It’s hard to believe that it’s been 17 years since Linkin Park and Jay-Z teamed for the release of Collision Course. The 6 song EP was a collaboration between the two artists which features three songs from Meteora and four from Hybrid Theory mashed with three songs from Jay-Z’s The Black Album, one from Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter, one from Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life and one from The Blueprint.
The album spawned the single “Numb/Encore” which won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 48th Grammy Awards.
The album was inspired by The Grey Album by Danger Mouse, which was a mash-up album between Jay-Z and The Beatles. Collision Course debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 368,000 copies in its first week. It became the first EP to top the chart since Alice in Chains released Jar of Flies in 1994. As of August 15, 2017, the album was certified double platinum for sales of 2 million in the United States.
In 2004, during his Grammy acceptance speech, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda said:
“Jay and I realized it’s better to re-perform the rap vocals if you’re gonna do it to a new beat because the vibe changes and you have to deliver your verse a little differently.”
The entire album was put together within four days and produced by Shinoda and Jay-Z.
Collision Course Tracklist
“Dirt off Your Shoulder/Lying from You”
“Big Pimpin’/Papercut”
“Jigga What/Faint”
“Numb/Encore”
“Izzo/In the End”
“Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer”
