Our scary season reviews continue, but with a hip hop twist. People usually associate metal with horror, but there is a long history of hip hop and horror. You have Snoop Dogg in the movie Bones, Geto Boys with Chuckie, Ghostface Killah and now RZA. You see, RZA has directed a horror short in the V/H/S Mixtape movie released this year. It makes sense. Much of hip hop is depicting the dark and violent truths hip hop artists are bringing to light. Moreover, horror and hip hop are seen as historically marginalised genres that are now getting their due. Hip hop and horror also share the theme of working through trauma with the use of violent imagery and death. Hip hop and horror have always been cutting edge and counter culture, so to see so much horror movie themes in hip hop is no surprise.
RZA took time off of horror movie making to put out a soulful, yet dark, track with IDK. Jason Mills, known as IDK, is no stranger to horror either. You may know him from his latest record E.T.D.S. (Even The Devil Smiles). The track Everyone Knows has that classic RZA touch of lush soul beats punctuated by some neon electronica. Much like listening to Dilla, you could just play this track with no verses and let the beats just transport you. 70s style guitar with fuzzy jazz drums lulls you into a false sense of security and a handful of strings comes in to soothe you. Then…bang! People screaming you’re fake with some Tron-esque synth. This is a track of contradictions, which will get us to the lyrics…
Lyrically, this track could be right out of the V/H/S. Samples of people yelling “fake” punctuate bars about death, demons and toe-tags. IDK and RZA go hard. Death and darkness are behind every corner and you are on edge like something out of Friday the 13th or Halloween. This is in stark contrast to the soothing 70s beats, but it’s this contradiction that gives the track edge and interest. You are drawn into the track trying to figure out what’s going on. It’s like a good Jordan Peele trailer where he slows down a classic R&B pop track over something terrifying. You know something is off…but you can’t put your finger on it.
I love good horror notes in hip hop. RZA has always been in front with great pop culture bars in his music and now IDK adds his style to the mix. A great track with some hints of horror goodness.
Listen to Everyone Knows
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