17 Unexpected Musical Collaborations That Really Worked

Music is one of the ways people around the world define themselves. Rather than sit around listening to silence all day, plenty of people enjoy having their favorite tunes playing in the background. Luckily, there are millions of songs performed by thousands of bands and artists that are easily accessible on platforms like Apple Music, YouTube, and Spotify. A common musical genre in the United States is country.

Country music is typically associated with people who live in small towns and folks who appreciate the great outdoors. Another popular genre of music is hip-hop. The beats that are tied into each song allow fans to sway back and forth with the hype energy. It's rare to find musicians from varying genres crossing over onto each other's territory. However, it's not completely impossible. Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus worked together to create a memorable remix of Lil Nas X's song "Old Town Road" in 2019.

The song flew to the top of the charts, breaking tons of records. While the song itself was great, it shocked fans to see Cyrus and Nas X collaborate in the first place. The song propelled Lil Nas X into the music industry, where he's remained planted over the recent years. Another musical combination that fans were skeptical of at first went down between Florida Georgia Line and Nelly.

Just like with Nas X and Cyrus, the two groups come from strikingly different genres. However, when they remixed Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" for music lovers to jam out to, it was a complete hit. The duo has recorded more songs together since the success of "Cruise" as well. For more music-centered content, click here to read about concerts with the most expensive tickets in 2024.

To compile this list of unexpected musical collaborations that worked, 24/7 Tempo consulted music-centered websites. These include Billboard, Yardbreaker, and BuzzFeed.

Before the end of 2019, it would've been hard for fans to guess that Lil Nas X was going to take such strides in the music industry. He did exactly that, though. His success was born from the catchiness of his song "Old Town Road." However, he wanted to spice it up and felt there was more the song could offer. A that point, he reached out to Billy Ray Cyrus to join him for the remix.

Cyrus agreed, and the legend of "Old Town Road" was born. After seeing how beloved the song was among music lovers with an immediate single to follow, fans briefly believed Nas X would end up being a one hit wonder. Yet, five years later, he's still making great music and putting on legendary stage performances.

During the 1960s, Paul McCartney was a beloved star. The success of The Beatles is hard to express. In an age without internet and fewer music listening options, he helped the group become internationally well-known. In the early 2000s, hip-hop fans were introduced to Rihanna and Kanye West. In the past, it might've be hard to envision the trio doing a song together… right?

However, they came together and put out "FourFiveSeconds." Instead of a hip-hop beat like Rihanna and Kanye West are used to, the song only features a guitar. It showcased Rihanna and Kanye West's voices without loads of autotune. Hip-hop fans don't often get to fully absorb how amazing their favorite artists' voices are. The song worked out well, even though it was recorded by three people you wouldn't typically see together.

A common theme on this list is the collaboration between country music and hip-hop stars. Brantley Gilbert has become a popular name in the country music industry since launching his career. His deep voice allows him to hit low notes that few country music singers are able to. He also sings about topics many people can wholeheartedly relate to.

After writing "Bottoms Up," Gilbert wanted to add some additional flair to it. He reached out to T.I. to see if the Atlanta-based hip-hop rapper would be interested in lending his voice to a remix. T.I. agreed, and the rest is history. Now, the remix has become more popular than the original song. T.I. and Gilbert's voices meshed so well together that they left fans wondering if they'd ever collaborate again.

Lil Durk is from the newer generation of hip-hop artists, but he's already made his mark on the industry. Gen-Z-aged rappers have a lot on their minds to rap about, and that so happens to be the case with Durk. One of the songs Lil Durk wrote was "Broadway Girls" but before he could even think of a remix, he called an unlikely person. That would be Morgan Wallen.

Wallen is someone country music fans have quickly fallen in love with. Country music lovers expect for him to be around for a long time. While the music genre clash is part of the reason this collaboration was unlikely, that's not the full story. In the past, there were videos released of Wallen using racial slurs. Durk looked past these videos and invited Wallen to join him for this song.

Florida Georgia Line and Nelly were another country music bands and hip-hop recording artist to collaborate in the studio. At the time (which was in 2012), Florida Georgia Line just released one of their earlier albums. Nelly, on the other hand, was already an established superstar. Florida Georgia Line album released "Cruise" on their album with Nelly's help.

As is the case with plenty of other songs on this list, Florida Georgia Line decided "Cruise" needed more pizazz than it's original state. In order to get it to where they wanted, they swung big and reached out to Nelly. The St. Louis rapper agreed, and the remix to "Cruise" has become one of Florida Georgia Line's most popular songs to date.

It's hard to find a song with more history than "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith. The memorable guitar playing, the beating of the drums, and the legendary lyrics came together flawlessly. This is a song that will be adored forever. However, Aerosmith wanted to try something new after releasing the original track. They wanted to see what adding hip-hop to the song would sound like.

At first, Run DMC was hesitant to record a new version of the song with them. They already enjoyed what the song was and felt like they might mess it up. After some long conversations, Aerosmith convinced Run DMC to do the collaboration. It's a good thing Run DMC agreed, because the song gave audiences one of the greatest collaborations in music history. Seeing these two work together is a big reason cross genre music has worked so well ever since.

By the time the 1970s rolled around, Sir Elton John had already left his mark on the music industry around the globe. Fans knew his songs by heart and he could sell out the biggest concert venues in each city. Kiki Dee wasn't a "nobody" in music, but she certainly didn't have the same allure that John did. Regardless, the duo decided to put that aside to record "Don't Go Breaking My Heart."

The song was a critical and commercial success. Today, it's still played by fans in 2024. Dee went from being known by some people to a household name in a matter of days once the song hit the radio. John made it known that if someone has enough talent, he'd be willing to work with them.

It's hard to find two artists who appear so different in the music realm. Willie Nelson is a country singer who has long hair and a scraggly beard. He often looks like he would rather live in the wilderness outside of civil society. Julio Iglesias is a sharp dresser with a calm voice. He's a man who presents himself as someone to be thought of in a high regard.

When the duo was asked to record "To All The Girls I've Loved Before," it was challenging to imagine how it would sound when all was said and done. Many thought their two personalities would clash and the song simply wouldn't work. However, Nelson and Iglesias proved everyone wrong. They worked together to create a top five song on the music charts in 1984.

Some of the best experiences in life are the things that aren't completely done on purpose. Lita Ford was managed by Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne's wife. One night, the two were having drinks together casually. They decided to try and write a song for fun. While neither of them thought it would amount to anything, they were wrong.

"Close My Eyes Forever" quickly raced to the top of music charts around the world after it was released. The song first hit airways in 1989, which is around the time MTV was finding their legs. Because the music video featured two icons in music, it was routinely played on the channel. That was one of the first indications of how powerful MTV would become in the future.

Two successful musicians who perform different genres of music came together to create pure magic. Bone Thugs n Harmony exploded from Cleveland and have since become cultural icons in the United States. Their smooth hip-hop flow is part of the reason they're so memorable. Phil Collins, on the other hand, is from London. He used rock music to further his career.

Collins is best known for his hit song "In the Air Tonight" that's still played at sporting venues around the world. Bone Thugs n Harmony wanted to sample Collins' song "Take Me Home" from the 1980s. Nearly 15 years later, the three released the song "Home." It was a success in England, and it's part of the reason the hip-hop group adopted Collins as their third member. You never know who might strike the right chord with you when it comes to music.

It's amazing to look back and see which talented artists agreed to worked together in the past. While it felt somewhat natural to think of Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow in the same vein in the early 2000s, it's nearly impossible to think of them working together in 2024. Both have put themselves firmly on the other side of politics from each other, and they're not willing to give an inch the other way.

Thankfully for fans, the duo released the song "Picture" far before any political divide between them took place. This song reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart when it was released in 2001. The duo didn't have the same fans when it was released in the early 2000s. Both audiences enjoyed listening to this song when it hit radios, and people still enjoy hearing it today.

Like Paul McCartney, Rihanna, and Kanye West, it was tough for fans to envision two artists coming from different backgrounds in the studio together. That's just what Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga did in 2011 for "The Lady Is a Tramp," though. Bennett is lauded by many as the voice of his generation, which is two generations before the generation Gaga sings for.

Gaga had already established herself as a star, but she was still working to get to the heights she's achieved in 2024. Bennett was complimentary of Gaga after working with her, even revealing he thought she would reach the high levels she has. It's impressive to think Bennett had such a realistic vision of who Gaga would become in the music industry after working with her one time.

Nelly's proven he's willing to work with anyone from any genre, no matter who they are. Before he worked with Florida Georgia Line, Nelly hopped into the studio with another country music star. He invited Tim McGraw to join him for his song "Over and Over" in the mid 2000s. Nelly was right to ask McGraw to join him on the track because it reached number three in the United States on the music charts. After having success with McGraw, it's no wonder Nelly was willing to work with other country music stars to help bolster their songs. He found that audiences around the world enjoy the combination of country and hip-hop, when done correctly. These days, it's clear that Nelly is still keeping an eye out for his next collaboration.

Taylor Swift showed her versatility early in her career when she decided to join forces with B.o.B in the hit "Both of Us" in 2012. At that point in time, Swift was purely country and she was barely starting to test the waters with different genres. B.o.B hadn't reached the level of success he was destined to in the future, but Swift saw something in him that stuck out to her. The song reached number 20 on the music charts after its release. That's obviously not the highest level that many of Swift's songs reach, but the quality of music with B.o.B was an early indicator that she'd be successful branching out beyond country music alone. The song also helped launch B.o.B's career, which has gone well for him since then.

When the song "Accidental Racist" was first released by Brad Paisley and LL Cool J, it was met with mixed reviews from fans. The song references Paisley being a white man from the south, where the bulk of racism has occurred in the United States. Feeling guilty for the crimes of his ancestors, Paisley asked LL Cool J to join him on the track as an apology letter. LL Cool J saw the sincerity in Paisley when he reached out to him to record this song. Some people felt that the song might not truly encapsulate what truly when on during slavery times. Since the song has good intentions, it was met with open arms from LL Cool J. Their sincere connection is why it was recorded and released.

Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé's collaboration on "Perfect Duet" showcases the seamless blend of pop and R&B, highlighting both artists' strengths. The song, which is a version of Sheeran's original "Perfect", received widespread acclaim for its vocal performance and emotional depth. Beyoncé's addition to the track brought a new layer of richness, making it a standout duet that resonated with fans worldwide. The song's success is a testament to the power of collaboration across genres, proving that music can transcend boundaries and bring together diverse audiences.