Top 10 Best Rap Metal Bands
Rap metal isn't just some passing fad from the late '90s and early 2000s. It's a genre that threw two of music's most rebellious voices, hip-hop and metal, into a blender, hit pulverize, and cranked the volume until your neighbors moved out. It's loud. It's raw. It's got something to say, and it's going to say it while drop-tuning a seven-string guitar and tearing through a verse faster than your brain can process.The bands in this category know how to blur lines, rip up rulebooks, and build something entirely their own. Some came out of the underground and clawed their way into the mainstream. Others exploded straight onto the charts and became generational icons.
Rage Against the Machine is a rap metal band formed in Los Angeles, California. The band consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk. Rage Against the Machine is much better than Linkin Park. They're not even rap metal. They're just a terrible pop rock group with a rapper. RATM actually has metal and rock and roll in it. Linkin Park should be lower than Limp Bizkit and Slipknot. Slipknot isn't even close to rap metal, but they are still much better than Linkin Park. As for ICP, they shouldn't even be on this list. Their music is the worst I have ever heard, and they make my ears bleed. Whoever likes ICP doesn't like music.
I think Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit are not good bands for representing rap metal because their style is commercial. I don't hate them, but I hate their style. RATM is the best rap metal band because they have a great mix of Tom's guitar effects, Tim's great bass rhythm, Brad's drumming, and Zack's great rapping. (I really hate rap, but he really does good work in his songs.)
Linkin Park is an American alternative rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The current members include Mike Shinoda (vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar), Brad Delson (guitar), Dave "Phoenix" Farrell (bass), Joe Hahn (DJ), Emily Armstrong (vocals), and Colin Brittain (drums). Linkin... read more Linkin Park is the only band to combine hip-hop and rock perfectly. You're not hip-hop just because you decide to rap over guitar riffs. LP uses electronica and experimental hip-hop beats over their guitars to create music only they can. They are a fantastic band that has shown they are more than one-trick artists. Also, Mike Shinoda is the best MC out of a rap-rock band. Zach De La Rocha is a mediocre rapper at best. Mike Shinoda uses more multisyllabic, internal, and technical rhyme schemes on average than all other bands on this list. In other words, Shinoda is as close to a legit rapper as anyone else.
Limp Bizkit is an American nu-metal/rap metal/rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 1994. Their lineup consists of Fred Durst, Sam Rivers, John Otto, and Wes Borland. They're mostly known for their singles like Break Stuff, My Way, My Generation, Nookie, Eat You Alive, Rollin', and Take a... read more Limp Bizkit has the single fastest-selling album ever (that is a fact). Limp Bizkit's singer Fred Durst is good at every type of singing. Guitarist Wes Borland is the most underrated guitarist I've ever seen. Bassist Sam is a boss. DJ Lethal is crazy. Drummer Jon Otto makes some PHAT beats. Linkin Park is overrated. They're not all that talented, and Rage Against the Machine? Really, why are they even in the top 10?
What happened? Linkin Park wasn't rap metal much, except for their songs Papercut and Faint. Linkin Park doesn't deserve to be rated as the best rap metal band ever. Limp Bizkit should be ranked as number one in rap metal. By the way, how can you beat Shotgun and Nookie (Limp Bizkit songs)?
Payable on Death, also known as P.O.D., is a Christian nu metal band formed in 1992 and based in San Diego, California. Why the HELL is P.O.D. not in the top 5? Every song on the Satellite album kicks ass. The Testify album has a few good tracks too. Undisputed best Christian metal band ever. Linkin Park's new slower style sucks compared to Hybrid Theory and Meteora. RATM is also good because all of the sounds are made from instruments, nothing is computerized. P.O.D. is still the best because Sonny flows the lyrics naturally with the music. It doesn't sound forced, and he only screams where it's needed, sounding fitting and natural. He can sing, rap, and can even do screams nearly as good as Chester from LP. Payable on Death rules!
Hollywood Undead is an American rap rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States. They released their debut album, Swan Songs, on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD Desperate Measures, on November 10, 2009. Their second studio album, American Tragedy, was released April 5, 2011. All of... read more Most of the bands on here aren't rap metal. I love System of a Down, Slipknot, and Korn, but they're nu-metal, not rap metal. There's a reason Rage Against the Machine is number 1 on this list. They are one of the few bands that actually successfully combined rap and metal. Hollywood Undead is another. I highly recommend them if you're looking for an ACTUAL rap metal band. All the members rap, giving the band an old-school hip-hop feel like Wu-Tang Clan, Bone Thugs, NWA, etc. Bullet, Paradise Lost, Undead, Scava, and We Are are all great songs.
Mushroomhead is an American nu metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in the Cleveland Warehouse District, the band is known for their avant-garde sound which includes influence from heavy metal, art rock and electro-industrial and their imagery which features masks and costumes as well as... read more I recently discovered this band and I immediately fell in love! They're a great band and very much worth checking out!
Definitely my favorite rap metal/nu-metal band. Great bands on this list, but this is my favorite. Huge fan!
Best band ever. Too bad they broke up.
Hed PE, also known as Planet Earth and stylized as (hed)p.e., is an American rap rock/rap metal/nu-metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Why is Hed PE better than the rest of these bands? Because they aren't huge (yet) and haven't sold out or gotten pushed by record companies to do commercial songs. And Linkin Park is NOT metal or rap, so take them off the list.
Love these guys! Yeah, some of their stuff wasn't so good and such. But this is still an awesome band. Love this music, for sure. One of my favorite bands.
Thank you for sharing this interesting band! Absolutely amazing! Perfect mix of rap and metal! I liked the "Feel Good" song very much, a collaboration with my favorite band, System of a Down.
Stuck Mojo is the first rap metal band. They predated most of the bands on this list. The great thing about Mojo is that they put way more emphasis on metal, which I feel is where most rap metal bands fall short. They are essentially a metal band with a rapping vocalist.
Seriously, Stuck Mojo is much better than all of these bands altogether. All rap metal bands should be like these guys. Their style is very cool. They rap, but they are much more metal.
Obviously, they deserve to be number 1. Come on, it's some pretty heavy stuff they've got going on. And their rap is superior.
Thousand Foot Krutch is a Canadian Christian alternative rock band that was formed in 1995. They have released eight albums. In addition, they have released two live albums and three remix albums. Look, listen to my voice
If you're making the choice
Tell all the girls and the boys
Either scream or rejoice
Let's make that noise
Either move or we will all be destroyed!
Listen to Fly on the Wall. A perfect combo of rich rock and meaning.
The Newcomers
Celldweller is a Detroit, Michigan-based electronic rock project by multi-musician Klayton. Klayton creates a hybrid fusion of digital and organic elements: designed soundscapes that take cues from electronic genres like drum and bass, electro, and dubstep, woven together with aggressive rock/metal... read more Rap metal band. Greatest band of all time.
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop, horrorcore and rap rock duo consisting of rappers Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, that was formed in 1989 in Detroit... read more Best band ever. The Mighty Death Pop is the best album they ever made.
Whoop whoop! Down with the clown until I'm dead in the ground! Mmfwcl.
Picture this: Ice-T, easily among the 20 best rappers of all time. Now take him and make him the lead vocalist of a thrash metal band that does everything right. What do you get? You get Body Count, beeatch.
I think this is one of the best rap metal bands. Not well-known as the top 10, but they should be in the top 5. Just listen to Cop Killer, Body Count, and 99 Problems.
Should be in the top 3. Most of the bands on here fit the description of nu-metal more.
Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California. Formed in 1993, their first major-label release was the triple-platinum album Infest. Ok, come on, guys. You clearly haven't heard Last Resort before. Papa Roach is amazing!
Holy hell... Talking about rap metal, who on earth misses Papa Roach? At number 24? I mean, seriously?
Their first album was so awesome!
Primer 55 is an American nu-metal band from Louisville, Kentucky. The band's name originates from the combination of "Primer," meaning "something that's unfinished," and "55," which refers to Interstate 55, "the road that drugs run on to get to Chicago through Memphis."
Skindred is a Welsh alternative metal/rap rock band that was formed in Newport, Wales, in 1998. Their musical style mixes heavy metal, alternative rock, and ragga. They are not high on the list because they are not well-known. Half these bands don't even qualify for this list. They are just popular metal bands with a handful of lyrical spit sections.
Reggae, rap, alternative, metal, techno, rock. What don't these guys do? Epic band. 19 feels a little low, though, and they should be a bit higher than this.
I love this band. They have a great sound and style.
The best kick-ass rap metal band from the Philippine islands!
I hope that Slapshock will sing with Aldrex Genesis of Sound of Silence, the best rap metal in Cebu City, because they are the best Filipino musicians ever.
Biohazard is an American band formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1987. They are acknowledged as one of the earliest bands to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip hop. Urban Discipline, that's enough.
Twiztid is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1997, Twiztid is composed of Jamie Spaniolo and Paul Methric, who perform under the respective personas of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide. Twiztid were previously signed to Psychopathic Records and are associated with the "Juggalo" scene... read more One of the most underrated rap acts out there today!
Crazy Town is an American rap rock band, formed in 1995 by Bret Mazur and Seth Binzer. Crazy Town is best known for their 2000 hit single, "Butterfly," which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and helped their debut album, "The Gift of Game," sell over 1.5 million units... read more
Clawfinger rules. Not sure what most of these bands are doing on this list. Sure, put RATM on top, and yes, Body Count must be there - they deserve it. But most of these bands are just for kids.
When it comes to adopting it as a genre, it all started with these guys. And they do it in such an uncanny way only pioneers can. Clawfinger #1 without a shadow of a doubt.
These guys are from Sweden, and they are AWESOME! Check out "Deaf, Dumb and Blind" and their self-titled CD from, I believe, 2000/2001. ("2 Sides" is the opening track on this one.) Hopefully, they impress you!
Saliva is an American hard rock band that was formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1996. Saliva released their self-titled debut album on August 26, 1997, through Rockingchair Records. This record label is owned and operated by Mark Yoshida, who recorded and produced the release at his studio, Rockingchair... read more
Attila is an American metalcore band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 2005. Frontman Chris Fronzak started the band in high school and, not wanting to use typical death metal terms, adopted the name from Attila the Hun, which he came across in a book. Pretty much the only real metal band here mixed with a bit of rap.
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist and guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson, bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills. Impossible. How can you beat All Mixed Up and Down? These songs create epic rap metal songs, and 311 should be better than all rap metal bands except for Limp Bizkit and Rage Against the Machine. By the way, Kid Rock should be higher on the list, too.