jay goes over SO many peoples heads. its blowing me away how soo many people missed most of what he said on watch the throne

      1. Dude, Mobb Deep and M.O.P are already rap duos. That is not what this article or thread is about. It’s completely different when you have two established SOLO emcees who put aside egos to go in on a project. Get the difference now?

    22. Tyler, the creator and relapse era Eminem. But I’m afraid that the album would be unbearable to listen to! Just imagine that! One dude talking about screwing mannequins and the other dude rapping about decapitating mannequins and putting them in acid lol!

    23. Nas n AZ
      Beanie Sigel n Sean Price
      Jay-Z n Rick Ross
      Andre 3000 n Big K.R.I.T.
      Joe Budden n Joell Ortiz
      RAGU Rae n Ghost
      Fab n Jay-Z
      Curren$y n Wiz
      Jada n Styles
      J-Cole n Drake
      Jeezy n Killer Mike

    24. Wayne & Drake (supposedly in the works)
      Wayne & Juelz (teased w/mixtapes, no album)
      Ghostface & Doom (maybe, hopefully, please)
      Meth & Red (please do a blackout 3)
      Nas & Jigga (I can dream can’t I)
      3000 & Cee-Lo (Would be epic)
      Game & Young Buck (G-Unit Outkasts)
      Luda & T.I.P (Southern Intelect)-Bar’s Low

      I would buy all of these, and i dont buy shit lol, well music @ least

    25. Plus the usuals

      Outkast (Stankonia & B4 Styles)
      L.O.X. (Just Kiss & Styles)
      BlackStar (Your due for a reunion)
      Mobb Deep (W/out g-unit shit)

    26. The writer must have had some lines to snort & finished this article early. Left out a bunch of releases:

      1. All of Madlib’s collab’s
      2. Random Axe
      3. Gangrene
      4. Greneberg
      5. Wu-Massacre

      Sure there’s more; hope it was good coke J…

      … I now know why the NY times haven’t swiped this guy up yet.

      1. as if u could write a better article. so what he left those out. He wasnt listing every colab album ever. And wu-massacre was a trio, not a duo. Plus they were already rapping together as a part of wu-tang.

      2. I agree with homie about the ‘Lib projects, Greneberg/Gangrene and Random Axe. Watch the Throne holds no appeal to me. The few tracks I’ve heard off that LP were attenuated pop-rap; where’s the Premo beats, boom-bap? Doom/Ghost and Necro/G Rap sounds more promisin’ though.

    27. why do people keep mentioning BIG L?
      he was absolutely 100% ahead of his time, his raps from 95, were so crazy its unbelievable.
      go check out his 7 minute freestyle ft JAY-Z and jay-z stumbles and laughs and BIG L just rips JAY…

      and his whole album THE BIG PICTURE from 99, was so great, it’s just a shame he never got to hear it.

      He was murdered in 1999. HOW IS HE GONNA DO ANY COLLABOS?

      with all due respect, let the man REST

    28. The callabo albums I wish were possible are:

      Jay Z and Biggie
      Tupac and Ice Cube
      ODB and MF Doom

      and the ones I would love to hear would be:

      Rakim and KRS-One
      Andre 3000 and Ludacris
      Skyzoo and Torae
      T.I & Jeezy
      Elzhi and Lupe Fiasco
      Another Meth and Red album

    29. the writer forgot one of the illest collabo albums ever which is O.C. % A.G. “Oasis”

      but the other greatest things will be

      Nas and AZ
      Prodigy and Tragedy KHadafi
      Royal Flush and Mic Geronimo
      Redman and Busta Rhymes
      Q-tip and Black Thought
      Skyzoo and Torae

      and if we could do groups too this will be the most thought of crazy shit

      Wu Tang Clan VS Boot Camp Clik

      1. Oasis was a great album…

        … to help put tweekers to sleep!!!

        Tragedy should look into a name change, maybe go back to Intel’ Hood’….

        Agree w/ Sky/Tor, but Tip & Thought – Red & Bust? You just throwing names together man!

        Wu & BCC should first work on just getting they own shit together…

        … I’d say you don’t get it, but I’d have to explain what ‘it’ is first, dumbfuck…

    30. az is a great lyricist, but he’s not marketable enough for a big album which is why royce unfortunately downgraded bad meets evil. eminem would have sold 1 mill.+ if he collaborated with lil wayne, and nas could sell 500k + if he collaborated with j. cole. and that’s exactly what j. cole needs right now…some solid collabos. now those are two unbeatable combinations. you need to roll the old with the new…can anyone else think of a better duo than those two right now?

    31. Heads up to the author. At the end of “Weight” on Swollen Members “Black Magic” it tells you to turn the cassette over to resume with side 2.

    32. Y’all forgot to mention the KRS-Buckshot album Survival Skillz, which kinda reintroduced the collaboration album.
      Kinda stupid for not mentioning this J-23. Where does DX find these writers anyways ? Don’t they do research no more ?

      1. This quote is taken directly from the article….. “Not all collabs are born out of these circumstances, some of them seem to come out of nowhere. Take KRS-One and Buckshot for instance. When they released Survival Skills together in 2009 they had appeared on exactly one song together before that.”

        Perhaps read the whole article before criticizing the writer

    33. good article and very much on point…of course he wasnt gonna name every anticipated collabo or even every collabo ever done but he hit on the most of the hyped ones or the ones that were either most slept on or most unexpected. For me Nas and AZ would be the collabo that would blow the doors off music lyrically. the only thing that could derail it would be choice of beats. If the beats were on point or say coexecutive produced by say pete rock or L.E.S or large pro, better yet Premier…that album would be a beast. Check the resume with those 2 MC’s together and see if there was ever a weak collabo between them. All they need is some beats by say Preemo and that would be it….

      1. FAIL ALERT: Royce and DJ Premier wouldn’t exactly be a collaborative album with two EMCEES, would it? Lol

        Just kidding dude, Sigel and Scarface do have crazy chemistry tho…

    34. Nas and AZ
      Busta Rhymes and Rah Digga
      P. Diddy and Pharrell
      Ludacris and Mystikal
      T.I. and Governor/or John Legend
      Lil Wayne and Static Major
      Lil Wayne and Robin Thicke

      Dreamin of these LOL

    35. Really the beats on BlackOut weren’t good??? Where was I at when this phantom album came out? The BlackOut album I rem. had a lot of jewels produced by Rza and E-Sermon. To me it’s the best collab album of all-time.

      1. Erick Sermon’s beats on BlackOut were pretty repetitive, so it made for little replay value even tho Meth and Red were spittin’ that shit…

    36. tyler n hopsin (never would happen) but would be hella good
      cudder and kanye (badass)
      tech n9ne & (insert anyone here) they would get murdered

    37. I know this can never happen now and I’m not sure if anybody on this thread has mentioned it, but what if an album from The Commission woulda happended?. It was supposed to be Jay-Z, Biggie, Diddy, Lil Cease & Charli Baltimore. Fuck everybody else, just a Jay and Big album woulda been SICK.

      In terms of albums that could still happen:

      1. Another Black Star album is tops on my list (Mos and Talib… please, just get it done already)

      2. Styles P and Pharaohe Monch (collabs so far have been excellent)

      3. Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt (EarlWolf). We probably woulda heard this by now if Earl dindn’t get sent to that fucking school in Samoa.

      4. After hearing “Ghetto Dreams” I think Common and Nas would make a dope album.

      5. J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar would be CRRRAAAZZYYYYY!!

    38. Another Black Star would be dope but I think they need to expand their sounds a little. Recruit Ski, Premier, Just Blaze, The Neptunes, Dre for the hits and work with youngins(in comparison) like Jay electronica and Lupe, maybe even Kendrick Lamar. But dam that would be expensive lol

    39. Nas Scarface and Ice Cube making a whole album

      I would really like to see this colab

      DMX Big L and 2Pac would of been a G.O.A.T Album”

      A Firm Reunion album would be good like because Nas and AZ Are still far from sellingout and there still dope and im sure they would try harder on a new firm album

      1. agreed hopefully they got time. All three of them are coming off of albums so they should make time to do another project together.

    40. everyone is forgetting that Game and Nas album that was maybe gonna happen a few years ago. Now that would have been dope that was when Game was at his prime.

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