There’s nothing more exciting than when your favorite artist comes out with an amazing new song. Except, of course, for when two or more of your favorite artists get together and release a song. There are certain music collabs that worked so well, it makes you wonder why those musicians never got back together again, or even started a band.
Some collabs simply make sense, while some seem totally unlikely. Certain musicians work best together, and no one proves it better than these artists and their iconic joint efforts. These are 17 legendary music collaborations that need to happen again… ASAP.
17. Alicia Keys & Usher
We’re gonna start off our list of iconic music collabs with one of R&B;’s most legendary duets: Alicia Keys and Usher. Their 2004 love anthem, “My Boo” is one of the greatest songs to ever grace our generation (in our totally objective opinion). Each of these artists is well recognized as two of contemporary R&B;’s most beautiful voices, so it makes sense that them paired up would be fireworks. Listening to this song made you remember your first love, and the video was so emotional it made us genuinely believe that Usher and Alicia were in love. 14 years later, and we’re still dying for another collab from them.
Listen to “My Boo” here!
16. Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
When you think of some of the biggest voices in rap music, you most likely think of either Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg. So what happens when you combine the two of them? Hip-hop magic. In the ’90s and early 2000s, you could find these two on a whole bunch of songs, all of them huge hits. Whether it’s “The Next Episode,” “Still D.R.E.,” or “Nuthin’ But a G Thang,” every song they put out together seemed better than the last. We’re just saying, think of the magic that would happen if we put these two back together for a 2018 banger.
Listen to “Still D.R.E.” here!
15. Kanye West & Jamie Foxx
While Kanye West is probably the undisputed king of orchestrating amazing music collabs, one of his most legendary songs came out of a collaboration with Jamie Foxx. When “Gold Digger” came out in 2005, no one could imagine that it would still be one of the most-played songs at college parties and clubs for several decades. Jamie’s soulful voice compared with Kanye’s clever lyrics and intense delivery made for a song that stuck with a generation. We’d love to see the two of them get together and make another anthem immediately.
Listen to “Gold Digger” here!
14. Beyoncé & Nicki Minaj
We’re pretty sure the joining of Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé is the music collab to end all music collabs. Imagine taking the two of the most talented and successful women in the music industry and combining them. Actually, you don’t have to imagine it because it HAPPENED. When the two came together on a remix of Bey’s “***Flawless,” it was clear that the two were magic together. So when they got together again for Nicki’s “Feeling Myself,” it was just as good as their first partnership. Can the two of them get back together now, please?
Listen to “Feelin’ Myself” here!
13. Ciara & Missy Elliott
Speaking of strong women teaming up… We’ve all been anticipating Missy Elliott’s eventual comeback for years now. Plus, Ciara hasn’t been very active for a few years. We get that they’re busy with other things, but we’re also thinking that if the two want to re-enter the scene with a BANG, it should be together. Come on, it would be the comeback of the century. This duo had two amazing music collabs back in the early 2000s with “1, 2 Step” and “Lose Control.” Those songs have had some serious lasting power, which makes us believe that Ci and Missy are destined to make another timeless anthem together.
Listen to “1, 2, Step” here!
12. Kanye West, Jay-Z, Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj
Okay, you could probably have guessed that Kanye was gonna show up on our list of music collabs again. Although his album, My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy had a lot of amazing songs with various, talented artists, none of them hold a candle to “Monster.” Putting Kanye, Jay-Z, Rick Ross and Nicki together was obviously a good move, because this song is guaranteed to get anyone to go absolutely buck wild. Nicki’s verse steals the show by a landslide, but the rest of the song is still a banger.
Listen to “Monster” here!
11. Lady Gaga & Beyoncé
In the year 2018, we could all greatly benefit from more music collabs between iconic female artists. While we wait for them to come, we can revel in Lady Gaga and Beyoncé’s duets from back in the day. It all started with their lesser-known collab on Beyoncé’s “Video Phone” extended version. The two of them clearly realized they had a good thing going and came back with the masterpiece that is Lady Gaga’s “Telephone.” How amazing would it be to see these two reunite for another short film/music video?
Listen to “Telephone” here!
10. Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg
Although this was definitely one of the most unlikely music team-ups, like, EVER, we’re so glad it happened. When Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg came together, people were definitely skeptical. But their love of the West Coast brought ’em together and proved to be a hell of a move. They managed to create one of the catchiest, classic pop anthems of our generation. “California Gurls” took a pop queen and combined her with one of the fathers of rap — and it was magic. We’d like to see them come together for another feel-good, summertime anthem in the near future.
Listen to “California Gurls” here!
9. Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
While it’s true that putting Nicki Minaj on any track will make it roughly 100 times better, these three women coming together was legendary. Jessie J and Ariana Grande have two of the strongest voices in pop, so the two of them alone make for a great song. Add Nicki, and you have a recipe for an iconic pop song. “Bang Bang” is the perfect song for screaming with your friends, belting in the shower, or going for a long car ride. Who wouldn’t want another release from this amazing trio? We’d even be cool with Jessie J adding a verse onto Ari and Nicki’s “Side to Side.”
Listen to “Bang, Bang” here!
8. Beyoncé & Jack White
This is another one of those music collabs that seemed bizarre at first, but makes perfect sense when you think about it. Jack White is pretty well-known for being one of the most unique, skilled, and artistically-talented musicians of our time. When you combine his unique form of musicianship with Beyoncé’s, it made for a soulful, badass and flawless combination. In “Don’t Hurt Yourself” Beyoncé showed off a rock n’ roll side of herself that we would love to see again.
Listen to it here!
7. T-Pain & Akon
Let’s be honest, it seems that Akon pretty much fell off the face of the earth after 2010. Maybe even slightly before then. However, T-Pain’s career has pretty much never faltered, and some of his greatest music was with the mid-aughts R&B; star. The two of them were once the undisputed kings of autotune, which they solidified with their collab on “Bartender.” It was crazy-catchy and encapsulated everything we loved about cheesy pop/R&B.; Their less-popular “U Got Me” may not have gotten the radio plays the later jam did, but it’s no less great. If these two got back together, it could mean a serious comeback for Akon, plus a great new song for us.
Listen to “Bartender” here!
6. Trey Songz & Nicki Minaj
Although Nicki has appeared on this list quite a few times, we couldn’t neglect one of her earliest and most legendary music collabs. Her verse on Trey Songz’s “Bottoms Up” was the soundtrack to every high school dance. The whole song is undeniably catchy, but let’s be real — it would be nothing without Nicki’s crazy-fast and kind of absurd verse. Compared to Trey’s silky-smooth voice and jazzy hook, the two work perfectly together. They most definitely have another hit in them, and we’d love to see it. Unfortunately, Trey’s participation in Nicki’s feud with Remy Ma could mean this collaboration is a while away.
Listen to “Bottoms Up” here!
5. Shakira & Wyclef Jean
If there’s one song that get guarantee to get people dancing twelve years after its release, it’s definitely “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean. The two of them created an anthem for booty-shaking that continues to be a staple in party playlists all over the world. Shakira’s powerful voice combined with Wyclef’s smooth verse made for an iconic duet. If these two artists could make a song half as good as “Hips Don’t Lie,” it would still be a huge success.
Listen to “Hips Don’t Lie” here!
4. Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
When you take New York hip-hop legend, Jay-Z and New York R&B; legend, Alicia Keys, it makes sense they would create a timeless anthem for New York City as a whole. I mean, who hasn’t secretly sung the words “concrete jungle where dreams are made of” in their head while walking through Manhattan at one point or another? Answer: NOBODY. No exaggeration, this song is so well-loved by New Yorkers that you can hear it playing at Yankees games. “Empire State of Mind” is a powerful ode to NYC, but still catchy enough that it was a nationally-successful banger. The music styles of Jay and Alicia go super well together, and we think they could make another anthem about pretty much anything.
Listen to “Empire State of Mind” here!
3. Timbaland & Nelly Furtado
Timbaland was the king of featuring on pop anthems for a while. Although he had tons of successful music collabs with various artists (namely Justin Timberlake), none of them were as iconic as Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous.” The second you heard the intro of: “Am I throwing you off?” “Nope.” “Didn’t think so,” it was time to party. It’s been a while since we’ve heard a hit from Nelly Furtado, and another hit like “Promiscuous” could be just what she (and the American people) needs.
Listen to “Promiscuous” here!
2. Drake & Rihanna
The relationship between Drake and Rihanna is one of the most beautiful (and TBH, confusing) in music history. While the nature of their relationship has always been a little hard to read, one thing is totally clear: they should never stop making music together. When the two of them got together for “Take Care,” “What’s My Name,” “Too Good,” and “Work,” they made a hit every damn time. While we’re sure they’ll collab again in the future, imagine if the two made an album together. Drake did a mixtape with Future, after all! Just an idea…
Listen to “Take Care” here!
1. Drake, Nicki Minaj & Lil Wayne
Finally, we have one of the most iconic music collabs in the form of a trio. Drake, Nicki, and Lil Wayne have been making music together since they all got their start at Young Money. If you remember, the first hit on which they all appeared together was “Bedrock.” Clearly, that marked the start of a beautiful friendship. Since then, the three have collabbed big time on “No Frauds,” “Only” and “Truffle Butter,” and we’re eagerly awaiting their next masterpiece. We’re sure it’s on the way.
Listen to “No Frauds” here!