Recently, some folks in a sub-Reddit about Pink Floyd found a 2013 article in the Guardian with producer Bob Ezrin, wherein Ezrin said that he tried to push Pink Floyd to make a hip-hop-influenced album out of 1987’s A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Needless to say, it didn’t happen, and for the better; it probably would have been awkward if one of the foremost stoner prog rock bands of all-time had decided to lay down some funky beats and dope rhymes. David Gilmour called the idea “terrible.”

Other musicians, though, have not had the presence of mind to deny themselves from exploring genres outside their comfort zone, to very awkward results. Here are some of those unfortunate souls.

1. Lil Wayne Tries To Play Guitar

Lil Wayne is one of the most successful and influential rappers of his era. That wasn’t enough for him, though. For 2010’s Rebirth he tried to remake himself as a rock musician. On the cover, you see Lil Wayne posing with a guitar. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to spend much time actually playing it before this album. He was an awful guitarist, and his unique style did not lend itself to rock music.

2. KoRn Drops The Bass

There are those who will tell you that an awkward genre shift couldn’t make KoRn any worse. We are not necessarily here to argue. Nevertheless, in 2011 they made The Path of Totality, working alongside the likes of Skrillex to make a dubstep album. Sure, they gave it a nu metal spin, but it still felt gimmicky, and songs with lovely titles such as “Burn the Obedient” and “Narcissistic Cannibal” just didn’t work.

3. The Rapping Ramone

As one of the Ramones, Dee Dee is a legendary figure of punk rock. He’s also a legendary loon, with a history of drug abuse and a fascination with Nazis. Just before leaving the Ramones, he also released a rap album under the guise of Dee Dee King. Debbie Harry is on a couple songs. One of the songs features Dee Dee rapping in German. None of it can save Standing in the Spotlight. It’s abysmal lyrically and musically. Shockingly, Dee Dee couldn’t rap, and was not the “Funky Man” he boasted he was in a song of the same name.

4. The Brief Disappearance Of Snoop Dogg

As a rapper, Snoop Dogg is unimpeachable. He’s an icon of West Coast rap. Then, suddenly, he wasn’t Snoop Dog anymore. He told us that he was reborn as Snoop Lion, and that he was a Rastafarian now. Then, he released Reincarnated, a reggae album. But the middling album is not what made it an awkward moment in his career. What was odd was that whole abrupt switch to Snoop Lion, which only lasted for one album before he was suddenly Snoop Dogg the rapper again.

5. Ice-T Gets Heavy

Ice-T is mostly known as an actor now, but back in the day, he was on the vanguard of the rise of rap, starting with his 1987 album Rhyme Pays. However, he also decided to try his hand as the leader of a heavy metal band called Body Count. They became infamous for their song “Cop Killer,” which created a real furor when it was released. This somewhat overshadowed the fact it was a terrible song, and that Body Count was a lousy band. Being controversial is not the same as being good.

And one in reverse to end on a positive note… Sugar Ray

When you think of Sugar Ray, you think of a super poppy band, the kind that gets its music played in cabanas. They struck big with “Fly” from their second album Floored. However, the rest of that album is much more of a metal album, and their debut album, Lemonade and Brownies, is a full-on sloppy metal mess. When “Fly” hit, though, the band decided to change their sound, which is what gave them a career. They went from being a sloppy metal afterthought to being one of the more popular bands of the late ‘90s. See, sometimes changing your sound works out.