$uicideboy$

Rising from the dark corners of the underground, New Orleans rap duo $uicideboy$ merges hip-hop with a punk and occult aesthetic fit for graveyards and clubs alike. With dozens of projects to their name (including at least 20 installments of their Kill Yourself EP series), they released their official full-length studio debut, I Want to Die in New Orleans, in 2018. Without much mainstream attention, they racked up multiple gold-certified singles and stormed charts around the world. Both their 2021 sophomore LP, Long-Term Effects of Suffering, and 2022′s Sing Me a Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation also debuted in the U.S. Top Ten, while 2024′s New World Depression debuted at number five, a new high. Even though they combined their talents in 2014, the pair were already well-acquainted as cousins. Ruby da Cherry and Scrim grew up together, white kids in Black neighborhoods on the east and west banks of the Crescent City. However, they initially veered down different paths. Ruby (aka Suicide Leopard) dabbled in punk rock, influenced by the Misfits, Minor Threat, and Leftover Crack. Meanwhile, Scrim (aka $lick $loth and Suicide Christ) was a DJ and songwriter. Once they joined forces, the result was a dark blend of horrorcore glitch-trap bubbling with booming bass, ominous atmospherics, and occultist, drugged-out rhymes. Signed to G59 Records, the Boy$ released the ambitious ten-part series Kill Your$elf. With titles like The $uicide $aga, The $eppuku $aga, and Re$urrection, $uicideboy$ layered their twisted raps over short tracks, releasing additional EPs like Black $uicide (with Black Smurf), Grey Sheep, G.R.E.Y.G.O.D.S., and My Liver Will Handle What My Heart Can't in 2015. By 2016, with SXSW and international shows under their belt, the duo’s recordings continued, notching nearly 30 full-lengths within two years. Radical $uicide, their 29th release, arrived in the summer of 2016. The five-track EP produced by Getter peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Rap charts. In 2017, the pair revived their Kill Yourself series with Kill Yourself, Pt. 11: The Kingdom Come Saga. Ten volumes were issued that year, closing with XX: The Infinity Saga. Early 2018 saw the release of the single “FUCKALLOFYOU2K18.” Later that year, they issued “Carrollton” and “Meet Mr. NICEGUY,” a pair of singles that appeared on their fall release I Want to Die in New Orleans. The album arrived in September 2019 and landed at number nine on the Billboard 200. After closing out the year with the collaborative EP Live Fast Die Whenever (with Travis Barker), the duo returned in March 2020 for their 45th project, Stop Staring at the Shadows. Also that year, Scrim made his solo debut with A Man Rose from the Dead. Continuing their prolific streak, $uicideboy$ released their official sophomore album, Long-Term Effects of Suffering, in August 2021. The set debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200, their highest showing to date. The pair kicked off 2022 with the single “The Evil That Men Do,” the first song they would share from their upcoming third studio album. That record, Sing Me a Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation, was released in July 2022 and debuted at the number seven slot of the Billboard Top 200 charts. While still ensconced in the dark imagery and druggy production of their earlier work, the now mostly substance-free $uicideboy$ turned in some of their most hopeful and positive material on the album, and had some moments of self-aware humor on tracks like “$uicideboy$ Were Better in 2015.” They closed the year with the conclusion of their DN$ trilogy, teaming with Germ for DirtiestNastiest$uicide. The duo opened 2023 with another collaborative EP, Shameless $uicide with California rapper and associate Shakewell. That same year they also released several EPs, including YIN YANG TAPES: Fall Season (1989-1990) and part five of I No Longer Fear the Razor Guarding My Heel. In June 2024, the pair released their fourth studio full-length, New World Depression, which became their highest U.S. chart showing to date. ~ Neil Z. Yeung