In the fall of 2004, a six-track mash-up EP called Collision Course dropped on an unsuspecting public. Made for the MTV Ultimate Mash-Ups concert show, it featured remixes of Jay-Z and Linkin Park’s biggest tracks combined with surgical precision. But they weren’t made by simply playing around with the existing tracks. Linkin Park and Jay-Z actually went into the studio and created all-new mixes.

The initial idea came from The Grey Album by Danger Mouse, which dropped in February 2004. This mash-up of Jay-Z’s The Black Album and The Beatles’ self-titled record (The White Album) influenced the commercial release of unusual mash-ups. However, this practice was already somewhat common, including for Mike Shinoda. Before Linkin Park formed, he was into creating mixes of The Smashing Pumpkins

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