How Mariah Carey Defined Remixes & Blended the Hip-Hop Sound
How Mariah Carey Defined Remixes & Had Hip-Hop At The Forefront
Long before the popular TikTok flipping of a song with a slowed-down or chopped and screwed version, Mariah Carey had mastered the ultimate remix with hip-hop at the heart of it.
Mariah Carey will go down as one of the best songwriters and vocalists of our lifetime, being the first artist to have U.S. No. 1 singles in four decades and the solo artist with the most Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles. She’s also the most successful female songwriter, according to Billboard.
The soulful pop princess has a glimmering career that has spanned three decades. But a contribution that is often overlooked in the Songbird’s career is her being a master at song remixes and how she always had a spotlight on hip-hop artists and its influence.
Carey constantly pushed boundaries when it came to the pop genre. Since 1995, Mariah Carey has had over 60 cited hip-hop collaborations under her belt, according to Vibe. The first of these includes her iconic Daydreamin‘ hit “Fantasy” Remix with the late great hip-hop MC Ol’ Dirty B*stard. To this day, the pop star continues to include hip-hop artists on her songs, including a remix of her latest 2025 single “Type Dangerous” featuring Busta Rhymes, Method Man and Redman.
Part of why her remixes were so legendary was that they were so intentional. Each remix felt like you were listening to a whole new song, with completely different harmonies, beats and Carey also going the extra mile to record new vocals for the remix.
Carey also highlighted Black producers with her remixes, long before many of them were household names. Early in his career, she worked with Jermaine Dupri, DJ Clue and Diddy, helping to blend the pop and hip-hop sound in her remixes that made them the hits we forever hold dear. This formula is the foundation of the seamless crossing of the genres that artists still use today when it comes to blending genres.
After the iconic “Fantasy” remix, Carey went on to release other chart-topping remixes that felt almost like a reward to pop and hip-hop fans alike. Her remix of “Heartbreaker” featuring Jay-Z went No. 1 on the Billboard charts, citing it as the first time a solo artist went No. 1 featuring a rap artist.
Several artists took inspiration to blend hip-hop into their pop sound, including acts like Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Lopez.
During the 2025 BET Awards, the songstress was honored with the Ultimate Icon Award and continued to shine a spotlight on hip-hop influences, with Busta Rhymes presenting her with the legendary award.
Hip-hop collaborations and remixes today don’t seem as far-fetched in music. It isn’t unlikely to hear even country artists collaborating with some of the biggest rappers in the game. But that is because Mariah Carey, being the pop-pioneer she is, made the blending of genres seem so effortless. And still, no one still has accomplished an ultimate remix quite like her.
Her sixteenth studio album, Here For It All, will be released on September 26.
How Mariah Carey Defined Remixes & Had Hip-Hop At The Forefront was originally published on hiphopnc.com
