Long after nu metal fell off a cliff, Hollywood Undead took up the good fight to fuse the worlds of hip-hop and metal. Unfairly dismissed as a joke thanks to early hits like Everywhere I Go (currently standing at 47 million views on YouTube alone), the band's eighth album Hotel Kalifornia shows just how much the band have evolved while staying true to both their metal and hip-hop roots.
That in mind, we asked Funny Man to pick out the ten rap acts every metalhead should know - these are his picks...
1. EARTHGANG
"A dirty south duo. A couple of fellas who got together and decided to reinvent Outkast, to my belief, and I don’t think it’s such a bad thing because they’re fucking killing it and I love everything they do. They stay fresh with what’s current, which helps my ear feel the same, because someone has got to keep rolling with that shit. They’re very much changing it up like Outkast and I love hearing that, it’s very inspirational."
2. Wu-Tang Clan
"Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nothing to fuck with. Period. I don’t think you need any more than what I just said. Cuz that’s it. Shaolin Style forever, Number one influencers always forever. Shit, I don’t think I need to tell you. Protect your fucking neck though, I’ll tell you that much."
3. Three 6 Mafia
"Like do I need to say any more? Cuz When the Smoke Clears - it’s fucking game over. I don’t know if you people in the UK know much about Three 6 Mafia, I mean academy awards members. Since I can remember I popped my collar listening to that shit forever.
I had a truck when I was a kid - it was the only CD that fucking played in my truck. Nothing else, nothing was allowed other than When the Smoke Clears. That’s it. And then I sold that truck and that person told me that they still have that fuckin’ CD playing in that truck. That shit is very inspirational. Three 6 Mafia - sip on that!"
4. Freddie Gibbs
"Freddie Gibbs is just one of the hardest motherfuckers out there. He works with one of the fucking best producers, The Alchemist, and it doesn’t get any better than that. The motherfucker’s got lyrics for days. He’s fucking got just words on words and he knows how to put them together and make your ass look fucking stupid. So if you hadn’t heard, read the papers. Freddie Gibbs - get on it!"
5. Isaiah Rashad
"He’s a cat from Chattanooga, Tennessee I believe and made his way to LA and got on Top Dog entertainment and puts his albums out as an LA native but represents Chattanooga very hard. I’m very familiar with other artist from Chattanooga that he’s linked up with that I like to listen to and it’s good stoner rap.
Good chill, nice words, smart motherfucker and he’s working with all the right people and I love hearing all that shit that he does. I’m just very inspired by him all the time and it’s cool. Fresh young blood always keeping it real.
6. Beastie Boys
"Beastie Boys have always been an influence for me in music, as a young lad, always wanting to be like them, sing like them, freaking look like them, party like them, do it all like them. Still to this day I rock the Beastie Boys!"
7. MURS
"MURS is a legendary muthafucking lyricist of Los Angeles, California. He is probably one of the best MCs I have ever heard in my entire life. If you haven’t heard of him, Murs. Check him out motherfuckers - he’s the shit."
8. Atmosphere
"Man! The duo from Minnesota. Again, they are just very inspirational in everything they do. You got fucking one producer DJ and then you got the motherfucking lyricist who spits wisdom at you. Anything he says you will always relate to.
The man is just a magician of words and it just speaks poetry and I love it and it helps my mind and everything I do in life and troubles I’m in. Just throw on some Atmosphere and I just go off and am feeling good again."
9. Outkast
Another duo from the motherfucking dirty south! Two dope boys in a cadillac. So much style, so much charisma, so much everything that they just took hip hop to another level and I don’t think there’s anyone in the world that can match that. It’s just like ying and yang, heaven and hell, water and oil.
Everything that you could think of that is two things that could pair up but not, cuz water and oil they don’t really work together, but fuckin’ Outkast work together and they make it happen! They're great. Good inspiration and good influencers of everything they do. "
10. Your Old Droog
"Man, this guy is like bringing back that whole Raekwon and just that Ghostface killer, but with such a style that these kids can’t even understand what’s happening because he’s just fuckin’ em up with line after line and that’s it! The motherfucker’s a genius. He’s becoming on that level of greatness and that’s it."
Hotel Kalifornia is out now via BMG
