Horrorcore
Horrorcore | |
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Other names | Horror hip hop, horror rap, death hip hop, death rap, murder rap, murder music |
Stylistic origins | |
Cultural origins | Early-mid 1980s, United States |
Local scenes | |
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Horrorcore, also called horror hip hop, horror rap, death hip hop, death rap, or murder rap is a subgenre of
Horrorcore has incited controversy, with some members of the law enforcement community asserting that the genre incites crime.[1][2] Fans and artists have been blamed for numerous high-profile instances of violent criminal activity, including the Columbine High School massacre,[3][4] the Red Lake high school massacre,[5] the Farmville murders, murders of law enforcement officers, and gang activity.
Characteristics
Horrorcore defines a style of hip hop music that focuses primarily on dark, violent,
History
Origins
LA Weekly listed Jimmy Spicer's 1980 single "Adventures of Super Rhyme" as the first example of "proto-horrorcore", due to a lengthy segment of the song in which Spicer recounts his experience of meeting Dracula.[10] The group Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde specialized in horror-themed music. Dana Dane's song "Nightmares" related a frightening narrative.[10]
Since 1986, Ganxsta N.I.P. has performed horror-themed lyrics that he has described as "Psycho Rap", but he was not commonly considered to be horrorcore until the term came into mainstream prominence.[11] Ganxsta N.I.P. has written lyrics for other groups, including Geto Boys, who were also an influence on the early horrorcore sound.[11]
In 1988,
Although
Rise in the hip hop genre
The
While rappers in the underground scene continued to release horrorcore music, including Big L,[16] Insane Poetry,[17] and Insane Clown Posse,[10] the mid-1990s brought an attempted mainstream crossover of the genre.[10]
According to the book Icons of Hip Hop, horrorcore gained mainstream prominence in 1994 with the release of Flatlinerz' U.S.A. (Under Satan's Authority) and Gravediggaz' 6 Feet Deep (released overseas as Niggamortis).[18][19][20][21] The Flatlinerz and Gravediggaz, along with the Geto Boys and Kool Keith, remain the most important artists in the development of horrorcore as a specific genre.
In 1995, an independent horror film called The Fear was released, which included a soundtrack consisting entirely of horrorcore songs, including Insane Clown Posse's biggest radio hit, "Dead Body Man".
In 2009, dark music-themed website Fangoria named Tech N9ne's 2001 album Anghellic as an iconic and influential album to the genre, the artist, and hip-hop as a whole.
Horrorcore is generally not popular with mainstream audiences, though in some cities, like
Present-day horrorcore
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2021) |
In 2019,
Controversy
In September 1996, Joseph Edward "Bubba" Gallegos, an 18-year-old from Bayfield, Colorado, killed his roommates after ingesting methamphetamine and listening repeatedly to horrorcore rapper Brotha Lynch Hung's song "Locc 2 da Brain". Brotha Lynch Hung is considered a horrorcore pioneer and even created his own horrorcore sub-category called "Ripgut" which is known for even more graphic lyrics dealing with hardcore gore, torture, and cannibalism. After attempting to kill his ex-girlfriend and taking two other students hostage, Gallegos was in turn killed by police.[27] Gallegos was said to be a massive fan of Brotha Lynch Hung and his minister suggested that the music played a role in the killings, although he provided no evidence to back up that claim. Similar claims have been made about other violent acts and music, although there is "wide disagreement among experts over what effect--if any--music with violent content has on listeners".[28]
In 1999, horrorcore group
In 2005, horrorcore fan
Some police departments in the United States claim that Juggalo gangs have been linked to violent crimes. Arizona Department of Public Safety Detective Michelle Vasey has expressed concern at what she describes as the Juggalos' high potential for violence, stating, "The weapons, they prefer, obviously, hatchets ... We've got battle-axes, we've got machetes, anything that can make the most violent, gruesome wound", and, "Some of the homicides we're seeing with these guys are pretty nasty, gruesome, disgusting homicides, where they don't care who's around, what's around, they're just out to kill anybody".[29] A 2017 Denver Police Department guide claimed that even Juggalos who are not affiliated with a gang are prone to commit "murder, shootings, kidnapping, rape, necrophilia, cannibalism, assault, and arson", and that "such acts give a Juggalo a sense of pride and street credit amongst peers", although it acknowledged that the author had not "been able to find a significant source of collected data on the Juggalos" to substantiate those claims.[30] Allegedly horrorcore-related criminal activity has, in rare cases, even included ad-hoc domestic terrorism, such as when a Juggalo-led terrorist cell calling itself the "Black Snake Militia" attempted to raid a National Guard armory in 2012.[31]
See also
References
- ^ "'Horrorcore': Does Genre Incite Murder?". ABC News. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ Tom Beyerlein, Staff Writer. "'Horrorcore' music fans linked to violence". journal-news. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ a b Murphy, Sean (July 24, 2016). "Are the Juggalos a gang or a supportive fraternity?". Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 9781590560310.
- ^ a b "YouTube video". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ Meyer, Frank. (October 28, 2004) Frankly Speaking: Halloween Horror-core Hip Hop g4tv. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
- ^ Darcy, Pohland. (May 19, 2005) The dark world Of Horrorcore music Archived November 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine WCCO-TV. Accessed November 4, 2007.
- ^ Browne, David. (Feb 24, 1995) Fifth anniversary music Entertainment Weekly. Accessed November 4, 2007.
- ^ a b Strauss, Neil (September 18, 1994). "When Rap Meets the Undead". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g Chaz Kangas (November 5, 2013). "The History of Horrorcore Rap". LA Weekly. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- ^ a b "AllHipHop » Ganxta NIP: The Psycho Becomes A God Of Horrorcore". AllHipHop. September 29, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
- ^ Kane; QED (July 19, 2007). "Kool Keith Interview". Original UK Hip Hop. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
- ISBN 0-9741846-0-8.
- ^ Sciaccotta, J. C. (October 29, 2010). "Geto Boys - 'Mind Playing Tricks on Me'". Popmatters.com. PopMatters. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ "#1: Geto Boys 'Mind Playing Tricks On Me'". Complex.com. Complex Magazine. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ "Fright Night". Vibe. November 2004. p. 74.
- ^ Cordor, Cyril. "Biography of Insane Poetry". AllMusic. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-33903-5.
- ^ Passantino, Dom (Jan 7, 2005) "Top ten Hip-Hop gimmicks of all time". Stylus Magazine. Accessed November 4, 2007.
- ^ a b Fernando Jr., S. H. (September 18, 2007). "The Pick, The Sickle & The Shovel". Rolling Stone. Accessed November 4, 2007.
- ^ "Gravediggaz star loses cancer battle". NME (July 16, 2001). Accessed November 4, 2007.
- ^ Graham, Adam (February 12, 2019). "30 years later, Insane Clown Posse finds respect". The Detroit News. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ Ketchum III, William (October 31, 2016). "In Defense Of Eminem's Horrorcore Masterpiece: "Relapse"". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ "kikaxemusic.com". ww5.kikaxemusic.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ "Underground USA". Archived October 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine BBC. Accessed November 4, 2007
- Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ Moehringer, J.R.; Wagner, Michael G. (September 27, 1996). "O.C. Trio's Killing Carefully Planned". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ H. G., Reza (September 28, 1996). "Rap's Role in Crime Refuels Lyrics Debate". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
- ^ Bashir, Martin (March 9, 2010). "Law Enforcement Claims 'Horrorcore' Genre Incites Crime – ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
- ^ "The Denver Police's field guide to Juggalos". MuckRock. August 21, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ Rupar, Aaron. "Bucky Rogers, alleged Minnesota terrorist, is a juggalo [PHOTOS]". City Pages. Retrieved October 14, 2019.