Following on the heels of gangsta rap, hip-hop sub-genre horrorcore arrived towards the end of ’80s. Pushing creativity to the extreme by combining hardcore rap with sinister, horror film-inspired themes, the genre uses lo-fi beats, haunting key arrangements, dark 808s, slasher film samples and twisted tales of murder and mayhem to scare listeners. Since it’s Halloween this week, here are some of horrorcore’s most terrifying moments.
Tyler, The Creator, âYonkersâ (2011)
Originally made as a joke to mock New York hip-hop beats, the jarring second single from Tylerâs debut album âGoblinâ was never intended to garner the attention it did. According to the Odd Future rapper, he made the beat in just eight minutes and the lyrics, which touch upon blasphemy, suicidal tendencies and references to high school shootings, are taken from random verses he had laying around.
Killer lines: “Still suicidal I am / Iâm Wolf, Tyler put this fucking knife in my hand/Â Iâm Wolf, Ace gon’ put that fucking hole in my headâ
Gravediggaz (Feat. Killah Priest & Scientific Shabazz), âDiary Of A Madmanâ (1994)
Formed in 1994, Gravediggaz brought together legendary producer Prince Paul, Wu-Tang Clanâs RZA, Stetasonicâs Frukwan and rapper/producer Poetic. With a plethora of grindhouse horror sagas to choose from on their menacing debut album, â6 Feet Deepâ (or âN***amortisâ, as it was titled in Europe), âDiary Of A Madmanâ stands out for its chilling portrayal of paranoia and mental anguish in a courtroom setting, told over a haunting vocal loop that is hard to forget.
Killer lines: “Ahh!! I cry / As the blood drips inside of my eye refusing to die/ Visions of Hell tormented my faith/ So I chewed my fucking arm off and made an escapeâ
Flatlinerz, âLive Evilâ (1994)
Flatlinerz might not be as well known as the other artists on this list, but they were the first to use the term ‘horrorcore’ on record. Signed to Def Jam Records in the early â90s, the group, which consists of Tempest, Gravedigger, and Redrum (Jamel Simmons, a nephew of Russell Simmons), released their one and only album, âU.S.A.â (an acronym for ‘Under Satanâs Authority’), in 1994. Its third single, âLive Evilâ is a cold-blooded anthem that plays like a supernatural hip-hopera.
Killer lines: â666, I’m sick, so sick, your body’s on the crucifix / Or chopped up and buried inside of a graveâ
Geto Boys, âAssassinsâ (1988)
Widely regarded as the record that kickstarted the horrorcore genre, âAssassinsâ is as terrifying as it gets. Taken from the Geto Boys‘ 1988 debut album âMaking Troubleâ â before Scarface and Willie D joined the group â it sees Prince Johnny C. and Sire Jukebox share disturbing accounts of torturous, cold-blooded murder. The track also touches on sex and the supernatural, as well as the rejecting of religion in favour of a more theatrical Satanic belief.
Killer lines: âI dug between the chair, and whipped out the machete / She screamed, I sliced her up until her guts were like spaghettiâ
Eminem, âKimâ (2000)
On 1999âs âStill Donât Give A Fuckâ, Eminem proclaimed he was a cross between Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne and horrorcore godfather Esham. His catalogue is littered with twisted tales and deranged fantasies that are often disguised with humour, but âKim is easily the most disturbing. A prequel to 1997âs ââ97 Bonnie & Clydeâ, the Led Zeppelin-sampled track hears Slim Shady indulge in a fantasy where he murders his wife Kim Scott, her boyfriend and a child the pair share.
Killer lines: âYou and your husband have a fight, one of you tries to grab a knife / And during the struggle he accidentally gets his Adam’s apple slicedâ
Flatbush Zombies, âDeath 2â (2013)
The most recent track on this list, âDeath 2â opens with an excerpt from a 1987 interview with Charles Manson. âMaybe I should have killed four-five hundred people, then I would have felt better,â the infamous cult leader is heard saying, before Meechy Darkoâs unique growl manoeuvres its way through a sea of screeching synths. Flatbush Zombies have been incorporating horror themes into their music for years, but this unnerving short is one of the most daunting.
Killer lines: âI crack your fucking skull and use it as a bowl for cereal / Iâm so serial, Ted Bundy give me moneyâ
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, âMoâ Murdaâ (1995)
Offering a more melodic take on horrorcore, Bone Thugs-N-Harmonyâs euphoric, double-time sound often camouflaged their love of the occult â never more so than on the DJ U-Neek and Tony C produced âMoâ Murdaâ. Taken from their genre-defining second album âE. 1999 Eternalâ, it combines distorted demonic voices with sinister harmonies, climaxing with a show-stealing verse from Bizzy Bone. Who knew listening to murderous tales and Ouija chants could be so enjoyable?
Killer lines: âChalkin’ up bloody mo victims get ’em get âem / That’ll be little Ripsta, sinister killer/ Yâall, put ’em in the river / Bodies shiver, â fuck that n***aâ
Three 6 Mafia, âFavorite Scary Movieâ (1998)
Three 6 Mafia could have filled this entire list by themselves. With one of the most extensive catalogues in music, much of their early work was dominated by schizophrenic, lo-fi beats which saw them pioneer a syrupy new wave laced with paranoia, Satanic rituals and murderous tendencies. âFavorite Scary Movieâ hears the Memphis crew, led by DJ Paul and Juicy J, rapidly trade verses over a slab of unsettling production that samples Wes Cravenâs slasher classic Scream.
Killer lines: âI shall fulfill your every desire / Tied up to my bed made off hot barbed wire / Demons dance to the chants of the ritual / Black magic wicked Voodooâ
Necro, âDead Body Disposalâ (2001)
When you think about some of rapâs greatest storytellers, names like The Notorious B.I.G., Slick Rick and Ghostface Killah come to mind. However, one of the most underrated teller of tales in hip-hop â likely due to his violently controversial topics â is Brooklyn rapper Necro. Leaving no stone unturned, the devil is literally in the details for the King of Death Rap, whose step-by-step guide on how to dispose of a dead body plays out like a film written by Quentin Tarantino and Rob Zombie.
Killer lines: âFor those that don’t know what to do after ya foes are killed / Shit could get messy when the blood flow spillsâ
Esham, âNine Dead Bodiesâ (1992)
While the exact origins of horrorcore have never been determined, Detroit is often cited as one of its earliest homes. The motor city has bred its fair share of horror-loving MCs, but none have been as influential as Esham. In 1989, the then 16-year-old helped establish the highly provocative sub-genre â which at the time he referred to as acid rap â with his debut album, âBoominâ Words From Hellâ. What followed would be a lengthy run of hellish tales blended with both metal and electro beats, immersed in controversy, including the stomach-churning âNine Dead Bodiesâ.
Killer lines: âThe bigger they are, the harder they fall / Then their head pops off and rolls down the hallâ
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