Let's be honest, a Madonna x Lil' Waynecollaboration was inevitable, and not just because Weezy will hop on a track with anybody. See, the Queen of Pop has been working with MCs since big sis was still playing with Barbie. Not everyone knows about her roots in the genre, but Complex is here to explain all of that. Keep reading to check out our retrospective on Madonna's long history with hip-hop...
1985: Madonna Brings The Beasties On Tour
• In a move that puzzled many at the time, Madonna pegged The Beastie Boys as the opening act on her Like A Virgin Tour. Fans didn't respond well and booed the pre-Licensed To Ill rappers off stage at multiple stops.
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2003: The Material Girl And Missy Fall Into The Gap
• By the early Aughts, collaborations between pop and hip-hop artists weren't as surprising but Madonna kept up her ties with the genre. Her Gap commercial with Missy Elliott was critically panned but popular nonetheless.
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2005: Madonna Supports The Krumping Movement
• Back when krumping seemed like something more than an epic fail, Madonna was one of the dance movements' first mainstream supporters. The hip-hop influenced style of dancing was heavily featured in her music video for "Hung Up" (which was directed by Rize's David LaChappelle) and reports circulated that she was learning how to do the dance herself for an upcoming tour.
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2008: Madonna Goes Hard
• Hard Candy, Madonna's last album with Warner Bros. (before signing a $150 million deal with Live Nation), was her most direct foray into hip-hop, as it was almost entirely written and produced by Timbaland and The Neptunes. Kanye even hopped on a track. It was released to mostly positive reviews and earned Madge her seventh #1 album.
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