10 Best Hard Rock & Rap Cross-Over Songs

Eminem was the few rock star rappers of the early 2000's. From his distaste towards the conventional to his controversial behavior on and off the stage, Slim Shady certainly had his fair share of things in common with the famous rock stars of old. For his third major outing The Eminem Show, it made sense that he would find a way to combine his traditional rap style with rock's gravitas.

From the start, Eminem is clearly in his element, as he uses "Sing For The Moment" to stake his claim as one of the rulers of the rap game. The percussion attack of the song gives Em a lot to work with, as he weaves his words together like a guitarist would construct a classic solo. Speaking of which, the hook that you would expect to be a more pop-centric nod-along actually ends up being part of the chorus to Aerosmith's "Dream On," with Steven Tyler's impressive vocal wail.

The song's subject matter is also a common theme amongst rappers and rockers: lambasting the critics for what they perceive to be dangerous artistic minds. The resulting single struck a nerve so much with Aerosmith that Joe Perry actually appeared to drop a few lead lines on the final track. While most rap-rock bands had to sacrifice one genre or the other to get a great song, Eminem showed how you could incorporate stadium rock hooks with rap flows in a way that felt totally natural.