[Photos via YouTube]

10 metal-loving mainstream musicians who might surprise you

August 23, 2019

[Photos via YouTube]

Dedicated metal fans are notoriously passionate about their music, even if it’s to a fault. The most fanatical ones will defend the genre at all costs, but not every fan of heavy music is locked exclusively into listening to blast beats and shredding riffs.

Musicians often draw influence from some of the most surprising artists, and mainstream acts aren’t an exception. Take a look below at 10 pop and hip-hop musicians who like their music on the heavier side of things.

1. Post Malone

While Post Malone is most well known for his chill hip-hop tunes, he’s been recognized for his dedication to metal in the past couple of years. Not only has he been spotted hanging out with underground bands such as Gatecreeper and Power Trip, but he also used to play in a metalcore band (and even auditioned for Crown The Empire).

2. Demi Lovato

Just because she’s a former Disney star doesn’t mean she doesn’t know her metal. Demi Lovato has been outspoken in the past for her love of bands such as the Devil Wears Prada, Job For A Cowboy, Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster and Bring Me The Horizon, among others.

3. Rihanna

Everyone doubted Rihanna’s love for metal when she first unleashed her Sepultura-spoofing logo a few years back, but she knows her stuff. She sported a jacket with a Municipal Waste logo on the back of one of her album covers, and she’s apparently a huge fan of Slipknot.

4. Danny Brown

It’s evident that experimental rapper Danny Brown is a weirdo, but he’s our type of weirdo. He said his 2016 album, Atrocity Exhibition, was influenced by System Of A Down and has also been spotted hanging out with black-metal act Deafheaven, so he clearly has taste that goes beyond the surface of the genre.

5. Gucci Mane

The king of Atlanta trap music works just as hard as a touring metal band does with the volume of releases he’s dropped over the years, so it makes sense he’s into heavy music. Gucci Mane wrote a collab track with Marilyn Manson back in 2013 and sat down for an extensive chat with him for an issue of CR Men’s Book.

6. Ed Sheeran

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpQkN07gJ7J/

Undoubtedly one of the biggest names in pop music, Ed Sheeran isn’t the most believable metal fan, but he loves nü metal. The singer has shown the world he’s into Korn and Manson, so even though he makes lukewarm pop tunes, we’ll give him a pass.

7. Donnie Wahlberg

So nice meeting you, @DonnieWahlberg!

— Mark Holcomb (@MarkPeriphery) April 10, 2017

New Kids On The Block dominated the boy band scene back in the day, and after they broke up, Donnie Wahlberg made quite a name for himself as an actor, restaurant proprietor and apparently metal fan. A few years back, Wahlberg was spotted having a blast at a Periphery show and even took some time to hang out with the band.

8. Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber seems to be one of the go-to names for metal fans to use when trashing pop music, but he’s really into listening to the genre in his spare time. He’s talked about his love for classic bands such as Metallica and Iron Maiden before, and even though they don’t like it or don’t care either way, he loves Tool.

9. Tyler, The Creator

Tyler, The Creator’s music and overall attitude is as abrasive as any metal band around, but his music taste goes far beyond just rap music. Tyler’s Odd Future label signed hardcore band Trash Talk, and their 119 album features a song with him on vocals. He’s also been known to bring the band out for his track “Radicals” while performing.

10. Beck

Beck pulls from a slew of genres to create sonic collages, but the most baffling one might be metal. The vocalist sampled Black Sabbath’s “Behind The Wall Of Sleep” on Odelay’s “Hotwax” and has cited death-metal band Carcass as an influence.

Which artist surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments below.