What was truly the first rap metal song? I’m sure that will spark debate. All I remember is that disease and crime created the first memorable rap metal song.

The disease was Anthrax, the metal band during the eighties that couldn’t quite be defined. They are categorized as thrash, but their song structures went in all kinds of directions and their lead singer Joey Belladonna was not a growler like Slayer’s Tom Araya or Metallica’s James Hetfield–or a whiner like Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine.

The crime was Public Enemy, the infamous rap duo of Chuck D. and Flavor Flav (there were other band members but do we remember them?). Politically charged lyrics and some of the toughest rap vocals ever courtesy of Chuck D. made this rap group a favorite with metal fans.

Initially it was Anthrax that started to bridge the gap between two genres by showing their love for Public Enemy’s music. Scott Ian would wear Public Enemy T-shirts onstage. Chuck D. noticed and reciprocated by giving them a shout out on one of his albums.

In 1991 the two groups finally collaborated on “Bring The Noise.” The rap song was originally put on the 1987 Less Than Zero soundtrack (a movie about white people who party too much as I recall) and then later released on the 1988 album “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.”

Public Enemy and Anthrax recorded the updated version of “Bring The Noise” which was a heavier, in your face, anthem for both metal fans and rap fans. And then they took it on tour. The fans loved it and music history was made.  According to Wiki ” It was ranked #12 on VH1’s 2006 list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs.”

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