Gang Rags is the fourth studio album by
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
rapper
Blaze Ya Dead Homie
Christopher C. Rouleau (born April 27, 1976), known professionally by his pseudonym Blaze Ya Dead Homie or simply Blaze, is an American rapper from Mount Clemens, Michigan. A representative of the hip hop music subgenres gangsta rap and horrorco ...
. Released on June 22, 2010, it was produced by
Mike E. Clark, and features appearances by guests
Kottonmouth Kings
The Kottonmouth Kings is an American hip hop group formed in Placentia, California in 1996 by D-Loc and Saint Dog. The group advocates for legalizing cannabis, and their lyrics contain frequent references to marijuana consumption. The grou ...
,
The Dayton Family
The Dayton Family is an American hip hop group from Flint, Michigan, composed of Ira "Bootleg" Dorsey, Raheen "Shoestring" Peterson and Matt "Backstabba" Hinkle. Its name derives from Dayton Street, one of Flint's most crime-ridden streets.
Mu ...
,
Anybody Killa
James Clemmie Lowery (born June 26, 1974), also known as Anybody Killa, or ABK, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan, United States, whose stage persona is that of a Native American warrior. He was signed to Psychopathic Records, but is ...
and
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989, ICP's best-known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsler). Insan ...
. One of five different colored bandanas was included in the packaging of each album. ''Gang Rags'' debuted at number 52 on the
''Billboard'' 200.
Concept
Blaze had been interested in the concept of bringing back the style of the late 1980s to mid 1990s for several years prior to the recording of ''Gang Rags''.
He thought that the best way to bring back "the old school
asin the form of clothing.
Gang rags ere
Ere or ERE may refer to:
* ''Environmental and Resource Economics'', a peer-reviewed academic journal
* ERE Informatique, one of the first French video game companies
* Ere language, an Austronesian language
* Ebi Ere (born 1981), American-Nigeria ...
what it was all about back then."
Blaze noted that "I may never be a designer or some shit, but I do know my music," so he decided to use the name "Gang Rags" for his next album.
Production
On December 24, 2009,
Joseph Bruce revealed through his
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account that ''Gang Rags'' would be produced by
Mike E. Clark.
In April, Bruce announced that he would join Clark in producing the album, marking the first time that the two would collaborate on an album by Blaze.
''Gang Rags'' also marked the first time that the members of hip hop group
Twiztid
Twiztid is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan, known for both their horror-themed lyrics and rock-influenced sound. Formed in 1997, Twiztid is composed of rappers Jamie "Madrox" Spaniolo and Paul "Monoxide" Methric. Spaniolo and M ...
,
Jamie Spaniolo
Jamie Michael Spaniolo (born November 5, 1975), known professionally as Jamie Madrox, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan, and performs as a member of the hip hop groups Twiztid and House of Krazees. Spaniolo's stage name is a refere ...
and
Paul Methric
Paul Robert Methric (born July 14, 1973) is an American rapper and producer from Detroit, Michigan, also known as Monoxide Child of the rap group Twiztid.
Early life
Paul Methric began rapping as a teenager while he was in high school and lis ...
, did not provide any production on a Blaze album.
Bruce and Clark helped Blaze develop new vocal styles, utilizing different voices and rhyme styles.
Clark notes that they "tried to do a lot of different stuff on this record."
Bruce adds that the album is "still very much Blaze, but ... the sounds and concepts around him have changed."
Bruce praised Clark's production on the album, saying that Clark "makes Blaze sound louder and stronger than he ever has," while Blaze added that Clark "is a genius at his craft. His ear is like no other."
Clark attributed the success of the album to the group's ability to work well together.
He described ''Gang Rags'' as "bangin’, bumpin’, crushin’ & ruthless!," while Blaze said that the album is "some straight dope Juggalo music."
Music and lyrics
''Gang Rags'' fuses late 80s to early 90s
West Coast-based
gangsta rap
Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...
with darker lyrical content based in the
horrorcore
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-themed and often darkly transgressive lyrical content and imagery. Its origins derived from ...
style.
*The song "Swine Flu" discusses crooked police officers.
*"Dub Sack" follows a drug dealer as he sells baggies of
marijuana
Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
for 20 dollars apiece, known as dub sacks.
*On "Damn Bitch," Blaze and guests The Dayton Family praise the beauty and physical features of their female
Juggalette fanbase.
*"Monster Inside" reveals the inner turmoil of a man while his sinister inner beast awaits to break free of its mortal shell. The song incorporates guitars in a way that Kik Axe Music reviewer James Zahn says "recalls early
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in South Gate, California in 1988. One of the first Latin groups to gain mainstream recognition in hip hop, they have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and have obtained multi ...
".
*In "Party," Blaze and guest Anybody Killa speak about drinking, smoking, and constant partying without any worry of the consequences.
*The song "Lights Out" describes what life would be like if the sun never rose.
Surrounded by total darkness, panic would arise, people would grow pale and cold, and "the moon would be the new sun."
Release and promotion
The album's title was revealed by
Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records is an American independent record label headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The label is most associated with the hip-hop music subgenres horrorcore and rap rock. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and h ...
in December 2009. In promotion of the album, Bruce claimed that ''Gang Rags'' "will make a milestone in the career of the Dead Man, no doubt. This is the one. This is the album."
The album's release was preceded with a nationwide in-store tour beginning in June, and followed by a 10-day tour.
''Gang Rags'' was released in five variant editions, each with its own colored bandana.
Each colored bandana represented a fictional gang referenced in the album's lyrics: Red Rage (red), Redemption Ride (white), Zombie King (black), Dollar Domination (green) and Ice Cold Killers (blue).
The first music video from the album, "Dead Man Walking", was released on January 7, 2011.
The second music video from the album, "Dub Sack", was released on December 7, 2012.
While on the 2011 ''Drive-By Tour'', Blaze released ''Gang Rags Extended Version (Uncut + Uncensored)'', an alternate album recorded during the ''Gang Rag'' sessions.
The tour-exclusive album features twelve songs originally recorded for ''Gang Rags''.
''
Gang Rags: Reborn'', released October 21, 2014 on
Majik Ninja Entertainment
Twiztid is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan, known for both their horror-themed lyrics and rock-influenced sound. Formed in 1997, Twiztid is composed of rappers Jamie "Madrox" Spaniolo and Paul "Monoxide" Methric. Spaniolo and ...
, derives from much of the same vocal sessions, but contains newly recorded, different music. The album was reissued in 2020 by Majik Ninja Entertainment for its 10th anniversary.
Reception
''Gang Rags'' debuted at number 5 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Top Independent Albums
chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphics, graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can repres ...
and number 52 on the
''Billboard'' 200.
Allrovi reviewer David Jeffries gave the album 3.5 out of 5 and praised its production and various musical styles. Jeffries wrote that "Blaze’s gruff delivery bounces off thumping basslines and speaker-ripping electro throughout the album," and that the "
Parliament/Funkadelic
Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. With an eclectic style ...
-styled choruses ...
rea welcome influence from the rapper and producer’s hometown of
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
."
The album was also favorably received by Kik Axe Music reviewer James Zahn, who called it "one of the best releases from Psychopathic in recent memory".
Zahn praised the production of Mike E. Clark and Violent J, and said that the album "could easily break from the
underground
Underground most commonly refers to:
* Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth
Underground may also refer to:
Places
* Buenos Aires Underground, a rapid transit system
* London Underground, a rapid transit system
* ...
to attract outside attention."
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians
*
Anybody Killa
James Clemmie Lowery (born June 26, 1974), also known as Anybody Killa, or ABK, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan, United States, whose stage persona is that of a Native American warrior. He was signed to Psychopathic Records, but is ...
- vocals
*
Axe Murder Boyz
Axe Murder Boyz are an American hip hop duo from Denver, Colorado, United States, best known as representatives of the horrorcore and gangsta rap subgenres. It consists of brothers Mike and James Garcia, who perform under the names Bonez Dubb an ...
- vocals
*
Blaze - vocals
*
The Dayton Family
The Dayton Family is an American hip hop group from Flint, Michigan, composed of Ira "Bootleg" Dorsey, Raheen "Shoestring" Peterson and Matt "Backstabba" Hinkle. Its name derives from Dayton Street, one of Flint's most crime-ridden streets.
Mu ...
- vocals
*
Kottonmouth Kings
The Kottonmouth Kings is an American hip hop group formed in Placentia, California in 1996 by D-Loc and Saint Dog. The group advocates for legalizing cannabis, and their lyrics contain frequent references to marijuana consumption. The grou ...
- vocals
*Michelle Rapp - vocals
*
Mike E. Clark - arranger, composer, vocals, producer, mixing
*
Shaggy 2 Dope
Joseph William Utsler (; born October 14, 1974), known by his stage name Shaggy 2 Dope, is an American rapper, actor, record producer and professional wrestler. He is part of the hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. He is the co-founder of the rec ...
- vocals
*
Violent J
Joseph Frank Bruce (born April 28, 1972), known by his stage name Violent J, is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler, actor, and part of the hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse (ICP). He is a co-founder of the record label Ps ...
- composer, vocals, producer
Additional personnel
*E-Wolf - photography
*Jim Kissling - mastering
*Jim Neve - bandana design, cover design, layout
Chart positions
References
{{Authority control
2010 albums
Albums produced by Mike E. Clark
Blaze Ya Dead Homie albums