10 Unusual Music Collaborations That Should've Never Worked

The biggest song of 2019 by far, Old Town Road spent a record nineteen consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard 100 chart. However it may not have been this successful if it hadn’t been for prior controversy. In March of 2019 the original version entered the Billboard Country charts at number 19, but was removed for not fitting the country genre. In a move that was pure genius, Lil Nas X decided to recruit country star Billy Ray Cyrus for the remix. And the rest is history.

The song has sparked debate about genres and how to categorise them, and whether they’re even relevant. It’s also catchy as hell. Perhaps too catchy. Nobody can get this song out of their head. Nobody. Once in your head, it is never leaving.

The song’s lyrical content could not be more country, and couldn’t be more hip hop either. This is the ambiguity that clearly worried the folks over at Billboard.

Billy Ray Cyrus is now more relevant than ever, and Lil Nas X is breaking down even more barriers regarding sexuality in hip hop. He’s also going around making paninis with Gordon Ramsay.

Out of context, none of this should make sense. But that’s the power of this collaboration. The most unlikely coming together of people ended up becoming a genuine pop culture phenomenon.