10 Best Hard Rock & Rap Cross-Over Songs
5. Bulls On Parade - Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against the Machine are pretty much a no brainer when it comes to the world of rap rock. Their influences of punk rock, rap, and heavy metal gave the band a unique edge that made them stick out amid the slew of grunge bands of the time.
There are many classics among Rage's catalog, but when it comes to the pure distillation of their sound, "Bulls On Parade" sticks out as the best of the bunch. The lyrics are extremely pointed, as they take on the politicians of the world who use the deaths of innocent people to advance themselves in the class hierarchy. Everyone is firing on all cylinders, but Zack da la Rocha's verses are some of the most brilliant spits of venom he has ever put down on a record.
The song's main feature is the guitar solo, which features Tom Morello using various effects to emulate the sound of a vinyl scratching breakdown that you would typically hear at any hip hop show. Other bands may have seen the rap rock combination as nothing more than a novelty style, but Rage proved that you could be deadly serious when you got the right people in to stomp out the competition.