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CW: Suicide, Violence, Misogony, basically a lotta bad stuff

Horrorcore rap has been a subject of fascination for me recently, the overtly edgy, dark, and often satanic lyrics have always been offputting to the general listener (for example, the controversy stirred up by Eminem on his first two albums which are at the very least heavily inspired by if not outright horrorcore projects). Horrorcore, to me at least, has always been rooted in a deep sense of nihilism, in venting the frustrations about a society that doesn’t care, or even their own self destructive minds. I think it’s also important to acknowledge that sincerity is very important to this genre, something like Tyler’s early work doesn’t feel genuine at all, he’s saying shocking things to shock, with very little true sincerity behind it. While I don’t really plan on excusing what they say in their lyrics cause it was lowkey never ok to say a lot of to most of what many horrorcore artists have said, I can’t say I don't understand.

In this piece, I wanted to analyze one of the pillars of horrorcore (though he doesn’t apply that label to his own music) Esham, primarily two of his solo albums KKKill the Fetus, and Closed Casket (as much as I love Doubelieveingod by the group he was in, Natas, I wanna focus the scope of this a bit and also I think I’m barely able to do 2 albums). Already in the album names alone we get a lot of the core tenets of Esham’s musical philosophy and kind of horrorcore as a whole. KKKill the Fetus is, well it’s kind of absurdly edgy right off the bat and Closed Casket, while less absurd of a title, does invoke the idea of death, and in horrorcore, death and nihilism go hand in hand as we’ll explore later. I have no idea where to put this section so I’m putting it here for now but something I find really interesting is the dichotomy between G-funk and Acid Rap (the genre Esham calls his music, the distinction is made here primarily because of the specific way Esham produces) Both genres are, despite heavy sonic differences, heavily influenced by the work of George Clinton and his two bands (THE GOAT!!!!) G-Funk/West coast rap as a whole is VERY heavily inspired by Parliament, The Chronic is almost a remake of Mothership Connection, and Ice Cube songs use Parliament samples so often he got dissed by Common for it. On the other side however, there’s Esham, and Esham took a lot of inspiration from the other Geroge Clinton band, Funkadelic (primarily Maggot Brain). Despite both genres having their roots in funk, Maggot Brain’s darker, grimier? (it’s kinda hard to describe it but I hope it gets across that it’s not really as smooth or happy sounding as a parliament project) Main reason I bring this up is mostly cause I think it’s neat :3 but also because I think it really emphasizes the nihilistic philosophy of Esham and the Gangsta philosophy of Dr. Dre and rappers that came up from that scene through the sound alone and really highlights their differences, despite sampling basically the same dude! (Doing different things with different projects but still) While we’re on the subject of Esham’s production,I do also want to bring up the rock/grunge (I specify grunge to give an idea of the specific sound he’s getting) samples he employs that aren’t superrr common, but really add to the darker grittier sound he’s going for. One last note before we start on the analysis proper (this really is just a stream of bullshit comin out my mouth) but I looove how GRIM the album covers are, KKKill the Fetus has quite a graphic one, being to be either an aborted fetus or a fetus about to be aborted (we’ll get into this more later) And closed casket, which I’m pretty sure is a piece of jewelry shaped like the cross on fire, but the most notable aspect of this art is the 1973 (Eshams birth year) - 1994 which is the year that the album came out, implying Esham’s death with the art, which very much fits with the themes of death and suicide that are heavily touched upon in the album, and in a lot of Esham’s work as a whole.

I’m kinda winging this whole analysis bullshit so I think I’m just gonna highlight a couple of tracks on each album (starting with KKKill the Fetus) and just like give my thoughts on em, talk about some important lyrics and just idk ramble like I am now. First track I’d like to discuss is Symptoms of Insanity, primarily the first verse which in just a couple of lines perfectly exemplifies everything I said in the intro, extremely dark and edgy lyrics, and extreme nihilism I’m just gonna show y’all the first verse cause it very much get’s every point I’m making across about this subgenre. (lowkey I’m just repeating the same bullshit with barely any real analysis ugh)

I'm coming back again and I'd rather be dead
I'm out my mind so much I need a brand new head
The symptoms of insanity's got me intertwined
Voices in my head playing tricks on my mind
I gotta get my head together 'cause it's falling ta pieces
My mind has a migraine so I'm calling Jesus
Thirteen ways to commit suicide,
I'll do it

Razor ta my wrist, someone ask me what I'm doing
I wanna just die, I wanna just die so please cut up my blood veins
Some may imply I'm insane, on my shirt are blood stains
The room is spinnin and I'm grinnin, thinkin evil thoughts
Nine dead bodies and I never got caught
A schizophrenic so many panic is it just the man in me?
Don't understand it, G, I got the symptoms of insanity

I also love the hook of “Do not attempt to think or depression may occur” really ties this all together. Now for some proper (not really) analysis, first off I’d like to mention that Esham is nowhere near the most technically proficient rapper, his delivery/voice is very fun and unique, but his flows and his lyricism (besides content) isn’t all too much to write home about. He does improve overall in Closed Casket, but don’t expect toooo much in terms of sheer technical proficiency (he’s still good obviously otherwise I wouldn’t be writing about him). This is essentially the way the entire album opens and it really sets the tone (technically second track but the first one is like an intro, non song track) Instantly the theme of suicide and mental illness is set for the entire album.I really want to delve into this verse thematically. The lyrics are extremely edgy but they reflect Esham’s own mind state and to vent his own personal demons, not simply shock value for shock value's sake, there’s a sincerity behind the lyrics, his own self destructive thoughts. There is genuine regret and a want to no longer keep suffering that’s very much on display. Even in later verses when he goes for more shocking lyrics such as “Kill the Fetus, kill the mama, kill the daddy and the dog Shoot them all up, shoot them all up, shoot them all up dead, y'all” he embodies the title of the song, the whole track is building up Esham’s insanity more and more as he invokes the devil and wishes he could die, the extremely gruesome and violent lyrics stay genuine, despite how absurd they sound because the pain is very very real. (When I’m in a say nothing of value with poor wording/writing competition and my opponent is lilith)

The second song I want to talk about off this album (it’ll probably be two for both cause I’m laaaaazy :3) is the title track, KKKill the Fetus. Firstly, the opening bit sampled from Funkadelic, very specifically Maggot Brain, the grimiest of the funkadelic/parliament projects, which really sets the tone for what might be Esham's most cynical and nihilistic song ever. Before delving into any specific lyrics, the general message of this song Esham is sending is that mothers should abort their babies because the world is awful and terrible. There’s honestly so much to this song that I’m just gonna put any non-chorus line of this song in here and let y’all read it before I go any further:

Why would you want to make a life in this world we live in?
Love ain't worth a dime, so then you have nothin' to give him
The baby had no father, he ran out on the mama
So raise him as a cannibal to be like Jeffrey Dahmer
Your life is really worthless: you live, and then you die
You're gone, forgotten, bodies rot and then you wonder why
And then you live in doubt, can you live or live without?
The facts you know, you can't afford to feed another mouth
Your head is steady spinnin' the Devil's steady grinnin'
While you was steady sinning from the very first beginning
Is it a boy or a girl? I think I should be feral
You should terminate it, because it's a lousy world
Your life is on the line, you're out your fuckin' mind
You gotta do it soon, 'cause you're runnin' outta time
It's just another embryo attached to an umbilical
You can let that baby grow, but I'd kill it though
The baby's premature, the mother is a whore
Contemplatin' suicide, so what you waitin for?
I think I heard it kicking, but that's a normal state
Jam a hanger in ya asshole until your water breaks
You better use some caution givin' yourself an abortion
Death's the only way to solve a suicide solution
So here's my contribution, my suicide solution
You play the game of death, but then you can't win or lose it
You wonder if you want this, or should you kill the fetus?
Life is just a waste, so then you oughta just delete this
"Problem to society"? Society's the problem
My suicide solution is a .38 revolver *Gunshot*
I'm your problem solver, your life is full of horror
Some are born today, and some will die tomorrow
(Aah!)
Vaginal tissue's torn, your pussy's kinda worn
I think I oughta warn you if you're having a newborn
You're in the wrong perspective, there is one contraceptive
Your EPT is positive, so you can't let that baby live
It's just another embryo attached to an umbilical
You can let that baby grow, but I'd kill it though
The planet's really fucked, so now you're kinda stuck
You should have thought about it before you busted the nut
It is a lousy world, I live a lousy life
I think I oughta stab you in the stomach with a knife
Or push you down a flight of steps until you fall and break ya neck
Did a little damage, can you manage a miscarriage?
Life is not a choice, death is the alternative
Or should you let it grow up in this fucked up world that we live in?
These are the consequences, add one more to the State Census
Born to die in poverty, so tell me, what's its sisters?
It's just another embryo attached to an umbilical
You can let that baby grow, but I'd kill it though

Pretty fucked up right? But again, it’s not he’s saying “I kill babies for fun wow look how shocking and kooky crazy I am” while Horrorcore, and even Esham is kinda built a bit off of that shock value (i mean come on the name? And the album cover?? There’s some intention to shock here) there’s substance here. Esham draws from what he sees in his surroundings and the world, and expresses his nihilistic viewpoint in one of its strongest forms. He argues the worthlessness of life, how painful it is to go on and how terrible it is, and that death is the solution. He actively advocates for aborting the baby, to not let it grow up in the conditions that the world is in, or the conditions of the family (the father has run out on the mother after getting her pregnant) He tells single pregnant women that the baby isn’t worth it, not just for them, but for the baby and that aborting is the best option. It’s overall a very dark song (who could’ve guessed god you suck lmao) with sincere hatred and cynicism for the world behind it. And like, I get it ya know, hard to really denounce such a thing, at least thematically, I still feel this way sometimes it’s a very understandable POV and I’ve been through fuckin nothing compared to esham I grew up on the streets of a suburban neighborhood lmao. Regardless, this is perhaps THE most misanthropic song I’ve ever listened to, it’s genuine hatred for the world, for all the pain it’s caused, how awful society is, it’s very relatable to the trans anger I feel (as opposed to the cisgender anger). It kinda leads into my point that despite me definitely not being the target audience as a very queer person, I’m still very much able to connect with it on a fundamental level because I understand that pain. I feel like horrorcore is an expression of the anger of any repressed/suppressed group or people, it’s for the people who are a bit fucked up in general maybe. It’s weird but I do find comfort in it, in the rage, horror and pain that Esham expresses throughout his music.

TRANSITION (hehe) to the next album I want to talk about, Closed Casket, which is easily his best work (KKKill the Fetus is arguable a better intro to horrorcore as an idea, and it came out first which is why I talked about it first) it’s a step up in a lot of ways, the thematic focus on death keeps the whole project more cohesive, it feels less like it’s going for deliberate shock, and Esham takes a step up as a producer and a rapper as a whole, delivering a far better project on a purely sonic level as a whole.. Overall, just a better project in my opinion.

The first track I want to talk about is actually the last one, that being the title track, Closed Casket. Which entails Esham’s own death, funeral and his inevitable trip to hell. It’s hyperfocused on its themes of death, as well as Hell. I think the most interesting part of this song is the title and it’s relationship with the last verse. A closed casket is often used when a body is in a state too grotesque to be displayed with an open casket, or one where the body is seen. In the last verse,

“I'm dead, and nobody feels my pain
One bullet, one gun, one person to blame
No shame, I take aim at my head
Cock the hammer back and hope for a piece of lead
It was said, that I'm gonna die anyway”
Esham, after starting the song announcing his death, explains what killed him, with him shooting himself in the head, finally receiving the death he so eagerly raps about and awaited earlier in the song “I can't wait to meet the Grim Reaper, creature feature” The main themes of suicide and death are everpresent in Eshams work which always comes across with sincerity, with genuine pain behind it. Before I get to my favorite Esham track, I want to make a quick detour at Brainwashed.

“I never had a ho I could call my own
I only had hoes who loved to bone”

These lyrics really stuck out to me, probably due to my obsession with Chainsawman lol. I don’t wanna ignore the misogynistic language, so I do wanna address it (I wish I was smart enough to do this well) But I mainly wanna address it as a product of his environment and time, which doesn’t excuse it, but makes it understandable??? Ugh I wish I could word my feelings on this better. Anyways, the reason I like this bit is because despite all the edge, there is a genuine desire for human connection, beyond purely sex, a want for someone to love and a real connection. I just find it very meaningful, it’s a vulnerability in all the defenses and edge Esham has surrounded himself in. The entire lamest sentence I will say in this entire analysis is I see parallels between Esham's writing and Fujimoto

Finally, I wanna wrap up this whole piece of shoddily written and mostly plagiarized analysis with my favorite Esham track, Mental Stress, the 4th song on Closed Casket. First of LOVEEEE the production on this one, it’s such a cool sound and it sounds so nice, the flow is really great overall it’s sonically one of his best easily, and that’s before we even get to the lyrics. This is a track I play somewhat frequently at my worst mental states, cause like, I don’t get it, I didn’t live Esham’s life, but I get it ya dig. The hook kinda encapsulates it all:

“How I need eternal rest
Help me through my mental stress (My mental stress)
How I need eternal rest
Help me through my mental stress (My mental stress)
How I need eternal rest
Help me through my mental stress (My mental stress)
How I need eternal rest
Help me through my mental stress (My mental stress)”

Not really much to say about this considering that it really speaks for itself. This is the track I find myself seeing myself in the most basic way, like damn he really is rapping about the feelings I feel in a way that gets the anger across as well. The lyrics go over the classic Esham feelings of depression, suicide and nihilism. Implying that heaven doesn’t exist, talking about putting guns to his head, and overall feeling that he is going insane, with the incredible line “I’m finna go nuts like an almond joy” (banger line don’t argue with me”. It’s overall just peak Esham, one of those songs that hits the hardest when you’re at your lowest, the nihilism offering what little comfort it can for anyone who’s had it rough enough to be comforted by this instead of offended (which is a vaguely reasonable reaction but I won’t like it).

In conclusion, I think horrorcore has a bad rep that it doesn’t really deserve, a lot of the best horrorcore comes from true sincerity, with using its themes and ideas as a way of expressing anger and genuine depression, over simply saying things for shock value and attention that lower quality horrorcore falls into (early tyler being a great example) I think Esham is really an artist worth looking at and listening to and giving a fair shake. He’s an extremely unique producer, a great rapper when it comes to lyrical content and ideas, and is really good at getting across genuine emotion in his tracks. If you got here I appreciate you reading my incoherent ramblings that’s genuinely REALLY BAD like ik this is part of the getting better at writing process but MAN I think my analysis is bad, but hopefully I get better as time goes on! (I won’t)

Shoutouts to Huey on Discord, he’s a huge inspiration to me and I probably subconsciously or consciously stole all my analysis from him.