Rap-metal is born

Ever wondered why Limp Bizkit exist? Blame the day that Walk This Way, a collaborative cover version of a 1975 Aerosmith single by Run-DMC and Aerosmith's Steve Tyler and Joe Perry, was released. The resultant collision of hip-hop and guitar rock (which became the first rap single to reach the Billboard top five, remarkably enough) spawned its own genre – rap-metal. If ever there was a dream genre for a white teenage male audience, this was it. Though early days saw creditable forays by Rage Against the Machine, and hook-ups between major acts such as Anthrax and Public Enemy, who toured together to the bemusement of many, rap-metal soon became a more base fusion, fuelled by aggression, baggy shorts and testosterone. Predominantly performed by white male American bands, it harvested rap's belligerence, turning it into a blunt instrument that worked in tandem with bludgeoning guitar riffs. Devoid of the verbal fluidity of the best hip-hop, it was abrasive and polarising. Its popularity waned, but be warned: some predict a revival, sparked by a new generation of bored 13-year-old boys, is nigh.