Editing Horrorcore

{{short description|Subgenre of hip hop music based in horror-themed lyrical content and imagery}}
{{Distinguish|Horror punk}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Horrorcore
| other_names       = Shock rap, horror hip hop, horror rap, death hip hop, death rap, murder rap
| image             = Gravediggaz-02-mika.jpg
| caption           = [[Gravediggaz]], a pioneering horrorcore group, whose violent, horror-themed lyrics have been considered key to giving the subgenre its identity and shape.
| stylistic_origins = *[[Shock rock]]
*[[horror fiction]]
*[[shock value]]
*[[hardcore hip hop]]
*[[gangsta rap]]
| cultural_origins  = Early-mid 1980s, United States
| local_scenes      = {{hlist|[[Music of Detroit|Detroit]]|[[Southern hip-hop|Houston]]|[[Memphis rap|Memphis]]}}
| other_topics      = {{hlist|[[Horror punk]]|[[death metal]]|[[deathrock]]|[[rap metal]]|[[psychobilly]]|[[Witch house (music genre)|witch house]]|[[juggalo]]}}
}}

'''Horrorcore''' (also called '''shock rap''', '''horror hip hop''', '''horror rap''', '''death hip hop''', '''death rap''', or '''murder rap''') is a subgenre of [[hip hop music]] based on [[horror fiction|horror]]-themed and often darkly [[Transgressive art|transgressive]] lyrical content and imagery. Its origins derived from certain [[hardcore hip hop]] and [[gangsta rap]] artists, such as the [[Geto Boys]], who began to incorporate [[supernatural]], the [[occult]], and [[psychological horror]] themes into their lyrics. Other early originators and influences on the genre include [[Gravediggaz]], [[Flatlinerz]], [[Three 6 Mafia]], [[Brotha Lynch Hung]], [[Necro (rapper)| Necro]], and [[Kool Keith]].

Unlike most hardcore hip hop and gangster rap artists, horrorcore artists often push the violent content and imagery in their lyrics beyond the realm of realistic urban violence, to the point where the violent lyrics become gruesome, ghoulish, unsettling, or inspired by [[slasher film]]s or [[splatter film]]s. While exaggerated violence and the supernatural are common in horrorcore, the genre also frequently presents more realistic yet still disturbing portrayals of [[mental illness]] and [[drug abuse]]. Some horrorcore artists eschew supernatural themes or exaggerated violence in favor of more subtle and dark psychological horror imagery and lyrics.

Horrorcore has incited controversy, with some members of the law enforcement community asserting that the genre incites crime.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/law-enforcement-claims-horrorcore-genre-incites-crime/story?id=9739420|title='Horrorcore': Does Genre Incite Murder?|website=ABC News|access-date=October 14, 2019|archive-date=September 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918115335/https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/law-enforcement-claims-horrorcore-genre-incites-crime/story?id=9739420|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.journal-news.com/news/crime--law/horrorcore-music-fans-linked-violence/HXLXoYmcZFdO98me49SDyN/|title='Horrorcore' music fans linked to violence|first=Staff Writer|last=Tom Beyerlein|website=journal-news|access-date=October 14, 2019|archive-date=May 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511100230/https://www.journal-news.com/news/crime--law/horrorcore-music-fans-linked-violence/HXLXoYmcZFdO98me49SDyN/|url-status=live}}</ref> Fans and artists have been blamed for numerous high-profile instances of violent criminal activity, including the [[Columbine High School massacre]],<ref name="Columbine">{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2016/07/24/are-the-juggalos-a-gang-or-a-supportive-fraternity/|title=Are the Juggalos a gang or a supportive fraternity?|first=Sean|last=Murphy|date=July 24, 2016|access-date=October 14, 2019|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112034411/https://nypost.com/2016/07/24/are-the-juggalos-a-gang-or-a-supportive-fraternity/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BrooksBrown">{{cite book
 |last=Brown
 |first=Brooks
 |date=2002
 |title=No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Death at Columbine
|publisher=Red Wheel/Weiser
 |isbn=9781590560310
 |url=https://archive.org/details/pdfy-pC_WzWbOzxls5ms1
 }}</ref> the [[Farmville murders]], murders of law enforcement officers, and gang activity.

==Characteristics==

Horrorcore defines a style of hip hop music that focuses primarily on dark, violent, [[gothic fiction|gothic]], [[Transgressive art|transgressive]], [[macabre]] and/or [[horror fiction|horror]]-influenced topics such as [[death]], [[psychosis]], [[psychological horror]], [[mental illness]], [[satanism]], [[self-harm]], [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]], [[mutilation]], [[suicide]], [[murder]], [[torture]], [[Substance abuse|drug abuse]], and [[supernatural]] or [[occult]] themes. The lyrics are often inspired by [[Horror film|horror movies]] and are performed over moody, hardcore beats.<ref name="Meyer">Meyer, Frank. (October 28, 2004) [http://www.g4tv.com/articles/50154/frankly-speaking-halloween-horror-core-hip-hop/ Frankly Speaking: Halloween Horror-core Hip Hop] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706114656/http://www.g4tv.com/articles/50154/frankly-speaking-halloween-horror-core-hip-hop/ |date=July 6, 2015 }} g4tv. Retrieved 2008-09-14.</ref> According to rapper [[Mars (rapper)|Mars]], "If you take [[Stephen King]] or [[Wes Craven]] and you throw them on a rap beat, that's who I am".<ref>Darcy, Pohland. (May 19, 2005) [http://wcco.com/redlake/2.348830.html The dark world Of Horrorcore music] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124055915/http://wcco.com/redlake/2.348830.html |date=November 24, 2007 }} [[WCCO-TV]]. Accessed November 4, 2007.</ref> Horrorcore was described by ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' in 1995 as a "blend of [[hardcore hip hop|hardcore rap]] and bloodthirsty [[Heavy metal music|metal]]".<ref>Browne, David. (Feb 24, 1995) [https://ew.com/article/1995/02/24/music-over-last-five-years/ Fifth anniversary music]  ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''. Accessed November 4, 2007.</ref> The lyrical content of horrorcore is sometimes described as being similar to that of [[death metal]], and some have referred to the genre as "death rap".<ref name="Strauss">{{cite news |first=Neil |last=Strauss |title=''When Rap Meets the Undead'' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/18/arts/pop-view-when-rap-meets-the-undead.html?sec=&spon= |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 18, 1994 |access-date=April 25, 2009 |archive-date=June 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625135758/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/18/arts/pop-view-when-rap-meets-the-undead.html?sec=&spon= |url-status=live }}</ref> Horrorcore artists often feature dark imagery in their music videos and base musical elements of songs upon [[horror film score]]s.<ref name="Strauss" />

==History==
===Origins===
''[[LA Weekly]]'' listed [[Jimmy Spicer]]'s 1980 single "Adventures of Super Rhyme" as the first example of "proto-horrorcore", due to a lengthy segment of the song in which Spicer recounts his experience of meeting [[Count Dracula|Dracula]].<ref name="Kangas"/> The group [[Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde (group)|Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde]] specialized in horror-themed music. [[Dana Dane]]'s song "Nightmares" related a frightening narrative.<ref name="Kangas">{{cite news|url=https://www.laweekly.com/the-history-of-horrorcore-rap/|title=The History of Horrorcore Rap|author=Chaz Kangas|date=November 5, 2013|work=[[LA Weekly]]|access-date=August 1, 2020|archive-date=November 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103113249/https://www.laweekly.com/the-history-of-horrorcore-rap/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since 1986, [[Ganksta N-I-P|Ganxsta N.I.P.]] has performed horror-themed lyrics that he has described as "Psycho Rap", but he was not commonly considered to be horrorcore until the term came into mainstream prominence.<ref name=allhiphop>{{cite web|url=http://allhiphop.com/2014/09/29/ganxta-nip/|title=AllHipHop » Ganxta NIP: The Psycho Becomes A God Of Horrorcore|work=AllHipHop|date=September 29, 2014|access-date=March 26, 2015|archive-date=March 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327002224/http://allhiphop.com/2014/09/29/ganxta-nip/|url-status=live}}</ref> Ganxsta N.I.P. has written lyrics for other groups, including [[Geto Boys]], who were also an influence on the early horrorcore sound.<ref name=allhiphop/>

In 1988, [[DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince]] released "[[A Nightmare on My Street]]", which described an encounter with [[Freddy Krueger]],<ref name=Kangas/> and [[the Fat Boys]] recorded the similarly-themed "[[Are You Ready for Freddy]]" for the film ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master]]'' and its soundtrack. 1988 is also the year [[Insane Poetry]] (at the time called His Majesti) released "Armed & Dangerous", followed by their debut single as Insane Poetry, "Twelve Strokes Till Midnight", one of the first examples of music specifically made to be horrorcore.<ref name=Kangas/> The following year saw the release of ''[[Boomin' Words from Hell]]'', the debut album of [[Detroit|Detroit-based]] rapper [[Esham]], who would become particularly influential on [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] horrorcore (though he rejects the term, preferring "acid rap").<ref name="Kangas"/> 

Although [[Kool Keith]] claimed to have "invented horrorcore",<ref name=UKHH>{{cite web |url=http://www.ukhh.com/features/interviews/kool_keith/index.html |title=Kool Keith Interview |access-date=August 4, 2008 |author=Kane |author2=QED |date=July 19, 2007 |publisher=Original UK Hip Hop |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621054450/http://www.ukhh.com/features/interviews/kool_keith/index.html |archive-date=June 21, 2008 }}</ref> the first use of the term appeared on the group KMC's 1991 album ''[https://www.discogs.com/master/163094-KMC-Three-Men-With-The-Power-Of-Ten Three Men With the Power of Ten]''. Nonetheless, Kool Keith brought significant attention to horror-influenced hip hop with his lyrical content as a part of [[the Ultramagnetic MC's]] and his 1996 debut solo album ''[[Dr. Octagonecologyst]]''.

In 2024, writers at [[Complex magazine|Complex]] described [[Nas]]' 1994,  debut studio album ''[[Illmatic]]''  as "shocking, borderline horrorcore (before horrorcore was a genre)". The album showcased Nas's early '90s style of rap and was credited with generating significant hype for the MC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rose |first=Complex Staff, Insanul Ahmed, OrNah, Noah Callahan-Bever, Christine Werthman, Ernest Baker, Rob Kenner, Frazier Tharpe, Damien Scott, Brendan Klinkenberg, Ross Scarano, Eric Skelton, Angel Diaz, Jordan |title=The Best Rapper Alive, Every Year Since 1979 |url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/complexstaff3/the-best-rapper-alive-every-year-since-1979 |access-date=2024-06-01 |website=Complex |language=en-us |archive-date=April 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240410033809/https://www.complex.com/music/a/complexstaff3/the-best-rapper-alive-every-year-since-1979 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Rise in the hip hop genre===
The [[Geto Boys]]' debut album, ''[[Making Trouble]]'', contained the dark and violent horror-influenced track "Assassins", which was cited by [[Violent J]] of the horrorcore group [[Insane Clown Posse]] in his book ''[[Behind the Paint]]'' as the first recorded horrorcore song. He writes that the Geto Boys continued to pioneer the style with their second release, ''[[Grip It! On That Other Level]]'', with songs such as "Mind of a Lunatic" and "Trigga-Happy Nigga".<ref name="BehindthePaint174">{{cite book |last=Bruce |first=Joseph |author-link=Violent J |author2=Hobey Echlin |editor=Nathan Fostey |title=ICP: Behind the Paint |url=https://archive.org/details/icpbehindpaint00viol |url-access=registration |date=August 2003 |edition=second |publisher=Psychopathic Records |location=Royal Oak, Michigan |isbn=0-9741846-0-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/icpbehindpaint00viol/page/174 174–185] |chapter=The Dark Carnival  }}</ref> The Geto Boys' 1991 album, ''[[We Can't Be Stopped]]'', was also influential on the horrorcore genre and contained themes of [[paranoia]], [[Depression (mood)|depression]], and [[psychological horror]], especially in the track "[[Chuckie (song)|Chuckie]]", and "[[Mind Playing Tricks on Me]]".<ref name=popmatters>{{cite web|last1=Sciaccotta|first1=J. C.|title=Geto Boys - 'Mind Playing Tricks on Me'|url=https://www.popmatters.com/post/132831-geto-boys-mind-playing-tricks-on-me-video/|website=Popmatters.com|date=October 29, 2010|publisher=PopMatters|access-date=December 11, 2015|archive-date=December 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222104829/http://www.popmatters.com/post/132831-geto-boys-mind-playing-tricks-on-me-video/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=complex>{{cite web|title=#1: Geto Boys 'Mind Playing Tricks On Me'|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2010/05/the-25-greatest-rap-a-lot-songs-of-all-time/geto-boys-mind-playing-tricks-on-me|website=Complex.com|publisher=Complex Magazine|access-date=December 11, 2015|archive-date=December 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222152938/http://www.complex.com/music/2010/05/the-25-greatest-rap-a-lot-songs-of-all-time/geto-boys-mind-playing-tricks-on-me|url-status=live}}</ref>

While rappers in the [[underground hip hop|underground]] scene continued to release horrorcore music, including [[Big L]],<ref name="FrightNight2004">{{cite magazine |title=Fright Night |magazine=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]] |date=November 2004 |page=74 }}</ref> [[Insane Poetry]],<ref name="Cordor">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p22385 |title=Biography of Insane Poetry |access-date=November 12, 2008 |last=Cordor |first=Cyril |website=[[AllMusic]] |archive-date=June 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110620205459/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p22385 |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Insane Clown Posse]],<ref name=Kangas/> the mid-1990s brought an attempted mainstream crossover of the genre.<ref name=Kangas/>

According to the book ''Icons of Hip Hop'', horrorcore gained mainstream prominence in 1994 with the release of [[Flatlinerz]]' ''[[U.S.A. (Flatlinerz album)|U.S.A. (Under Satan's Authority)]]'' and [[Gravediggaz]]' ''[[6 Feet Deep]]'' (released overseas as ''Niggamortis'').<ref name="Hess-1">{{cite book |last1=Hess |first1=Danielle |editor=Hess, Mickey |title=Icons of Hip Hop |year=2007 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-33903-5 |page=369 |chapter=Hip Hop and Horror |url=https://archive.org/details/iconsofhiphopenc0000unse |url-access=registration }}</ref><ref name="stylus">Passantino, Dom (Jan 7, 2005) [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/staff_top_10/top-ten-hip-hop-gimmicks-of-all-time.htm "Top ten Hip-Hop gimmicks of all time"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510040652/http://stylusmagazine.com/articles/staff_top_10/top-ten-hip-hop-gimmicks-of-all-time.htm |date=May 10, 2012 }}. ''[[Stylus Magazine]]''. Accessed November 4, 2007.</ref><ref name="Fernando">Fernando Jr., S. H. (September 18, 2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20070626130308/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/gravediggaz/albums/album/116200/review/6209945/the_pick_the_sickle__the_shovel "The Pick, The Sickle & The Shovel"]. ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. Accessed November 4, 2007.</ref><ref>[https://www.nme.com/news/gravediggaz/8569 "Gravediggaz star loses cancer battle"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308225007/http://www.nme.com/news/gravediggaz/8569 |date=March 8, 2016 }}. ''[[NME]]'' (July 16, 2001). Accessed November 4, 2007.</ref> The Flatlinerz and Gravediggaz, along with the Geto Boys, Insane Clown Posse and Kool Keith, remain the most important artists in the development of horrorcore as a specific genre.

In 1995, an independent horror film called ''[[The Fear (1995 film)|The Fear]]'' was released with a soundtrack consisting entirely of horrorcore songs, including Insane Clown Posse's biggest radio hit, "Dead Body Man" and a title track ("''The Fear (Morty's Theme)''") by Esham.<ref name=Kangas/> 1995 also saw the release of [[Three 6 Mafia]]'s debut album ''[[Mystic Stylez]]'', which touched on heavy drug use, [[ritualistic sex]], [[mass murder]], [[torture]], and [[Luciferianism]]. [[Bone Thugs-N-Harmony]]'s ''[[E. 1999 Eternal]]'', released in the same year, contains tales of the occult throughout, specifically on songs such as "Mr. Ouija 2", "Mo' Murda", "[[East 1999]]", and "Da Introduction". Tension would soon rise between Bone Thugs and Three 6 over their presumed similarities in style and use of dark imagery.

In 2009, dark music-themed website [[Fangoria]] named [[Tech N9ne]]'s 2001 album ''[[Anghellic]]'' as an iconic and influential album to the genre, the artist, and hip-hop as a whole.

Horrorcore is generally not popular with mainstream audiences, though in some cities, like [[Detroit Hip Hop|Detroit]], it is the dominant style of hip-hop, with Detroit-based performers such as [[Insane Clown Posse]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Graham|first=Adam|date=February 12, 2019|title=30 years later, Insane Clown Posse finds respect|url=https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/2019/02/12/30-years-later-insane-clown-posse-finds-respect/2845855002|work=[[The Detroit News]]|access-date=February 23, 2021|archive-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605050626/https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/2019/02/12/30-years-later-insane-clown-posse-finds-respect/2845855002/|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Eminem]],<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ketchum III|first=William|date=October 31, 2016|title=In Defense Of Eminem's Horrorcore Masterpiece: "Relapse"|url=https://hiphopdx.com/editorials/id.3516/title.in-defense-of-eminems-horrorcore-masterpiece-relapse|magazine=[[HipHopDX]]|access-date=September 21, 2020|archive-date=July 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705095351/http://hiphopdx.com/editorials/id.3516/title.in-defense-of-eminems-horrorcore-masterpiece-relapse|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as [[Twiztid]], having been commercially successful throughout the US.<ref name="Hess-1"/> Horrorcore has thrived in [[Internet culture]]. Every Halloween since 2003, horrorcore artists worldwide have gotten together online and release a free compilation titled ''Devilz Nite''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ww5.kikaxemusic.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713150616/http://kikaxemusic.com/reviews/album-reviews/item/193-examining-the-annual-devilz-nite|url-status=dead|title=kikaxemusic.com|archive-date=July 13, 2011|website=ww5.kikaxemusic.com|access-date=October 14, 2019}}</ref> According to the January 2004 [[BBC]] documentary ''Underground USA'', the subgenre "has a massive following across the US" and "is spreading to Europe".<ref name="bbc">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/tx/documentaries/underground_usa.shtml "Underground USA"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025201229/http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/tx/documentaries/underground_usa.shtml |date=October 25, 2010 }} [[BBC]]. Accessed November 4, 2007</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' in 2007 referred to it as a short-lived trend that generated "more shlock than shock".<ref name="Fernando"/>

=== Present-day horrorcore ===
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2021}}
In 2019, [[Experimental hip hop|experimental]] trio [[Clipping (band)|clipping.]] released ''[[There Existed an Addiction to Blood]]'', described as a "transmutation of horrorcore".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/08/clipping-there-existed-an-addiction-to-blood-nothing-is-safe-stream/|title=clipping. announce new album There Existed an Addiction to Blood, share 'Nothing Is Safe': Stream|work=[[Consequence of Sound]]|last=Corcoran|first=Nina|date=August 14, 2019|access-date=October 19, 2019|archive-date=October 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018080007/https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/08/clipping-there-existed-an-addiction-to-blood-nothing-is-safe-stream/|url-status=live}}</ref>  GORE STREET (AKA: BODIES ON GORE STREET) is a more recent horrorcore collective, being formed in 2023, that mixes scream rap with violent imagery and horrorcore.  With notable members Craig Scissorhands, rejectedreyna, and YAUX.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GORE STREET |url=https://genius.com/artists/Gore-street |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=Genius |language=en}}</ref>

==Controversy==

In September 1996, Joseph Edward "Bubba" Gallegos, an 18-year-old from [[Bayfield, Colorado]], killed his roommates after ingesting [[methamphetamine]] and listening repeatedly to horrorcore rapper [[Brotha Lynch Hung]]'s song "Locc 2 da Brain". Brotha Lynch Hung is considered a horrorcore pioneer and even created his own horrorcore sub-category called "Ripgut" which is known for even more graphic lyrics dealing with hardcore gore, torture, and cannibalism. After attempting to kill his ex-girlfriend and taking two other students hostage, Gallegos was in turn killed by police.<ref name="Gallegos">{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-09-27-mn-48081-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | first1=J.R. | last1=Moehringer | first2=Michael G. | last2=Wagner | title=O.C. Trio's Killing Carefully Planned | date=September 27, 1996 | access-date=August 27, 2022 | archive-date=October 4, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004221443/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-09-27/news/mn-48081_1_joseph-edward-gallegos | url-status=live }}</ref> Gallegos was said to be a massive fan of Brotha Lynch Hung and his minister suggested that the music played a role in the killings, although he provided no evidence to back up that claim. Similar claims have been made about other violent acts and music, although there is "wide disagreement among experts over what effect--if any--music with violent content has on listeners".<ref name="Gallegos2">{{cite news |first=Reza |last=H. G. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-09-28-mn-48251-story.html |title=Rap's Role in Crime Refuels Lyrics Debate |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=September 28, 1996 |access-date=June 1, 2010 |archive-date=June 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626043415/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-09-28-mn-48251-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1999, horrorcore group [[Insane Clown Posse]] (ICP) was considered a potential influence on school shooters [[Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold]]. ICP responded that if the shooters had been "[[Juggalos]]" (fans of ICP), they would have "gotten the whole damn school".<ref name="Columbine" /> However, Brooks Brown, the best friend of [[Dylan Klebold]] and a friend of both the shooters, was a Juggalo and had introduced Klebold to Insane Clown Posse's music.<ref name="BrooksBrown"/>

Some police departments in the United States claim that [[Juggalo gangs]] have been linked to violent crimes. [[Arizona Department of Public Safety]] Detective Michelle Vasey has expressed concern at what she describes as the Juggalos' high potential for violence, stating, "The weapons, they prefer, obviously, hatchets ... We've got battle-axes, we've got machetes, anything that can make the most violent, gruesome wound", and, "Some of the homicides we're seeing with these guys are pretty nasty, gruesome, disgusting homicides, where they don't care who's around, what's around, they're just out to kill anybody".<ref name="vasey1">{{cite web |last=Bashir |first=Martin |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/law-enforcement-claims-horrorcore-genre-incites-crime/story?id=9739420#.UJtSV-Sunww |title=Law Enforcement Claims 'Horrorcore' Genre Incites Crime – ABC News |publisher=Abcnews.go.com |date=March 9, 2010 |access-date=November 8, 2012 |archive-date=September 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918115335/https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/law-enforcement-claims-horrorcore-genre-incites-crime/story?id=9739420#.UJtSV-Sunww |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2017 [[Denver Police Department]] guide claimed that even Juggalos who are not affiliated with a gang are prone to commit "murder, shootings, [[kidnapping]], [[rape]], [[necrophilia]], [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]], [[assault]], and [[arson]]", and that "such acts give a Juggalo a sense of pride and street credit amongst peers", although it acknowledged that the author had not "been able to find a significant source of collected data on the Juggalos" to substantiate those claims.<ref name=muckrock>{{Cite web|url=https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2017/aug/21/denver-polices-field-guide-juggalos/|title=The Denver Police's field guide to Juggalos|website=MuckRock|date=August 21, 2017|access-date=October 14, 2019|archive-date=December 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223012734/https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2017/aug/21/denver-polices-field-guide-juggalos/|url-status=live}}</ref> Allegedly horrorcore-related criminal activity has, in rare cases, even included ad-hoc [[domestic terrorism]], such as when a Juggalo-led terrorist cell calling itself the "Black Snake Militia" attempted to raid a [[National Guard (United States)|National Guard]] armory in 2012.<ref name="BSM">{{Cite web|url=http://www.citypages.com/news/bucky-rogers-alleged-minnesota-terrorist-is-a-juggalo-photos-6544528|title=Bucky Rogers, alleged Minnesota terrorist, is a juggalo [PHOTOS]|first=Aaron|last=Rupar|website=City Pages|access-date=October 14, 2019|archive-date=July 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723005723/http://www.citypages.com/news/bucky-rogers-alleged-minnesota-terrorist-is-a-juggalo-photos-6544528|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Halloween music]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Subgenres and fusion genres of hip hop music}}
{{Horror fiction}}

[[Category:Horrorcore| ]]
[[Category:Hip-hop genres]]