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Musical Transformations - Change is the only constant, both in life and in music. But the following stars still shocked fans and critics when they drastically switched up their musical formulas, whether for one album, one song or over their entire careers. Click on to check out some of the biggest musical transformations of all time. —Alex Gale (Photos from left: WENN.com, Todd Oren/Getty Images, Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

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Kanye West - Kanye West took a sharp turn east when he abandoned rapping over sample-heavy hip hop beats in favor of Auto-tuned singing over synth-laden electro-pop on 2008’s influential 808s and Heartbreaks. (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

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LL Cool J - LL Cool J confused fans and critics when he followed up the mega-successful comeback album Mama Said Knock You Out with 1993's 14 Shots to the Dome, which adopted the sound of gangsta rap.(Photo: Def Jam Recording)

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Snoop Dogg - An old Dogg learned new tricks when Snoop switched his name to Snoop Lion, embraced Rastafarianism and began making reggae music last year. (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Photo By Jason Merritt/Getty Images

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Cee-Lo - Though Cee-Lo’s always augmented his raspy raps with soulful singing, few could’ve predicted his dramatic evolution from Goodie MOB member to quirky, chart-topping pop solo star. (Photo: EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT /LANDOV)

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Justin Timberlake - Justin’s third solo album, The 20/20 Experience, an innovative, futuristic take on classic soul, put his past as a member of cheesy teeny-bop chart-toppers NSYNC even further in the rear-view mirror. (Photo: Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

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Dr. Dre - Dr. Dre attempted to put his gangsta rap past behind him on his first project after leaving Death Row, Dr. Dre Presents...The Aftermath, announced by lead single “Been There, Done That.” But the fans weren’t feeling the new look; the album flopped, and Dr. Dre returned to his roots with 2001, a sequel to his landmark solo debut The Chronic, in 1999. (Photo: Aftermath Records)

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The Beastie Boys - The Beastie Boys switched their style up throughout their careers. With their second album, Paul's Boutique, they pulled a curveball by abandoning their party-rock-inspired anthems for innovative '70s-funk-sampling beats by the Dust Brothers. (Photo: Capitol Records)

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The Black Eyed Peas - In 2002, The Black Eyed Peas made a play for big-time success by adding Fergie to their lineup and switching from happy-go-lucky backpack rap to party-focused dance-pop.  (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

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Ice Cube - Ice Cube has evolved from "Amerikkka's Most Wanted" to the affable leading man in family-friendly comedies like Are We There Yet? (Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

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Drake - On So Far Gone, Drake's breakthrough mixtape, he left his more straight-ahead rap stylings behind for Auto-tuned singing and ambient beats.(Photo: JD Pht Bx & MCGM / Splash News)

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Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill netted 19 million record sales worldwide and five Grammys when she left rap group the Fugees behind and instead focused on writing and singing beautiful, raw soul music on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. (Photo: Courtesy Jen Diaz/Hot 97)

Photo By Photo: Courtesy Jen Diaz/Hot 97

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Wyclef Jean - Wyclef Jean preceded his former Fugees bandmate's change-up with his own new look on 1997's The Carnival, a multigenre world-music/pop mash-up.  (Photo: Johnny Louis/WENN.com)

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Ice T - Ice T's legendary career has featured many far-flung phases, from pimped-out gangster rapper, to controversial lead singer of rock-rap band Body Count, to established actor, known for frequently (and ironically) playing a cop in New Jack City and Law & Order. (Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Durex)

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Rihanna - Rihanna's grown from an innocent R&B teen idol who made straight-ahead commercial songs like "S.O.S," to edgy,  hypersexualized electro-pop princess with hits like "S&M." (Photo: Instagram)

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Lil Wayne - Lil Wayne has come a long way since his grimy Hot Boys days. Not only is he a pop star who skateboards and plays guitars, but he's released a rap-rock album, 2009's Rebirth. (Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)

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Brian McKnight - Brian McKnight appalled longtime fans of his quiet-storm, adult-contemporary R&B—and made everyone else laugh uncontrollably—last year when he released an explicit, shockingly detailed sex song called "If You're Ready to Learn." (Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)

Photo By Bennett Raglin/Getty Images

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Nicki Minaj - Nicki Minaj reached superstar status by rapidly evolving from grimy mixtape spitter to bubbly, eccentric electro-pop Barbie.(Photo: Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)

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Marvin Gaye - Marvin Gaye's landmark 1971 masterpiece What's Going On was a seismic shift for the singer, transforming him from clean-cut cog in Motown's love-song hit machine to troubled, socially conscious soul-music prophet. (Photo: Jim Britt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Photo By Jim Britt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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Pitbull - Since his early 2000s debut, Pitbull went from hard-nosed mixtape rapper with a street edge to debonair dance artist with slick, poppy club hits like "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)."(Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

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Prince - Over his nearly four-decade career, Prince has changed musical styles the way people change outfits. There's the light disco-tinged funk of his 1978 debut, For You; the synth-y, new wave edge of his 1980 masterpiece Dirty Mind; the accessible arena pop-rock of his 1984 blockbuster Purple Rain; the jazzy, religious overtones of his 2001 flop Rainbow Children; and so on. (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)