What is Horrorcore?
Horrorcore is rap music with horror-related themes which began in the late 80s, early 90s. Their themes are based on death, reality, Satanism, cannibalism, suicide, and murder. Some artists use hip hop beats while others use rock-influenced beats. It is popular in the underground and rarely popular in the mainstream. Some artists like Insane Clown Posse, Twiztid, and Three 6 Mafia gained mainstream success.
In the early 90s, rappers such as The Geto Boys, Brotha Lynch Hung, Esham, and Insane Poetry were creating their own styles of horrorcore. The definition wasn’t coined until 1994. Two rap groups, Gravediggaz (led by Wu-Tang Clan member, RZA) and Flatlinerz (led by Russell Simmons’ nephew, Redrum) release their own horrorcore albums, 6 Feet Deep & Under Satan’s Authority.
Horrorcore was never popular with the mainstream audience because no one understood the concept of the genre. It also gained negative media attention. When Flatlinerz made three music videos, they were banned by both MTV and BET because of their controversial content. Insane Clown Posse classified their selves as the “most hated band on the planet” because of the negativity they received from the media. They recently gained media attention when Tila Tequila and Method Man were attacked by the fanbase known as Juggalos at the Gathering of the Juggalos last month. Three 6 Mafia were criticized for being devil worshippers because of the group’s name and their horror-related lyrics in their music. When they won the Academy Award back in 2006, they thanked Jesus Christ. In 2005, Jeff Weise shot and killed nine people. Weise was also known as a horrorcore fan. Last year, September 19, 2009, an amateur horrorcore rapper by the name of Syko Sam was arrested for killing four people.
It looks like the media is trying to say that horrorcore rap has a negative effect on the youth. I disagree on that. Horrorcore rap is just like watching a horror movie without the visual aspect. Horrorcore is just entertainment. I guess society doesn’t want to hear reality.
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