NEW BLOOD: The Resurrection of Horrorcore PT. 2 – The Artists Speak
January 3rd, 2010 Filed under: Commentary/Editorial, Exclusive! by adminNEW BLOOD: The Resurrection of Horrorcore PT. 2: The Artists Speak!
In this second installment we speak with 3 up and coming artists who seem to stand out from (some) of the cliches and speak their thoughts and views on one of the most hated genres of music today. Australia’s KidCrusher, San Francisco’s Kung Fu Vampire and Canada’s own So Sick Social Club.
ABOVE: Australia’s KidCrusher
1. In your mind who would you say defined the Horrorcore genre?
Kidcrusher:That’s a really tough question to narrow down to one person,
I would have to say Esham was one of the true originals.
Kung Fu Vampire:I am new to the horrorcore scene, I am from the Bay Area and was never exposed to the scene as a whole nor influenced by the scene, I know out of all the artists that i hear about now Esham and Gravediggaz were the only ones I heard about back then also Bushwick Bill and I guess Gangsta N.I.P.
So Sick Social Club That’s a tough question, depends how far you want to go back. We could say acts like Alice Cooper, Kiss and Black Sabbath started it. Bands that are shocking both lyrically and visually. When these guys came out, they scared the shit out of the public. People can’t handle hatred, violence and gore, but in reality it is a part of life. It is a big part of our lives. Esham and ICP built the foundation and brought hip hop into it back in the late 80′s. Since then there have been some major players bringing horrorcore to the scene. Artists like Necro, Twiztid, Slipknot and Eminem have all brought new flavour to the table
2. Why is there not more metal influenced/sampled tracks in Horrorcore a la Gravediggaz, Judgment Night soundtrack or lets say Necro’s Death Rap album? and would you be open to that?
Kidcrusher: It would be cool to hear other people doing it, but it’s not their style I guess. I have really tried to amp up the horrorcore genre with a death metal band behind me, As my first ambition was to be the lead vocalist for a metal band, but the dedication between band members down here was holding me back. Besides, I’ve always loved to rap and make an epic character. So I am always throwing crazy styles into the blender.
Kung Fu Vampire: Personally I grew up listening to metal, funk, classic hip hop, jazz, industrial, etc.. i don’t implement metal in Kung fu Vampire because in the early to mid 90′s i didn’t want people to get my gothic hip hop style mixed up with rap/rock. So i steered really clear from guitars and “white boy” “fight music” style of rap. I am a bay rapper/musician that is influenced by B rate 80′s movies and my personal bout with demons. In all, I am open to Kung Fu Vampire remixes with metal influence but not into it for my music.
So Sick Social Club: Both amazing records!! Gravediggaz were brilliant too. Ice T also never gets the credit he deserves for both horrorcore lyrics and bringing metal to the hip-hop scene. Even before Bodycount, he always has a couple of slamming rock influenced tracks on every record. I hear he used to catch shit from the hip-hop community for those tracks, which is bullshit. Music is music, and its either good or not fucking good. Some people are either purists, which we respect or they are just closed minded. We are totally open to using metal samples! We already have tracks that have samples from Judas Priest, Whitesnake and Iron Maiden!! Also, Voodrew comes from a metal background. So he brings that element to the group with his guitar playing.
3. Artist(s) you would like to work/tour with.
Kidcrusher: I’ve always wanted to work on the road with Psychopathic Records, As I’ve looked up to them for years, but I am really up for anything with anybody in my class, but I wont be able to tour in the United States until 2012 due to an old criminal record of mine, Which is really holding me back.
ABOVE: San Francisco’s Kung Fu Vampire
Kung Fu Vampire: I’m currently on tour with Mars and Project Born that is amazing, the next tour that i have been asked to be on is opening for Tech N9ne and that is some next level shit cuz his fans buy my music and can understand what I am saying. I would like to tour with Outkast or Gnarls Barkley or even King Gordy, those artists are more similar to myself and I respect and love what they do.
So Sick Social Club: Good question! We have been fortunate enough to be embraced by both the metal and hip hop community, so we are pretty versatile. We think we would work well with GWAR, La Coka Nostra, Twiztid, ICP, Manson, Eminem, Riviera Regime, NIN, Mushroom head, and any other motherfuckers who have banging mosh pits! We have played with Necro in the past, but a whole tour would be insane!!
4. With the exception of some Midwestern states what is holding back a full-on horrorcore tour or festival? could it be the genre is dying,or has yet to find its mainstream success
Kidcrusher: There are tours and festivals always going down, you just cant see them, because it’s underground and promoted in the underground. All this type of music is covered up by the mainstream like censored and restricted, sort of pushed down here, but we belong down here, thing is we love it down here [Australia], that’s why they call me a Tunnel Runner.
Kung Fu Vampire: I think that it is on the rise, in fact this horrorcore tour called Murder After Midnight is considered one of the biggest Underground Horrorcore tours in history. We need more, we need promoters and fans to come together and support it to the fullest.
ABOVE : Toronto’s So Sick Social Club
So Sick Social Club: Not a chance. Horrorcore is coming hard!! Thanks to mainstream acts like Hollywood Undead and Eminem putting out their latest albums, the genre is gaining a ton of new fans all over the world. There are all ready tons of underground tours but the biggest horrorcore festival ever is the Gathering of the Juggalos! They rock out for 4 days of horrorcore and have over 10K in attendance. The public has already started to embrace to movement. Its starting to scare some of these whack auto-tuned, corporate generated groups. Fuck them and the dick they rode in on.
5. Some say Horrorcore is Rap with metal, some say Metal with Rap what’s your opinion and why?
Kidcrusher: I would say there are two different genres right there, Horrorcore is Horror Rap/Hip Hop/Wicked Shit with Guitars. Rap-Metal is like Slipknot, full metal band with Rap type verses and Metal Hooks, in my mind anyway that’s how I see it.
Kung Fu Vampire: I think of Horrorcore as Hip Hop for non hip hop heads. I call what Kung Fu Vampire does “Gothic Hip Hop” I consider tech, King Gordy, Mastamind and a few others that as well. I actually implement Orchestral and symphonic things into my music as apposed to metal. When people here a type of music and it doesn’t fit the “norm” they instantly call it “what it looks like” not what it sounds like….to me I don hear the metal in horrorcore….I hear Hardcore Rap and Horror.
So Sick Social Club: To us, Horrorcore isn’t specifically a genre. Its a mood, its imagery, its a release. I know it sounds cliché, but without this music we would probably be dead or in jail. We embrace all styles of music. We love rap. We love Metal. To me, Johnny Cash definitely had some horror shit going on, and he’s neither metal or hiphop. Its about embracing the darker side of our existence. Its about releasing the demons inside us. Without this release, there would be a trail of bodies. Trust me.
READ PART ONE OF ‘NEW BLOOD’ HERE (it’s not very nice)
By Dave “Corvid” McCallum and E.S. Day
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