Although rock and metal music fans usually have clashing opinions with rap and hip-hop listeners, there are many successful collaborations featuring artists from both sides. For instance, Linkin Park collaborated with Jay-Z on the ‘Collision Course’ album, which was a commercial success. Apart from Jay-Z, the band has also worked with several other rappers.
While Linkin Park’s collaborations were not surprising since they are often categorized as a nu-metal and rap rock band, Aerosmith, an iconic rock and roll band, also collaborated with a rap artist. Their 1986 collab with hip-hop group Run–D.M.C. on a remake of ‘Walk This Way’ increased their popularity during a period they weren’t commercially successful.
Eminem is a rapper considered a ‘Rap God’ by many. He sometimes incorporates rap-rock into his songs and has cited the 1970s and 1980s rock acts, like Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, as his influences. While many rockers would be pleased to collaborate with Eminem, a metal icon declined an offer to work with the rapper.
Why Did Tony Iommi Decline A Request For Collaboration With Eminem?
Tony Iommi left Black Sabbath in 1968 and joined Jethro Tull. However, he didn’t record any music material with them and returned to the Sabbath in 1969. In 2000, he decided to release a solo album and unleashed his debut titled ‘Iommi.’ The album featured numerous guest vocalists, such as Skin, Serj Tankian, Dave Grohl, Ian Astbury, Henry Rollins, Bill Corgan, Peter Steele, Phil Anselmo, and Ozzy Osbourne.
While ‘Iommi’ was in the making, the rapper Eminem approached Tony Iommi to offer him to collaborate on a song. However, as it turns out, Iommi wasn’t aware of who the world-famous rapper was. As a result, he rejected Eminem’s offer. Speaking to Loudwire in 2017, Tony Iommi revealed that Eminem applied to work with him, but he was too old to know who Eminem was.
Here is what Tony Iommi said:
“We had a few people that applied to do it, and one of them was Eminem. I didn’t have the faintest idea who Eminem was. That’s what happens when you get old, you see.”
So, it looks like the reason Tony Iommi refused to work with Eminem wasn’t due to their conflicting styles. Instead, Iommi didn’t know Eminem or his music at all. Unfortunately, we may never find out what a collab between the Rap God and a metal legend would be like.
