Necro: hip hop with a metal twist

At first glance, Brooklyn-based rapper Necro looks like a standard hip hop artist. Scratch the surface, however, and it’s clear that he is one of the most unique hip hop artists performing today.

Raised on a steady diet of both rap and metal, Necro fuses the two together in a way that, instead of being musically classified as a nu-metal artist, he creates a refreshingly new genre of music: ‘death rap’.

Lyrically, Necro has taken his love of death metal and used it to write songs that approach topics such as death, murder and violence. Although these subjects are considered to be somewhat worn with overuse, the ‘death rap’ artist presents his twisted lyrics in a variety of original and fascinating ways.

Promoted using graphic death-metal style artwork and shows on prominent underground metal tours, ‘death rap’ has grown over the course of Necro’s six-album career from a gimmick into a fully fledged musical force, with the artist’s machine-gun verses rapped over heavy beats.

Now backed by several other self-proclaimed ‘death rap’ artists on his label Psycho+Logical Records, the rapper feels 2011 could be his year.

“Necro is the most powerful thing in hip hop. My music is the most brutal shit out; anything else is copying or not doing it right.” Not a man known for mincing his words, Necro has also made a name for himself through controversy, most recently being involved in a lawsuit after breaking a fan’s jaw during a gig.

“It’s the reality of getting stupid with me or getting in the mosh pit. Most people in the music game are pussies. I’m a real street kid that went into hip hop from the streets, so I don’t play that shit. You disrespect, you get hit.”

The outspoken artist recently toured the UK in support of his latest album, “DIE!” and was quick to praise UK artists and fans. “I love all of England. I always get love. The entire UK is great to me, besides the agents who are cocksuckers, but the fans rule.

I like some Plan B shit, Skinnyman is dope and Foreign Beggars do their thing. I don’t listen to a lot of other rappers from any countries, but I respect anyone that shows me respect. All the rappers I mentioned showed me love so they get it in return.”

As a Jewish hip hop artist residing on the “mean streets” of Brooklyn who raps about subjects more suited to heavy metal, Necro is something of a contradiction. Despite all this, the rapper has been able to, quite literally, carve a niche into the hip hop world.

Mixing rap and metal together is nothing new, but Necro does it in his own unique way, even gaining enough support from the metal community to feature legendary Anthrax guitarist, Scott Ian, on the track, “Evil Rules”.

“I’m doing nothing different but when I do what I do, it’s so monumental, it feels like it’s new because its fresh and no one did it,” explains Necro.

Necro is a man that seems unafraid of appearing stereotypical. His brash demeanour and in-your-face attitude can be seen in many current underground artists, but the sheer intensity and musical talent on display stops Necro from being labelled as just another “thuggish rapper”.

Promising to release another album this year, the ‘Father of Horrorcore’ is intent on making 2011 the year that the whole world learns about ‘death rap’. “A lot of people still sleep on me and act like I don’t exist. It’s important for those that understand to support, it’s hard to brainwash dummies who resist the dope shit out of ignorance.”