Top Ten Collaboration Songs of 2018 Between American and German Artists

Cardi B is American, Kontra K and AK Ausserkontrolle are German.

The original version of "I Like It" was a big number-one hit in the USA but didn't do as well in Germany. To boost its popularity, chart-topping rapper Kontra K and newcomer AK Ausserkontrolle recorded verses of their own for an official new version, replacing Bad Bunny's and J. Balvin's Spanish parts. It peaked at number 8 in Switzerland and number 14 in Germany and Austria.

Kontra K's lyrics deal with the fact that he values friendship and honor over fame and wealth, and he uses many Spanish loanwords to keep up with the original tone. AK Ausserkontrolle is a bit less interesting, rapping straightforwardly about hustling and money, but his autotuned delivery is quite catchy. Cardi B's verse and chorus, as well as the beat, stay the same. I was already hooked on the original version, and now I can understand everything they say in this version too.

Doro is German, Doug Aldrich is American.

The German "Queen of Metal," Doro Pesch, released a very fine and fun old-school hard rock album that got her the highest chart position in her 30-year-old career. On this rocking earworm jam, "Heartbroken," she collaborated with American guitarist Doug Aldrich, whose solo is really scene-stealing.

I love this.

Yes, Doug Aldrich is a very fine guitarist (long-term Whitesnake guitarist, he also played for Dio). Doro - I love her voice and spirit. She sounds like she hasn't aged.

GRiNGO is German, 6ix9ine is American.

This was the first time I heard 6ix9ine rapping without his loud screaming voice. He actually has a nice flow and got positive reception for his verse. GRiNGO's reviews were more mixed. Many were turned off by the fact that his lyrics are more like tags instead of fluent text. But in fact, it's a callback to a flow from the early 2010s popularized by Haftbefehl. Overall, this is a fine trap song.

NOTE: This was originally released as "Zkittlez" on both the music video and for streaming/download. For whatever reason, the title was changed to "GIGI (Zkittlez)" soon afterward, with the cover artwork altered to display the new title.

Ufo361 is German, Rich The Kid is American.

In the early 2000s, guest verses by American artists were common in German hip-hop. It was often seen as an honor if an artist from the country where rap originated collaborated with a German hip-hop artist. However, German hip-hop gradually departed from the typical American sound, becoming darker, heavier, and more cinematic/theatrical. Meanwhile, in the USA, Kanye West and Lil Wayne changed the style towards a lighter attitude. Many then viewed that the German and American rappers didn't harmonize as much as before, which is why such collaborations became rarer, despite German hip-hop becoming more commercially successful.

Nowadays, there is a common demeanor again: trap is popular in both the USA and Germany, boosting interest in such collaborations. Ufo361 is one of the best artists in the German trap scene, and he collaborated with two American artists on his second album of 2018, "VVS": Quavo on the title track and Rich The Kid on "Sprite." Fans of trap music, especially those of Future, will be pleased.

Bushido is German, Akon is American.

"Mythos" by the biggest German rapper, Bushido, is a hip-hop masterpiece. While it's mostly a Bushido solo show, occasionally he invited his two newest apprentices, Capital Bra and Samra, to team up with him. However, what stands out most on the album is "Unsterblichkeit," with American RnB singer Akon. Not only because it's a US feature, but because the beat audibly wasn't produced by Bushido like the majority of the album.

Farid Bang is German, The Game is American.

The Game already collaborated twice with Kollegah, who is Farid Bang's best buddy. However, I have to say that I like this record better. When The Game rapped over a Kollegah-style beat and Kollegah rapped over a The Game-style beat, they had good verses but never felt like they naturally belonged on the instrumental. Farid Bang picked a beat that is more trap-oriented but still with a tad bit old-school touch than his usual heavy, epic instrumentals, which suits both rappers.

Alex Christensen, The Berlin Orchestra, and Ski are German, Anastacia is American.

In 2017, producer Alex Christensen had a surprise success with an album where he re-imagined classic eurodance songs with a full orchestra but still as techno. In 2018, he released an even more successful sequel. While the vocals on the first volume were mostly performed by anonymous singers, he enlisted a bunch of popular singers for the second volume, including two songs featuring vocals by American singer Anastacia, who is a superstar in many countries, apart from the US, where she originates. She and the orchestra do a good job, but nothing beats the original versions, which are classics of the '90s.

Fler is German, Rick Ross is American.

I am not exactly a fan of Rick Ross, whom I regard as uninspired in his flow, image, lyrics, and sound, and who is often off-beat. Especially the latter made me wonder why Fler, who repeatedly criticized the lack of sense of time in German hip-hop, picked him for a guest verse. However, I have to say this is the best I've heard him flow on a song. Yeah, I like it. It's not one of the best Fler tracks, but it's good.

Farid Bang and Capo are German, 6ix9ine is American, SCH is French.

On paper, it reads like the male hip-hop equivalent to "Lady Marmalade," as in their respective countries, all four artists are well known (Farid Bang much more than Capo, but the latter also had a top ten album and is the brother of Haftbefehl). It feels like an all-star cast. However, the song itself isn't that spectacular. They all deliver solid verses (I don't speak French, though, so I don't know what SCH raps), and the beat is okay, but it's never gripping.

Both 6ix9ine's loud screaming and Farid Bang's butch voice work better on heavy beats, while this is trap. I also dislike that Capo and Farid Bang only mention each other and 6ix9ine in their parts, ignoring SCH. 6ix9ine shouts out to all three other rappers in the intro. As far as I understood, SCH never mentions any of them. I'd say mention all or none, not just some.