As Halloween approaches, we’re helping you get into the the spooky season spirit with some horror rap to spice up your Halloween party.
Hip hop over the years have been influenced by haunting sounds and occult imagery that often imitates horror movies. The disturbing attraction to violence and to an extent death led to the rise of the horrorcore genre in the 90s – a twisted segment of hip hop where rappers, through their lyrics get to live out some of their darkest fantasies. The lyrics are gruesome in some cases and can be unsettling so proceed with caution.
From Geto Boys, Big L to Brotha Lynch, Here are 14 hip hop Halloween songs to help you get your scare on.
Fresh Prince x Jazzy Jeff “ANightmare On My Street”
Inspired by Nightmare On Elm Street, The Fresh Prince uses vivid storytelling to narrate his crazy encounter with Freddy Krueger. When Freddy asks to be his partner in rhyme, he gets turned down and ridiculed. “Yo Fred, I think you got me all wrong/I ain’t partners with nobody with nails that long. Look, I’ll be honest this team won’t work.” Reality only sets in the end when Freddy decides to kill Jazzy Jeff
This is more comical than some of the songs on the list but a necessity still.
Gravediggaz “Diary Of A Madman”
One of the creepiest beats of all time and the video is equally as disturbing. Gravediggaz are specialists of the horrorcore rap and on “Diary Of A Madman,” they explained how it all began.
“I’ve been examined ever since I was semen
They took a sonogram and seen the image of a demon
At birth the nurses surrounded my with needles
And drugged me all up with the diseases of evil”
Snoop Dogg “Murder Was The Case”
Backed by Dr. Dre’s haunting production, Snoop Dogg metaphorical raps about selling his soul to the devil.
DMX “The Omen”
DMX battled with a lot of demons while he was alive and on this song we get to witness him going back and forth with one of them. “The Omen” was the second song in his “Damien” series and probably the most chilling. X gave us psychotic episodes about his dealings with Damien – his inner demon. The song is brilliant and haunting at the same time
Tech N9ne “The Boogieman”
That whispered voiceover intro is terrifying. It’s Hallwoen and Tech is the boogeyman. The Missouri rapper’s scary content about unidentifiable beast Lurkin in the shadows makes it more misty.
Eminem “Amityville”
Named after the classic 1979 horror movie ‘The Amityville Horror’, this track was bound to make our list. The anthemic chorus and dark themes make this track (from The Marshall Mathers LP) somewhat jarring. Bizzare’s verse takes the song to new depths of horror and savagery, and make the song genuinely hard to listen to in parts.
Whodini “The Haunted House Of Rock”
Whodini’s “The Haunted House Of Rock” is an ode to the spooky season. With refrences to Dracula, werewolves and ghouls, it is a Halloween essential. It’s funky, repetitive and has a gnarly sense of spookiness about it. Plus it’s sure to get people on the dance floor.
Geto Boys “Chuckie”
Like all horrocore, this was inspired by the popular Child’s Play slasher series of movies based around a serial possessed doll called Chuckie. The Geto Boys add the perfect touch of horror with lines such as “My name is Chuckie, some say I’m insane
You give me some gin, and I might eat a dog’s brain
Give me a motherfuckin 15-pack
And I’ll be damned if I don’t bring 15 dead niggas back.”
DMX “X Is Coming”
DMX was a master of the dark arts. “X Is Coming” brings out his sociopathic tendecies as he goes on about how he “plucked you like a chicken, with your head cut off.” The song is packed with exaggerated violence, but the creepiest part of it all is that chorus . There’s something about turning popular children songs into chants of terror that is unsettling.
Brotha Lynch Hung “Meat Cleaver”
A song about cooking body parts, eating brains, and torture. This terrifying track captures the raw vocal style of Brotha Lynch and is perfect for a celebration built around terror.
Kanye West “Monster”
Monster by Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross and Bon Iver is a must for your Halloween party. The beast of a single posseses often disturbing horror movie references and mannerisms that are straight out of a horror movie.
The song’s official music video, directed by Jake Nava, features dark, horror related imagery, with references to several horror movies, such as American Psycho and Saw. It became widely controversial on release, and was banned on MTV and removed from Kanye’s YouTube account.
E-40 “Zombie”
This song makes this list solely on the back of that chorus. “If you’re a zombie, monster, ghoul or fiend” echoing repeatedly in the background is genius.
The Fat Boys “Are You Ready For Freddy”
Unlike the song A Nightmare on My Street, the Fat Boyz obtained permission from New Line Cinema before writing the song. Not as good or memorable as The Fresh Prince’s but still a good addition to your Halloween playlist.
Big L “Devil’s Son”
“Look at my scalp real close and you’ll see triple 6s.” This track is packed with The Omen refrences and psychotic lyrics about violence and the underworld. It’s downright evil, which makes it perfect for your occult craziness. Happy Halloween