The Rapsody Overture: Hip Hop Meets Classic is a concept album of remixes consisting of hip hop

Hip hop music

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

 and classical

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

, which combined American rappers with European opera singers. It was released in 1997 by Mercury Records

Mercury Records

Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...

 and distributed by Def Jam Recordings

Def Jam Recordings

Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...

.

"Prince Igor" was a #1 hit across Europe in 1998, a duet between American rapper Warren G

Warren G

Warren G , is an American West Coast rapper and hip hop producer. He is also Dr. Dre's half-brother.His biggest hit is the song "Regulate" with Nate Dogg released in 1994...

 and Sissel

Sissel Kyrkjebø

Sissel Kyrkjebø , also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Sissel's musical style runs the gamut from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias...

. Sissel sang an aria from Alexander Borodin

Alexander Borodin

Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...

's opera Prince Igor

Prince Igor

Prince Igor is an opera in four acts with a prologue. It was composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the East Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185...

 during the chorus, while Warren G rapped.

The Xzibit track "E Lucean Le Stelle" contains a sample from Giacomo Puccini's E Lucevan Le Stelle

E lucevan le stelle

"E lucevan le stelle" is the romanza of Mario Cavaradossi , a painter in love with Tosca, in the third act of Puccini's opera Tosca, composed in 1900 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa...

, though it is misspelled.

Track listing

#	Name	Artist(s)	Vocals	Writer(s)	Time
1	"Intro"				1:15
2	"E Lucevan Le Stelle"	Xzibit Xzibit Alvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success...		Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...  (E Lucevan Le Stelle E lucevan le stelle "E lucevan le stelle" is the romanza of Mario Cavaradossi , a painter in love with Tosca, in the third act of Puccini's opera Tosca, composed in 1900 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa... )	3:51
3	"Dear Mallika"	LL Cool J LL Cool J James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...	Heike Therjung & Kathy Magestro	Léo Delibes Léo Delibes Clément Philibert Léo Delibes was a French composer of ballets, operas, and other works for the stage...  (The Flower Duet The Flower Duet The Flower Duet is a famous duet for sopranos from Léo Delibes' opera Lakmé, first performed in Paris in 1883. The duet takes place in Act 1 of the three act opera, between characters Lakmé, the daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika, as they go to gather flowers by a river... )	4:05
4	"E Lucevan Le Stelle" (Reprise)			Puccini (E Lucevan Le Stelle E lucevan le stelle "E lucevan le stelle" is the romanza of Mario Cavaradossi , a painter in love with Tosca, in the third act of Puccini's opera Tosca, composed in 1900 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa... )	1:45
5	"Dalilah"	Reverend Run Joseph Simmons Joseph Ward Simmons , known by the stage name Rev. Run or DJ Run, is one of the founding members of the influential hip hop group Run–D.M.C., and a practicing minister, known as Reverend Run. Simmons was born in Hollis, Queens, New York. He is the younger brother of Daniel "Danny" Simmons, Jr...  of Run-DMC	Gabrielle Fiodoresku	Saint-Saëns (Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" is a popular mezzo-soprano aria from Camille Saint-Saëns's opera Samson and Delilah, known in English as "Softly awakes my heart", or more literally "My heart opens itself to your voice"... )	4:00
6	"Prince Igor Prince Igor (single) "Prince Igor" is a 1997 single. The single was inspired by the Polovetsian Dances of Prince Igor opera. The main vocals are performed by Warren G, the Russian refrain by Sissel Kyrkjebø and the instrumental background is provided by The Rapsody... "	Warren G Warren G Warren G , is an American West Coast rapper and hip hop producer. He is also Dr. Dre's half-brother.His biggest hit is the song "Regulate" with Nate Dogg released in 1994...	Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø , also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Sissel's musical style runs the gamut from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias...	Alexander Borodin Alexander Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...  (Polovetsian Dances Polovetsian Dances The Polovtsian Dances are perhaps the best known selections from Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor . They are often played as a stand-alone concert piece. Borodin was the original composer, but the opera was left unfinished at his death and was subsequently completed by Nikolai... )	4:20
7	"Belle Nuit"	Mother Superia	Heike Therjung & Kathy Magestro	Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....  (Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour)	3:45
8	"Präludium"	Jay	Chris Weller (Piano)	Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...	2:05
9	"Ach So Fromm"	Jay	Robert Gionfribbo	Friedrich von Flotow Friedrich von Flotow Friedrich Adolf Ferdinand, Freiherr von Flotow was a German composer. He is chiefly remembered for his opera Martha, which was popular in the 19th century....  (M’apparì Martha (opera) Martha, oder Der Markt zu Richmond is a 'romantic comic' opera in four acts by Friedrich von Flotow, set to a German libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Riese and based on a story by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges.... )	4:56
10	"Syrinx"	Redman	Dieter Voelker (Guitar)	Claude Debussy Claude Debussy Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...  (Syrinx Syrinx (Debussy) Syrinx is a piece of music for solo flute which Claude Debussy wrote in 1913 . It was the first significant piece for solo flute after the Sonata in A min composed by C. P. E. Bach exactly 150 years before , and it is the first such solo composition for the modern Böhm flute, perfected in 1847... )	3:34
11	"Vissi D'Arte"	Onyx Onyx Onyx is a banded variety of chalcedony. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color . Commonly, specimens of onyx contain bands of black and/or white.-Etymology:...	Kathy Magestro	Puccini (Vissi d'arte Vissi d'arte "Vissi d'arte" is a soprano aria from act II of the opera Tosca by Giacomo Puccini. It is sung by Tosca as she thinks of her fate and how the life of her beloved, Mario Cavaradossi, is at the mercy of Baron Scarpia.-Libretto:-External links:*... )	4:29
12	"Schwanensee"	Scoota	Dieter Voelker (Guitar)	Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...  (Swan Lake Swan Lake Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger... )	3:02
13	"Recondita Armonica"	Nikki D Nikki D Nichelle "Nikki D" Strong is an American female rapper. Nikki D was the first female rapper signed by Def Jam Recordings.-Career:She signed with Def Jam in 1989, and released her debut single "A No No No" the same year. It was produced by Sam Sever. The single's video featured Flavor Flav...	Kim Chung Park	Puccini (Recondita armonia Recondita armonia Recondita Armonia is the first romanza in the opera Tosca, by Giacomo Puccini. It is sung by the painter, Mario Cavaradossi, when comparing his love, Tosca, to a lady he was painting.-Libretto:... )	4:26
14	"Nessun Dorma"	Mobb Deep Mobb Deep Mobb Deep is an American hip hop duo from Queensbridge, Queens, New York, U.S., that consists of Havoc and Prodigy. The duo is "one of the most critically acclaimed hardcore East Coast hip-hop groups." The group is best known for its dark, hardcore delivery, as exemplified by the single "Shook Ones...	Kim Chung Park	Puccini (Nessun dorma Nessun dorma Nessun dorma is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot, and is one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, il principe ignoto , who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot... )	3:32

Track listing

New version with different tracklisting on April 21st 1998

#	Name	Artist(s)	Vocals	Writer(s)	Time
1	"Intro"				1:15
2	"E Lucevan Le Stelle"	Xzibit Xzibit Alvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success...		Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...  (E Lucevan Le Stelle E lucevan le stelle "E lucevan le stelle" is the romanza of Mario Cavaradossi , a painter in love with Tosca, in the third act of Puccini's opera Tosca, composed in 1900 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa... )	3:51
3	"Dear Mallika"	LL Cool J LL Cool J James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...	Heike Therjung & Kathy Magestro	Léo Delibes Léo Delibes Clément Philibert Léo Delibes was a French composer of ballets, operas, and other works for the stage...  (The Flower Duet The Flower Duet The Flower Duet is a famous duet for sopranos from Léo Delibes' opera Lakmé, first performed in Paris in 1883. The duet takes place in Act 1 of the three act opera, between characters Lakmé, the daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika, as they go to gather flowers by a river... )	4:05
4	"E Lucevan Le Stelle" (Reprise)			Puccini (E Lucevan Le Stelle E lucevan le stelle "E lucevan le stelle" is the romanza of Mario Cavaradossi , a painter in love with Tosca, in the third act of Puccini's opera Tosca, composed in 1900 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa... )	1:45
5	"Grâce"	Expression Direkt Expression Direkt Expression Direkt is a French rap group from Mantes la Jolie one of the most violent suburbs of Paris.A famous song of theirs is "Mon esprit part en couiIIe"....			4:06
6	"Dear Mallika (D.O.N.S. Alternative Mix)"	LL Cool J LL Cool J James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...	Heike Therjung & Kathy Magestro	Léo Delibes Léo Delibes Clément Philibert Léo Delibes was a French composer of ballets, operas, and other works for the stage...  (The Flower Duet The Flower Duet The Flower Duet is a famous duet for sopranos from Léo Delibes' opera Lakmé, first performed in Paris in 1883. The duet takes place in Act 1 of the three act opera, between characters Lakmé, the daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika, as they go to gather flowers by a river... )	4:11
7	"Prince Igor Prince Igor (single) "Prince Igor" is a 1997 single. The single was inspired by the Polovetsian Dances of Prince Igor opera. The main vocals are performed by Warren G, the Russian refrain by Sissel Kyrkjebø and the instrumental background is provided by The Rapsody...  (Ries Class Jazz Extended)"	Warren G Warren G Warren G , is an American West Coast rapper and hip hop producer. He is also Dr. Dre's half-brother.His biggest hit is the song "Regulate" with Nate Dogg released in 1994...	Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø , also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Sissel's musical style runs the gamut from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias...	Alexander Borodin Alexander Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...  (Polovetsian Dances Polovetsian Dances The Polovtsian Dances are perhaps the best known selections from Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor . They are often played as a stand-alone concert piece. Borodin was the original composer, but the opera was left unfinished at his death and was subsequently completed by Nikolai... )	6:05
8	"Prince Igor Prince Igor (single) "Prince Igor" is a 1997 single. The single was inspired by the Polovetsian Dances of Prince Igor opera. The main vocals are performed by Warren G, the Russian refrain by Sissel Kyrkjebø and the instrumental background is provided by The Rapsody... "	Warren G Warren G Warren G , is an American West Coast rapper and hip hop producer. He is also Dr. Dre's half-brother.His biggest hit is the song "Regulate" with Nate Dogg released in 1994...	Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø , also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Sissel's musical style runs the gamut from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias...	Alexander Borodin Alexander Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...  (Polovetsian Dances Polovetsian Dances The Polovtsian Dances are perhaps the best known selections from Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor . They are often played as a stand-alone concert piece. Borodin was the original composer, but the opera was left unfinished at his death and was subsequently completed by Nikolai... )	4:22
9	"Belle Nuit"	Mother Superia	Heike Therjung & Kathy Magestro	Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....  (Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour)	3:45
10	"Präludium"	Jay	Chris Weller (Piano)	Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...	2:05
11	"Ach So Fromm"	Jay	Robert Gionfribbo	Friedrich von Flotow Friedrich von Flotow Friedrich Adolf Ferdinand, Freiherr von Flotow was a German composer. He is chiefly remembered for his opera Martha, which was popular in the 19th century....  (M’apparì Martha (opera) Martha, oder Der Markt zu Richmond is a 'romantic comic' opera in four acts by Friedrich von Flotow, set to a German libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Riese and based on a story by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges.... )	4:56
12	"Syrinx"	Redman	Dieter Voelker (Guitar)	Claude Debussy Claude Debussy Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...  (Syrinx Syrinx (Debussy) Syrinx is a piece of music for solo flute which Claude Debussy wrote in 1913 . It was the first significant piece for solo flute after the Sonata in A min composed by C. P. E. Bach exactly 150 years before , and it is the first such solo composition for the modern Böhm flute, perfected in 1847... )	3:34
13	"Vissi D'Arte"	Onyx Onyx Onyx is a banded variety of chalcedony. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color . Commonly, specimens of onyx contain bands of black and/or white.-Etymology:...	Kathy Magestro	Puccini (Vissi d'arte Vissi d'arte "Vissi d'arte" is a soprano aria from act II of the opera Tosca by Giacomo Puccini. It is sung by Tosca as she thinks of her fate and how the life of her beloved, Mario Cavaradossi, is at the mercy of Baron Scarpia.-Libretto:-External links:*... )	4:29
14	"Schwanensee"	Scoota	Dieter Voelker (Guitar)	Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...  (Swan Lake Swan Lake Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger... )	3:02
15	"Recondita Armonica"	Nikki D Nikki D Nichelle "Nikki D" Strong is an American female rapper. Nikki D was the first female rapper signed by Def Jam Recordings.-Career:She signed with Def Jam in 1989, and released her debut single "A No No No" the same year. It was produced by Sam Sever. The single's video featured Flavor Flav...	Kim Chung Park	Puccini (Recondita armonia Recondita armonia Recondita Armonia is the first romanza in the opera Tosca, by Giacomo Puccini. It is sung by the painter, Mario Cavaradossi, when comparing his love, Tosca, to a lady he was painting.-Libretto:... )	4:26
16	"Nessun Dorma"	Mobb Deep Mobb Deep Mobb Deep is an American hip hop duo from Queensbridge, Queens, New York, U.S., that consists of Havoc and Prodigy. The duo is "one of the most critically acclaimed hardcore East Coast hip-hop groups." The group is best known for its dark, hardcore delivery, as exemplified by the single "Shook Ones...	Kim Chung Park	Puccini (Nessun dorma Nessun dorma Nessun dorma is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot, and is one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, il principe ignoto , who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot... )	3:32