Blakroc: this is not "black rock"

Garage-blues-rock duo Black Keys had always been great fans of hip-hop. Damon Dash, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, was a big fan of the Black Keys. They had already recorded a couple of somewhat instrumental hip-hop tracks when they got a call from Dash, who wanted to propose them a hip-hop record project. They took charge of the "beats" and then called a group of rappers to add some verses. That list included Mos Def, RZA, Q-Tip, Raekwon, Pharoahe Monch and even the late ODB. The Black Keys and Dash entitled the project Blakroc. And it was given to life. When you listen to this first record -they have already recorded the sequel-, you can't just call it a rap-rock album. A lot of mediocre projects in music happen to carry that name. This isn't a fusion of two different genres, either. Blakroc (2009) is an entity made of obscure guitar riffs, superb drums, mesmerizing synths and great lyrics. When talented artists like these meet, they create works of art that refuse to hold on to any labels. This is great music. Name it as you like, but first listen to it.

This is the video for Ain't nothing like you (Hoochie Coo) featuring Mos Def and Jim Jones