Reggaeton royalty J Balvin has given Metallica's Wherever I May Roam a hip-hop-inspired reworking.
Arriving as part of The Metallica Blacklist – a monstrous upcoming tribute album in which an incredible 53 artists pay homage to Metallica's 1991 LP The Black Album – the cover sees the reggaeton superstar deliver Spanish vocals over the track's earworm Phrygian-flavored riff and a quintessentially modern hip-hop beat. Check out its accompanying music video below.
“Metallica has been such a powerful influence on my musical career,” J Balvin explains. “Their music has been in my life since I can remember. The first guitar riff I ever loved came from their songs; that led me to want to learn to play, which I eventually did thanks to them and their legacy.
“They marked an era and a generation in the music industry. If anyone deserves a tribute and recognition as influential in every aspect of their musical trajectory, that's Metallica.”
J Balvin's Wherever I May Roam is the latest in a string of covers released as part of The Metallica Blacklist, including a take on Holier Than Thou by Biffy Clyro, a dark reimagining of Sad But True by St. Vincent and an expansive version of Nothing Else Matters by Miley Cyrus, WATT, Elton John and more.
Other artists set to feature on the vast tribute album – which arrives in full September 10 – include Ghost, Volbeat, Weezer, Corey Taylor, Royal Blood, PUP, IDLES and tons more.
Says Metallica: “The Metallica Blacklist offers up new dimensions of the record whose gravitational pull first drew the mainstream to Metallica – and provides new insights into the universal and timeless appeal that kept it there: the boundary-smashing influence these 12 songs have had on fans and musicians of all stripes.
“The [album's] 53 tracks find singer-songwriters, country artists, electronic and hip hop artists sharing their love of these songs alongside punk rockers, indie darlings, icons of rock, metal, world music and many, many more…
“It’s a truly staggering, at times mystifying assemblage of musicians, dozens of whom have little to nothing in common other than the shared passion for the music that’s united them for this album: 1 Album. 12 Songs. 53 Artists. Unlimited possibilities.”
Profits from The Metallica Blacklist will be divided evenly between Metallica's All Within My Hands foundation and over 50 charities chosen by artists who appear on the record.
