Steve 'Flash' JuonIf it’s not going to kill me, cripple me or make me an addict for life, I’m willing to try just about anything once. Food, music, carnival rides, anything that could fire some new neurons across a few synapses in my brain. That doesn’t mean every experience is pleasant though. The first and third of those items have both left me queasy at times. It doesn’t mean I regret doing them, but it does mean I learned I wouldn’t willingly do them TWICE. With that said let’s talk about the second of those items — music.
Before you jump to a conclusion about Ho99o9 (pronounced “horror”) or their album “SKIN” though let me say I enjoy abrasive music. For me it’s a palate cleanser. If you listen to too much boom bap rap that’s flawlessly produced it can actually numb your ears to the point you can’t discern a difference between what’s good, what’s great, and what’s just average. It helps to change things up and when you find an artist who does it really well like Death Grips it’s even better. The experience goes beyond being a palate cleanse to genuinely enjoyable in its own right. The way MC Ride volcanically erupts into the microphone and the music his bandmates create to accompany it create something special to listen to, especially when you realize that they are creating unforgettable scenes in your mind’s eye with it.
Unfortunately Ho99o9 doesn’t quite rise to that level. There were some moments that pleasantly surprised me though. Even though the rappers were born in New Jersey and moved to Los Angeles, they still linked up with Southern rap legend Bun B for the song “SLO BREAD.” The slight distortion of the heavy bass hits and the overall Screwed Up Click feel works. Unfortunately songs of this quality are followed by songs like “PROTECT MY BITCH PT. 2.” It feels like poor man’s DG with none of their musical qualities. Every single layer of the track has been pushed until it peaked out the needles in the studio. Redlining isn’t art, and yelling incomprehensible lyrics might be, but it’s an unpleasant experience to be sure. All they have to do is dial it back a little and it works. “SPEAK OF THE DEVIL” proves it can be done right.
The one track I was really looking forward to on “SKIN” was “SKINHEAD” because of the unexpected appearance of spoken word poet and performer Saul Williams. He’s no stranger to doing odd and unusual songs that challenge both him and the audience, and I relish every chance to listen to him. The problem is that the part that didn’t feature him was genuinely ear piercing. I get that Ho99o9 (also referred to as “Triple 9” throughout their music) consider themselves punk rock auteurs in a rap world. Punk also pushed boundaries and defied critics by being loud, brash, and on occasion violent — often self-inflicted but at times toward the audience. It was rebellion against the cultural forces prevalent in the 1970’s and 80’s. Ho99o9 can rebel against the 2020’s too.
Mere rebellion doesn’t create good music. It is a motivation to create but it doesn’t in and of itself make that creation viable. The Triple 9 gang will probably hate me for saying this but I feel them the most on songs like “DEVIL AT THE CROSSROADS” when they tone the energy way the hell down. A lot of their music you wouldn’t want to listen to with headphones on — this one you actually could. “DEAD OR ASLEEP?” almost manages to pull it off too until the performance once again reaches levels of angst Suicidal Tendencies never managed. This is “all I wanted was a Pepsi” energy times ten billion.
I hate that I don’t like “SKIN” more. I would still willingly go see this group in concert for the experience. If they bring the same over the top energy in their songs to a performance, it’d be a hell of a night, but I wouldn’t be listening to it in the car on the way home afterward. That’s where things fall apart. As a concept I like punk rap, industrial rap, death metal rap, or whatever you want to call it. It’s very tricky to pull off in a way that’s repeatable though. “SKIN” is a great palate cleanser but I’m ready to get back to some more standard fare now, and I won’t be coming back to anything but “SLO BREAD” for a long time. Sorry guys.