Rap and R&B music have an interesting history. They’ve been friends, enemies and everything in-between. Today, they’re not only inseparable, but it’s difficult to even tell which is which.

This eventual fusion started out with the most rocky of relationships.

There was a time when Hip-Hop was new and Rap wasn’t respected, musically and otherwise. The only thing they had in common was that they were both made by “Black” people, primarily. R&B treated Rap the way high school seniors treat freshmen.

Rap befriended its cousin, Rock, far before it would R&B. Collaborations like “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith and Run-DMC actually felt more organic than Nas and Lauryn Hill did a full decade later, with “If I Ruled The World“. A song ridiculed by Rap fans, who accused Nas of “selling out“… and get this… Lauryn Hill is a RAPPER!

We’re not here for the history lesson (though we will get back into it in a later article), so let’s get into why we’ve gathered.

Here are the TOP 9 Rap Features On R&B (classic) songs:

1. Wu-Tang Clan on SWV’s “Anything” (Old Skool Radio Version)

Method Man’s ad-libs alone, takes the cake.

2. Lil’ Kim on Mary J. Blige’s “I Can Love You“

Timeless.

3. Jay-Z on Beyoncé’s “Drunk In Love“

It’s hard to outshine Beyoncé, but…

4. Jay-Z on Mya’s “Best Of Me, Pt. 2“

Yes, y’all…

5. Rev Run on Jagged Edge’s “Let’s Get Married (Remix)“

What a comeback…

6. The Notorious B.I.G and Ma$e on 112’s “Only You (Remix)“

The only real question is, who had the best verse, B.I.G or Mase?

7. Jay-Z on R. Kelly’s “Fiesta (Remix)“

What you want us to do? The man is doing his time. We can’t change history. Don’t cancel us.

8. Ludacris on Usher’s “Lovers and Friends“

Double-time flow over that slow, somber beat… Genius.

9. O.D.B on Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy (Remix)“

The story behind it is even more impressive than the verse.

G-HOLY.COM, 2022.