August 1, 2000 – Building upon both the rock and rap worlds, Loud Rocks sets a new precedent by crossing musical boundaries with a collection of 13 songs due out September 5 on Loud Records. Featuring such historic pairings as Wu-Tang Clan with System of a Down and Rick Rubin; Sevendust with Xzibit; Wu-Tang Clan with Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi; Wu-Tang Clan with Tom Morello and Chad Smith; Loud Rocks represents the union of two movements and cultures that have helped to define our generation.

On one of the standout radio tracks "Shame" (from the '93 album Enter the Wu-Tang [36 Chambers]), System of a Down, producer Rick Rubin, and Wu-Tang have created an explosive rap-rock assault that respects the hardcore nature of both bands. System of a Down's bassist Shavo Odadjian comments, "People who don't know the original will think this is a completely new song. RZA added a new verse... we added an ending that the original didn't have. We turned it into 'Shame 2000.' It was an amazing creative experience."

"Everyone thinks they have the rock-rap thing down," says Loud Rocks executive producer Amy Finnerty, "but that's not true. Every kind of new music comes from building off another person's work. That takes time and energy. Loud Rocks is about an evolution of two cultures coming to a new level together, forging something that opens new doors." Pushing the envelope and raising the standard, Loud Rocks caught the attention of the artists involved with its potential for creative opportunities and historical importance. "I've gone and taken Tony with me into the uncharted waters, and we turned out something original", remarks Ozzy Osbourne on his collaboration with Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi and Wu-Tang on the latter's "For Heaven's Sake." "It's a lot different than many of my fans are used to hearing."

The brainchild of Loud Records' CEO Steve Rifkind, Loud Rocks was inspired by a Rage Against the Machine and Wu-Tang Clan double bill in West Palm Beach, Florida five years ago. At the show, Rifkind watched 35,000 rock fans sing along to every word during Wu-Tang's set. It was then that the similarities between two seemingly different worlds began fully to connect in his mind. "It's all just anti-establishment," says Rifkind. "There is no difference between Rage Against the Machine and Wu-Tang. It's all street music, just a different block."

The combination of Sugar Ray and Tha Alkaholiks led to a re-recording of the song "Make Room" from Tha Alkaholiks' '93 classic, 21 & Over. The mix retains a purity to the influences on each side while at the same time offering up new twists, such as Sugar Ray's DJ Homicide rockin' the mic for his first time. The song is not a rock band's interpretation of rap, or a rap group's interpretation of rock. DJ E-Swift of Tha Alkaholiks says, "I couldn't see just any group doing this song. Sugar Ray are wild and fun like us, and they did our song to perfection. To a rock fan who's never heard Tha Alkaholiks, they'll appreciate it. At the same time, I would gladly play this for our hip-hop audience."

Known for building career rap and hip-hop artists from the ground up, Loud Rocks stems from a powerful sense of history and family. The album respects the accomplishments of Loud Records' top artists and parallels the label's musical breakthroughs by pushing the boundaries once again. "The idea behind Loud Rocks," explains Finnerty, "is the realization that in coming together we can say something new. Record companies are so desperate to jump on a new kind of music that they take it and exploit it before it has time to cultivate naturally. That's just not healthy. At Loud, we are trying to build a place where artists can blend naturally. These songs are a pure mix, not collaborations or hybrids. It was something that stirred and came to a higher level."

The track listing for Loud Rocks is as follows:

1.	"Shame"	System Of A Down and Wu-Tang Clan
2.	"Make Room"	Sugar Ray and Tha Alkaholiks
3.	"Hip Hop"	Static X and Dead Prez
4.	"Los Angeles Times"	Endo and Xzibit
5.	"Shook Ones Part II"	Everlast and Mobb Deep
6.	"Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit"	Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Wu-Tang Clan
7.	"Only When I'm Drunk"	Crazytown and Tha Alkaholiks
8.	"What U See Is What U Get"	Sevendust and Xzibit
9.	"How 'Bout Some Hardcore"	Grunge is Dead (Butch Vig) and MOP
10.	"For Heaven's Sake"	Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Wu-Tang Clan
11.	"Caribbean Connection"	Shootyz Groove and Big Pun
12.	"Survival Of The Fittest"	Sick Of It All and Mobb Deep
13.	"Still Not A Player"	Incubus and Big Pun