Since its inception, hip-hop has been a storytelling genre. And some rappers elect to take a more gruesome approach, vividly describing murder scenes, nightmares and brutal fantasies. Here are seven truly terrifying and horrific rap songs to jump-start your hip-hop Halloween playlist.
1. Gil Scott-Heron, "Me and the Devil"
A sinister cover of guitarist Robert Johnson's bluesy hit, this song details how Satan himself showed up at Gil Scott-Heron's doorstep and demanded that he get to steppin'. Watch the video below as the undead stalk the city, with the late Scott-Heron reciting his poem "Your Soul and Mine" over a dark extension of the instrumental at the end.
2. Flatbush Zombies, "Death 2"
Shall I compare thee to ... the Zodiac Killer? Flatbush Zombies’“Death 2” pays tribute to serial killers, with Meechy Darko telling his own murder story and comparing himself to the likes of David Berkowitz and Jeffrey Dahmer, among others. America’s most famous psychopath, Charles Manson, introduces Meech’s story by way of a sample from his infamous 1987 MSNBC interview.
3. Death Grips, "Beware"
Violently embracing themes of Satanism, greed, and suicide, MC Ride viciously proclaims himself to be the beast he worships, seeming to embody the Devil himself. Charles Manson makes an appearance here, too, in the intro of this Death Grips song, providing the backdrop and emphasizing his own violent self-satisfaction and ruthless superiority. Watch MC Ride spit about becoming a monster behind cloudy, distorted, acid-infused visuals below.
4. Immortal Technique, "Dance with the Devil"
Immortal Tecnnique relates the horrifying tale of William “Billy” Jacobs, who is desperate to prove himself and ramp up his status, from a menial drug dealer and stick-up kid to a rapist and would-be murderer, until he realizes the woman he raped is his mother. After looking her in the eye, he ends his own life by jumping off the same rooftop where the crime was committed.
5. Esham, "9 Dead Bodies"
In a little under two minutes, horrorcore great and the original acid rapper Esham vividly tells a story about his hunt for blood and violence. He attempts heroism in his gory tale, comparing one of his murders to slaying a vampire. Unsurprisingly, the ninth body is his own, as he ends his murder spree with suicide.
6. Tech N9ne ft. Brotha Lynch Hung & Sundae, "What's Yo Psycho"
Pick your poison! Is it murder? What about cannibalism? Spitting like a semi-automatic, Tech N9ne, a fixture and leader of the horrorcore genre, and his buddies, Sundae and Brotha Lynch Hung (a fellow horrorcore heavy hitter and pioneer) feel like they can have it all. Specializing in all things sick and twisted, each rapper spits fervently about their not-so-guilty pleasures.
7. Necro, "Dead Body Disposal"
Just outright gory and disturbing, self-professed king of death rap Necro is enthusiastic about getting rid of your enemies’ dead bodies. You can cut them up like a pie from Pizza Hut, or you can coat the limbs with pepper spray to keep scavengers away. Sick, right? To lighten the mood a bit, Necro occasionally raps about his heinous acts to the tune of Salt-N-Pepa’s “Let’s Talk About Sex.”
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So what are a few of your favorite horrifying hip hop tracks? Tell us in the comments below...