The first time I heard of $uicideBoy$ was my freshman year of college when I was hanging out in one of the dorm lounges with a few friends. My friend showed me this duo because I like “horror-core” type rap; it reminds me of gangster rap (and we all know that’s my jam). The first song I heard was $outh $ide #uicide and I loved their vibe and lyrical flow. Their lyrics are very dark which is why I think I like them so much.
$uicideBoy$ is an American hip-hop duo from New Orleans, Louisiana, founded in 2014 by cousins Ruby da Cherry (left) and $crim (right). They first started reciving attention on SoundCloud (ahhhh, SoundCloud rappers, gotta love ‘em) with their abrasive, self-produced beats, as well as their harsh lyrical content and themes that are primarily about substance use disorder and suicide ideation. They own and operate their own label, G*59 Records, under Caroline Distribution. The duo is considered one of the most popular acts in the underground rap scene and are considered to have a cult following (Robertson, Who are $UICIDEBOY$ and how do they sell out shows around the world?).
$crim was inspired by T-Pain and Kanye West to produce music and his passion increased while attending Delgado Community College where he was hired to DJ parties. Rudy da cherry’s interest in music began when he was seven, playing the violin and then drums at the age of ten. He joined some bands in middle school but left in order to pursue a career in hip-hop. Since Rudy and $crim are cousins and close in age, they had a close relationship and decided to form $uicideBoy$. They made a pact while creating this duo stating that if their music career didn’t work out, they would both commit suicide (No Jumper Interview).
Their underground breakthrough came with the release of 2015 EP $outh $ide $uicide. They gained over 75 million track plays on SoundCloud alone. The duo’s first mainstream charts came with the release of Radical $uicide (2016) that peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Rap charts.
$uicideBoy$ have come under negative criticism by mainstream music critics for their use of abrasive and offense imagery, which includes their name, lyrical content, and behavior. Many of their songs contain devil worship but the duo stated that they use this type of Satanic imagery to signify the negative effects of money, drugs, and other items that could potentially manipulate people (No Jumper Interview).
Their musical style has been described with subject matter such as depression, suicide ideation, sexual content, and growing up in New Orleans. You can hear in their songs that one of their biggest influences is Three 6 Mafia because many of the duo’s earlier songs sampled Three 6 Mafia’s songs.
Even with all the controversies, and criticism of the behavior and lyrical content of the duo, they have stated that creating music is like therapy for them and that even though some may take their songs as emo music, depressed music, or negative music, the duo is just connecting their personal experiences with beats in order to share their experiences and use them as therapy (Open Space: $uicideBoy$). This is nothing new, music has been used as an outlet for not only the listeners, but also the creators. Everyone deals with whatever they have going on in different ways.
Discography:
Gray/Grey (2015)
7th Or St. Tammany (2015)
YUNGDEATHLILLIFE (2015)
High Tide In The Snake’s Nest (2015)
My Liver Will Handle What My Heart Can’t (2015)
Now The Moon’s Rising (2015)
Dark Side Of The Clouds (2016)
Grey Sheep II (2016)
Eternal Grey (2016)
I Want To Die In New Orleans (2018)
STOP STARING AT THE SHADOWS (2020)
Favorite Songs:
$outh $ide $uicide, Kill Yourself (Part III), 2nd Hand, Paris, Runnin’ Thru The 7th With My Woadies, and O Pana!
Have you seen $uicideBoy$ live (I haven’t 🙁 )? What are some of your favorite songs?
Stay Metal,
THE SAW
Sources:
Kate Robertson, Who are $UICIDEBOY$ and how do they sell out shows around the world?