Rap Necro: Death

The "Death" in Death Rap comes from Necro’s primary lyrical obsession: mortality. But he doesn't romanticize it. He dissects it. Tracks like "Dead Body Disposal" read like a DIY manual for the sociopathic handyman. Necro raps with a flat, nasal monotone that mimics the cold detachment of a coroner’s report. There is no bravado about surviving gunshots; there is only the gritty logistics of violence. What separates Necro from other hardcore rappers is his background. Before he was a rapper, he was a metalhead. He played guitar in death metal bands before picking up a mic. Consequently, Death Rap borrows heavily from the structure of thrash and death metal.

Necro strips away the "glamour" typically associated with hip-hop violence. In mainstream rap, violence is a tool for power or respect. In Death Rap, violence is meaningless, messy, and inevitable. It is nihilistic punk rock slowed down to a crawl. Tracks like "The Human Traffic King" are so relentlessly bleak that they circle back around to absurdist comedy. Death Rap never became a movement. While Necro founded his own label (Psycho+Logical-Records) and cultivated a roster of like-minded artists (Mr. Hyde, Goretex, The Circle of Tyrants), the genre remains a one-man island. death rap necro

Necro recently announced that his 2024 album The Notorious Goriest will be his final solo effort. If true, it marks the end of a bizarre, three-decade-long experiment. He proved that hip-hop could be just as savage, technically proficient, and aesthetically ugly as death metal. Death Rap is not for everyone. It is music that actively repels the casual listener. It has no radio singles, no club anthems, and no positive affirmations. But for those who find traditional hip-hop too soft and metal too removed from the groove of the street, Necro built a home. The "Death" in Death Rap comes from Necro’s