A Very Mars Halloween: Breaking Down #HorrorCore

A Very Mars Halloween: Breaking Down #HorrorCore

AllHipHop: It seems in the 90’s horrorcore music hit the scene with Flatliner and Gravediggaz and artists like Ganxta NIP and slowly developed into its own culture how have you seen it grow over the years?

You know I got into the scene as a fan. I would collect everything. I first heard Triple 6 from San Francisco and fell in love with it man. I was like oh shit! They are talking about the devil and shitting on gravesites! What the fuck is this? Then a little later somebody told me about a rapper who was awaiting trial for murder and rapping over the phone from jail. I got that X-Raided tape and bumped the shit out of him and Brotha Lynch Hung. Around 1994 everyone was doing their own thing on the different sides of the country. There was Esham and Insane Clown Posse in Detroit. NIP in Houston, Raided and Lynch in Sacramento, Insane Poetry in LA  and everyone slowly learned about each other. They all had names for what they were doing. Rip gut, psycho rap, Acid Rap, but when Flatlinerz coined what they were doing Horrorcore that was what they media recognized labeled what we all do the most. When that soundtrack for The Fear came out, most of those groups were on it and found out they weren’t alone. When Insane Clown Posse blew up, there is an entire sub culture built around the music. We have stuff like The Gathering Of The Juggles where fans by the thousands all come out to celebrate music like this where we all play together. We have our own lingo, functions, sayings and the fans are into just shit like this. Nobody realizes Insane Clown Posse has gold and platinum records. Brother Lynch has a god record. Its bigger than people think. It became a lifestyle. Our fans collect everything. You put out a CD, they buy two copies. One to keep, and one to play. There is so many artists out there now doing their thang like Twisted Insane, Kung Fu Vampire, Scum, Necro and everyone touring. Halloween we get attention, but for the rest of the year, we are running just as hard as anyone else “keeping it real”.

AllHipHop: What do you think about Insane Clown Posse and jugglaos being labeled as gang members?

See thats what people don’t understand. You have juggalos out there that submerse themselves into this so much they have tattoos, t-shirts, stickers on their cars, they hang out with kids just like them and they stick together because they have a common bond through music. They are into it like crazy and because they all hang out and have BBQ’s or gather by themselves its because they love this shit. But if one of them fucks up and does something stupid or illegal like sometimes teenagers do, they are gang members. But they are just fanatics. Its crazy that its never happened before. I’m glad they appealed and won because it was hurting people. People were getting records for petty things and couldn’t get jobs. Getting gang enhancements. For no reason but the fact they listen to this music and like it a lot. It was bullshit.

AllHipHop: It seems like when horrorcore fans do something crazy its a bigger deal than say if a Rick Ross fan does the same thing.

Oh yeah because it makes for a great story for these news outlets. Its a business. “Obsessed fan of serial killer rap music charged with murder” sounds way better than your normal street violence. People expect that. Nobody gives a fuck. It’s happened with Esham, and Insane Clown Posse, and Ganxsta NIP and Brotha Lynch, and it was a big deal because we’re talking all this crazy shit that we get questioned for it as artists. Which hey, I’m happy as fuck to go on TV and talk for how ever long they let me about anything. I need that. But they act as if they are shunning the music and the fans and shaking their finger at us when the camera is on but when they cut its smiles high fives and shit. It’s entertainment. They want you to watch their program.

AllHipHop: When you were on TV talking about horrorcore you didn’t seem to shy away from the controversy, you embraced it.

Yeah I mean it sucks that shit went down and thats what it took to get the genre some attention, but I was like fuck if you’re going to run a story then here I am to make sure its represented well. Plus I wore the mask. They ate that shit up. Its not like you’ll see me on MTV or in Rolling Stone and shit. You take something and you use it. Flip it on em. You’ll get other artists who’s publicist won’t comment. Who won’t return calls. Fuck that. Defend yourself. Show some compassion for the victims or what ever happened and make sure you rep your shit. Because if it ain’t you, it may be somebody else or nobody at all. I know everything about this shit. I know all the big artists, the pioneers of this, I know them as a fan and a friend, I know all the underground artists. I’m up on everything and the history of it all. I would like to think I do a decent job of bringing light to genre. I want to see everyone shine. They are trying to make us look bad by saying things like “its music that will shock you, they talk about murder… coming up next”. Then you will get a kid that flips through the channels sees that and learns about music like this that never knew it existed and bam, they get into it because they are into horror.

AllHipHop: You seem to have a traditional Bay Area sound but it has horror undertones. But when you see your photos, and imagery, for a person who don’t know who you are they probably think you would be way darker.

You know I do have songs like that too but I am a Bay Area artist first. I just make horror based music. I’m weird. Everyone does the Halloween sounding music when they get into it but I like that I can make a song about kidnapping and killing somebody but people can be singing along and slapping my shit in their car and not even realize like wait… I am a horrorcore artist. I do the wicked shit. But I’m an artist. I want to be able to rap about fucking chicks, not just raping them. I want to be able to put myself into my music and talk about real shit. I kind of do whatever I want. I have a fanbase that wants to see both sides of me. Sometimes I wear the mask on stage for shows. Sometimes I don’t. I want them to know me too. I mainly do music so I can get high and bump my own shit and be like yeah… thats tight. The fact other people listen to it is the shit. But I grew up on Mac Mall. I grew up on RBL Posse and Andre Nickatina. I love the sound they helped create out here. People don’t realize my DJ is E-40’s, Too $hort, Toni Nony Tone’, and Spice 1’s DJ. I record and get my production with the same producers and studios that they do. I just take the same kinds of beats and spit the wicked shit over them.

AllHipHop: It’s Halloween and you’ve been all over the place lately it seems, does things pick up heavy around this time for Horrorcore?

Oh fuck yeah. You got Insane Clown Posse doing Hallowicked, Twiztid doing Fright Fest, I’m playing Denvertonight for Hallowevil, Kung Fu Vampire’s doing Halloweird. It’s poppin around this time. Our fans come to the shows in masks and costumes or their face painted all year. So on Halloween? Everyone comes out looking crazy as fuck and celebrates. Its like family functions all over the country for our crowds. Its dope. Theirs horror conventions going on around this time and the music and the movies go together so events like Shockfest are bringing acts in every year. This should be the soundtrack to Halloween for rap fans.

AllHipHop: What do you have planned for the rest of the year?

Right now I’m about to release a single called “Creatures Of The Night” featuring Tech N9ne and Twiztid through one of my favorite clothing companies Mishka. They are releasing limited edition hard copies with two versions of the track and then were going to have a few release parties at their flagship stores so I can hang out with my supporters and party it up a little with the people that fuck with me the most. Chris Paxton who’s the drummer for Kung Fu Vampire did a remix with the full band featuring Kung Fu too that is so amazing. I can’t wait for people to hear it. I went and got Lisa Leuschner from American Idol in the studio with me for this one. She’s my favorite vocalist to work with. Killing shit. So I got that, Branfest in Reno with Twista and Twisted Insane on November 21st, Thanks Killing on the 17th, and I don’t know. I’m just trying to hit the road. I took a break for a while but I miss being out there meeting people. Performing. Its such a close knit down ass community we have here. Thats why people call each other family so much. What’s up fam? Its weird people found such joy through songs about mass murdering, suicide and the devil but hey… fuck it. That shits tight.

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