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4 of the Best Genre Crossovers of the 1990s

You should probably just listen to the entire “Judgement Night” soundtrack.

By Stephen Andrew Galiher

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The ’90s were a huge era for the evolution of music. There were massive genre explosions and innovations throughout the decade, which also brought some killer crossovers.

I mean, look back on it… grunge, nü-metal, pop-punk, hip-hop across the board and from coast to coast… the ’90s saw these genres and more grow immensely in both quality and fan bases. So it stands to reason that some of them end up colliding. Like these…

“Children of the Korn” by Korn and Ice Cube

There’s no way to talk about ’90s crossover music without talking about the rise of nü-metal. Certainly, there’s a larger conversation around how not all nü-metal is the same. A lot of the time, the term is misused and interchanged with “rap-metal.” The thing is… most rap metal is nü metal, but not all nü metal is rap metal.

While this clarification might seem like a side quest, my point is that Korn is not rap metal. This is precisely why their 1998 collab with rapper Ice Cube, “Children of the Korn”, really stands out. It’s a brilliant blend of nü-metal and hip-hop, unlike that of Rage Against the Machine or Limp Bizkit. (See also: Ice Cube and Korn’s song “F*** Dying”)

The song is dark, confrontational, and—in the context of being a parent in the late ’90s—unsettling.

“I Love You Mary Jane” by Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill

In light of our little nü-metal disambiguation, allow me to get out in front of this one and say that “I Love You Mary Jane” by Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill is neither nü-metal nor rap-metal. I’d say it’s closer to trip-hop. It’s very atmospheric (with a debt to Kim Gordon‘s vocal), allowing Cypress Hill’s distinctive lyricism to really shine.

(Also, it was on the wildly underrated Judgment Night soundtrack, which you should absolutely listen to.)

However you wanna define it, the reality is that this track is a certified throwback banger. I’m just so glad that Sonic Youth and the Cypress Hill fellas had a collaborative vision and saw it through. Flawless execution.

“Drivin’ Nails in My Coffin” by Beck & Willie Nelson

There was maybe no bigger alt-rock/indie darling in the ’90s than Beck. His 1994 single “Loser” catapulted him to the forefront of art-rock, taking over the mainstream, but he always maintained a clear affinity for the organic nature of music.

Enter: outlaw country legend, Willie Nelson. The pair teamed up for “Drivin’ Nails in My Coffin,” a cover of the classic 1946 Floyd Tillman song. Recorded for the Hi-Lo Country (1999) movie soundtrack, the song is an underappreciated gem from two men of different genres coming together to show that the lines can sometimes be blurred.

‘The Long Black Veil’ album by The Chieftains

This one is gonna seem like a “hear me out,” but I feel like if you get it, you just get it.

Irish folk group The Chieftains had long been well-respected for keeping the traditional sound of their homeland alive and taking it around the world. Then, in 1995, they brought in a menagerie of pop and rock singers/musicians to work with them on The Long Black Veil, their most well-regarded album by fans. The album is certified gold by the RIAA.

The title track, “Long Black Veil”, is a clear standout. It features an incredible vocal from Mick Jagger alongside The Chieftains performing a haunting, slow-burning folk instrumental. There are also a couple of tracks with Sinéad O’Connor that really shine. The more familiar of the two collabs is probably “The Foggy Dew”, but I feel like “He Moved Through The Fair” is a better example of the Irish artists bringing their specialities to the table.

Some of the other big names who collaborated with The Chieftains on this project include Marianne Faithfull, Mark Knopfler, Sting, Tom Jones, and Van Morrison.

I cannot recommend this more strongly: pull this one up and just let it play. Listen to the whole thing, and you’ll see why this made such a big impression.

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