The Legend of Chuckwick
I love the idea of crossovers. For example, slapping together some herbal P&J with the Mary Jane and your favorite kratom strain. Or when one of your favorite wrestling divas pops up in a porno. Sweet. One of my earliest crossover experiences is the once surprising combination of horror movies and hip hop, more specifically, hardcore gangsta rap. The music genre dubbed “horrorcore” is associated with some of the most legendary names in the industry, including Tech N9ne, the Insane Clown Posse, and the great one, Detroit’s own, Marshal Devonte Mathers.
When tracing the fundamental roots of horrorcore, it will surely lead to the notorious Fifth Ward in Houston, Texas, the foundational headquarters of Rap-a-Lot Records and its top act the Geto Boys. The Geto Boys showcased a darker, even more violent side of gangsta rap with classics such as Assassins, a track that goes beyond mere gunplay with grim tales of decapitation and shocking lyrics the likes of “kill that bitch like Freddy!”.
Always late to the party, I just recently learned that the original version of the song was performed by the original version of the group: The ‘Ghetto’ Boys, with a lineup consisting of Prince Johnny C, Sire Jukebox, DJ Ready Red, and Little Billy, the eventual Bushwick Bill.
The better known trio of Scarface, Willie D, and Bushwick Bill continued the horrorcore trend with insanely memorable tracks like Chuckie, from the platinum 1991 Geto Boys album We Can’t Be Stopped. Chuckie was a solo Bushwick track that saw the rapper introduce his wicked Chuckie persona, which is obviously inspired by the iconic doll-faced horror movie villain of the same name. Chuckie was quickly followed up by Chuckwick, a quasi-sequel that appeared on Bill’s debut album Little Big Man. Both songs featured samples from the Child’s Play movie franchise to accent the murder and mayhem in the chilling lyrics.
Sadly, Bushwick Bill recently passed, but his spirit will live on forever through a plethora of over the top, ultra-violent tracks that remind us why music should be solely viewed as entertainment. This way, we don’t feel so bad prancing through the house singing out “my name is Chuckie, some say I’m insane, you give me some gin, and I might eat a dog’s brain!” 😉
Contel Bradford is a mystical and complex individual. You can attempt to unravel some of the mystery by visiting his author site at countkrewpublications.com.
