Low expectations...

With a cheapo cover that looks like Jason Voorhees stumbling into some Hammer Films gothic cheese-fest, Dead At Birth's 1992 epic Genesis Of A Madman: Book 1 is one of the most unintentionally hilarious CD's I have ever happened upon. Though it sounds like a group, Dead At Birth is in fact one man - Loco - acting as the arranger, producer, mixer and rapper, his album is so weird that I'd like to know who greenlighted the project (and what audience they were aiming for). I guess you could call it hardcore (or horrorcore) rap but it runs like a comedy album. The funniest thing off the bat is how unapologetically Loco portrays himself as the greatest rapper ever. I know the whole "rap badass" thing was in full force in the 90's but this is ridiculous. His "Intro" rips off Ice Cube's start to Death Certificate's "No Vaseline" (or N.W.A.'s "Prelude" depending on what side of the fence you're on) and Loco actually has the balls to back the track with a roaring stadium concert audience. He samples the studio ho's, vacillating between the negative ("Fuck Dead At Birth, Dead At Birth can suck my muthafuckin' pussy") to the positive ("All these bitch wanna know what's under Loco's mask? I wanna know what's in his muthafuckin' pants.") I would be hard-pressed to find anyone who's actually heard of this album, much less a bunch of women so strongly opinionated! How can you top such an introduction? Well, Loco does, and it's actually not the horror-themed tunes that are the hits. "Diary Of A Madman" and "Dead At Birth" are cheesy and stupid, the Gravediggaz were doing it a lot better at the time. It's the ridiculous anthems "Drop The Load Wit' Tha Quickness" (Loco finds out he knocked his ho up and stresses out), "Reneé" (quaint story about the neighborhood ho), "50 Ways To Pimp Slap Yo' Bitch" (is it that hard to guess?), the list goes on and on! Shit, almost every tune on this album is a retarded classic. Loco is all over the place, one minute bitching about race relations then switching up to complain about some homeless guy. He targets the KKK, homosexuals, gold diggers; it's all done (intentionally?) tongue-in-cheek, full of groovy funk beats and funny samples (Sam Kinison's AIDS-bashing intro is pure anti-P.C. gold). Keeping with the annoying fad at the time Loco populates the album with a bunch of "skits": there are some moronic samples of the guys in the studio farting (!) - yep you heard me - and of some of Loco's female admirers leaving sugary sex phone messages. It all just adds to the low-rent awesomeness. Interestingly, my CD lists  "Kill Yo' Self" as the final track #19. Sadly, it's nowhere to be found. Maybe it was too much for the record execs after hearing the previous eighteen tracks. If ANYONE actually has any info on that one I'd love to hear it!! So, with that all said, Loco where are you now? The world needs you back for the 2000's - drop us Book 2!

6/14/15 update: Just re-upped the link with an uncensored version of the jaw-dropping anti-classic "That's What You Get". Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse. Enjoy.

Save It For The Next Man

Currently watching: Elephant

Currently listening to: Butthole Surfers Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac