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Rap metal remains an interesting crossover of two different worlds that aren’t really that different after all. There have been some provocative and exciting albums in the genre over the years as it gained mainstream success, and here are four times that rap metal was surprising and innovative. ‘Rakshak’ — Bloodywood Bloodywood is a rap metal band from New Delhi that blends traditional Indian folk music with heavy metal and elements of hip-hop to create something completely unique. Their 2022 debut album Rakshak, which is Hindi for “protector,” explosively announced their presence with all original compositions. Since 2016, they’d mostly been a parody band, making heavy metal covers of mainstream pop songs. This album, however, is an unexpected tangle of genre and culture that transcends classification. Unexpected, but really, really exciting. Videos by VICE ‘Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water’ — Limp Bizkit Released in 2000, this album was Limp Bizkit latching onto their newly gained mainstream success from Significant Other and milking it for all it was worth. Chocolate Starfish still holds the record for fastest-selling rock album, selling more than 1 million copies in its first week. Additionally, it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. All this, and reviews at the time were considerably mixed. Some critics absolutely hated it, but it often lands on Best Of lists retrospectively. Personally, it comes down to the absurd brilliance of “Hot Dog.” It’s chorus emulated “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails, and overall it was intriguingly self-aware (“If I say ‘fuck’ two more times / That’s forty-six ‘fucks’ in this fucked up rhyme” is still a pretty good line). ‘Evil Empire’ — Rage Against The Machine Rage Against The Machine is an obvious favorite for rap metal diehards, and nowadays often serves as a gateway into the genre for new fans. Their 1996 album Evil Empire cemented them as rap metal icons, after their explosive self-titled debut in 1992. Evil Empire earned mixed reviews but leaned mostly positive, with many critics praising RATM for refining the sound of their debut. It built upon themes they’d approached on that album, with a middle-of-the-road Rolling Stone review claiming they “jacked up the sociopolitical siege mentality” and “honed their sound to such maniacally shrill perfection.” This made the album “virtually sexless,” the print review said, but also affirmed that “this music isn’t supposed to be fun.” ‘Body Count’ — Body Count Ice-T’s rap metal side project Body Count is as surprising as it is brilliant. Their 1992 debut self-titled album is one that helped bring rap metal into the mainstream. Body Count wasn’t without its share of controversy, particularly with the song “Cop Killer” (which is funny when you think that eight years later Ice-T joined the cast of Law & Order: SVU). But Body Count was representative of pure anger, as Ice-T explained it. The group formed out of a long-held interest in rock music, but where Ice-T’s hip-hop records explored layered emotions, Body Count was made to reflect nothing but rage. “It was supposed to be the voice of the angry brother, without answers,” said Ice-T in 1994. Photo by Lindsay Brice/Getty Images
