.png)
October 1, 2024
GarageBand is often seen as an entry-level DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), but it has powerful tools that, when used effectively, can create professional-quality tracks. Many indie musicians and...
Read more.png)
October 1, 2024
When working with MIDI in Ableton, one might notice that although MIDI clips can send program changes, most of Ableton's native plugins don’t seem to respond to these changes effectively. This can...
Read more.png)
September 21, 2024
Read more.png)
September 20, 2024
One of the most common challenges for songwriters is deciding whether to write the music or lyrics first. This can feel like a "chicken-or-egg" situation, but there's no one-size-fits-all answer...
Read more.png)
September 20, 2024
Releasing a new single or album is a huge milestone for any musician. However, without proper planning, your work may not get the attention it deserves. It’s not just about putting the song online...
Read more
September 20, 2024
When it comes to music production, getting the low end right can be tricky. Many producers face a common issue: after the initial mix sounds perfect, a few days later, the low end starts to feel...
Read more.png)
September 19, 2024
For many aspiring musicians, the dream of creating a professional-quality home studio seems out of reach due to costs and space constraints. However, with the right strategies and tools, it's...
Read more.png)
September 18, 2024
Collaborating on music remotely has become more common, but as you’ve experienced, it can be a challenge to get it right. Audio latency, control sensitivity, and lack of real-time feedback are...
Read more.png)
September 18, 2024
In today’s digital age, building a loyal fanbase is essential for musicians to thrive. Social media platforms have become powerful tools for connecting directly with fans, sharing music, and...
Read more.png)
September 18, 2024
As a songwriter, it can be frustrating to have melodies or lyrics in your head but no way to bring them to life without instrumental skills. Thankfully, with modern technology, there are apps and...
Read more.png)
September 18, 2024
Creating music often feels like an intricate puzzle. You might have a melody that you love, but when it comes to pairing it with chords, you feel stuck. If you're in this situation, you're not alone.
Read more.png)
September 18, 2024
As an indie musician, creating professional music while sticking to a budget can be challenging. You might not have the resources to afford high-end software or pay for expensive marketing...
Read more
Photo Source: Kevin Winter (Getty Images)
There is a vast amount of variety when it comes to genres, sub-genres, and styles of music. Normally, when two musical artists collaborate to create a new song, the individual artists both produce the same type of music. Occasionally, however, two groups or artists, whose music is markedly distinct from one another’s, work together and produce a masterpiece that is entirely new and groundbreaking. This article will discuss three such examples; Aerosmith and Run-DMC, Queen and David Bowie, and Eminem and Elton John.
Aerosmith, a rock band, and Run-DMC, a hip-hop/rap band, worked together in 1986 to create a remix of Aeromsith’s “Walk This Way”, which was originally released in 1975. The song combined the intricate guitar work characteristic to rock with the lyrical verses associated with rap. Never before had there been a mash-up of rock and rap in the same song, making this collaboration very innovative. Because of this, many people who had previously only listened to one of these genres got a taste of the other one, which helped to expand their musical horizons. Aside from the music itself, the collaboration also assisted in the effort to decrease racial inequality. Rock music had primarily white listeners, while the majority of hip-hop fans were black, and the song helped to bring these two groups of people together.
Another iconic collaboration between artists was “Under Pressure” by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie and the rock band Queen in 1981, which was the result of a jam session between the artists while Queen was touring in Switzerland. The song incorporates and contrasts David Bowie and Freddy Mercury’s (singer of Queen) unique singing styles, accompanied by the driving rock music that Queen is known for. The result was an energetic, dynamic, and passionate piece of music that focuses on the human struggle and the difficulty of forming meaningful relationships with others. “Under Pressure” became very popular for these reasons, and remains a classic to this day.
The last collaboration that will be discussed is the special performance of “Stan” by Elton John with Eminem, which occurred at the 2001 Grammy Awards show. Prior to the collaboration, Eminem had been criticized for his controversial lyrics in some of his songs, and was accused of being homophobic. It was for this reason that he decided to perform with Elton John, who is openly gay, to make a stand against sexuality-based discrimination. This aided in the destruction of restraints that held back gay people in the music industry and brought to light the harmful nature of prejudice. Their collaboration was widely well-received and is a performance that will be remembered for many years.
In conclusion, these collaborations illustrate how artists known for different styles of music can work together to create excellent songs, and how powerful music can be in bringing people together and bridging the gap between disparate communities.
