WEEK OF $UICIDE – DAY ONE

The Ice Men Cometh

 

“New Orleans is ruled by thugs even more ruthless than LA’s most violent gangs”, is the opening mantra to the 7^th Ward bruisers, $UICIDEBOY$. The message plays almost as a warning and a real shell shock to anyone unfamiliar with the hideous rap duo of cousins with more than just suicidal tendencies. They move as a unit with their record label, G59; acting like wolves to the sheep of the general population and have more recently started to launch into the mainstream public’s attention for their abrasive style and morose outlook on the world that surrounds them. From playing shows, to selling merch, to doing collaborations in both clothing and mixtapes, $UICIDEBOY$ are a group to watch and a real reason why rap is destructive again.

Their newest group of five mixtapes all released within mere hours of each other, The Suicidal Sagas that made their attraction so popular in their earliest days have now seen a consistent return with one of the latest additions, KILL YOURSELF PART XII: THE DARK GLACIER SAGA. This Saga felt like a good starting point to address $UICIDEBOY$ as it displays their impervious nature of following their own trends and creating a truly unique sound through both production and style, but PART XII is not an incredibly offensive selection when being paired against the other Sagas. THE DARK GLACIER SAGA does still contain their classic wit and charm that $UICIDEBOY$ have produced through their other releases, but in a more approachable manner. The sudden samples of Gangland, the clashing 808’s that make the production bounce like a funhouse that took a sudden depressed turn, and the lyrical onslaught that both $crim and Ruby bring to the table. Whatever names they are formally going by now, Oddy/Ruby and $crim are what I grew up on and there is no way I can switch up now.

The KILL YOURSELF PART XII: THE DARK GLACIER SAGA acts as a reflective mirror to the $UICIDEBOY$ as in the way that all three tracks have a connecting link, the city of New Orleans. The samples and mentioning of New Orleans in the opening track is obvious; it is spilled out right for the listener to notice within the first few seconds on “AUDUBON”, but the other two are a little more hidden. On the following track, “2^nd Hand”, during Ruby’s verse, or known as “SNOWMANE” here, he explains in his lyrics, the close relationship to his record label where so many of his personal friends are a part of. He describes, “One color, two numbers, three fingers in the sky amongst the thunder.” The story of the G59 comes from Ruby and $crim’s personal attachment to their city and the highway that separated the two “brotherhoods” that surrounded the two.

More can be seen about it here – The Origin of G59

 

The final reference is displayed in $crim’s verse on the last track, “Planting the Roots Only to Fall out of the Tree” as he describes, “Stuck in an open cell, take me back before the levees fell”. As an obvious call back to the devastating hurricane that stuck in 2005. What seems like a lifetime to others has become a memory of misery and being from both the home of Jazz and the home of the bayous, $UICIDEBOY$ have a constant conflicted nature about them that is reflected in their music.

From the singing delivered by Ruby and the hard to digest verses from $crim, $UICIDEBOY$ are an old bloodline delivered in a new genre of rap and have spawned a new wave of followers, fans, and loyal allies that would give their life to them. With this newfound power, they rise above the competition as mean-mugging sensations, but are indeed some of the nicest people you could ever meet.

Listen to KILL YOURSELF PART XII: THE DARK GLACIER SAGA Here!!! – Soundcloud