As Halloween lurks around the corner, we’ve compiled a list of bone-chilling horror rap tracks to set the eerie tone for your Halloween bash.
Hip-hop, over time, has been influenced by sinister sounds and occult imagery, mirroring the spine-chilling essence of horror movies. The genre evolved further with the rise of horrorcore in the 90s, a darkened realm of hip-hop where artists delve into their deepest and darkest fantasies, yielding lyrics that may unsettle the faint-hearted. The lyrics are gruesome in some cases and can be unsettling so proceed with caution.
From Geto Boys, Big L to Brotha Lynch, Here are 14 hip hop Halloween songs to help you get your scare on.
Fresh Prince x Jazzy Jeff “ANightmare On My Street”
A comical yet essential track inspired by Nightmare On Elm Street, where Will Smith recounts his wild encounter with Freddy Krueger, hilariously refusing his offer to join forces in rhyme. “Yo Fred, I think you got me all wrong/I ain’t partners with nobody with nails that long. Look, I’ll be honest this team won’t work.”
Reality only sets in the end when Freddy decides to kill Jazzy Jeff.
Gravediggaz “Diary Of A Madman”
One of the creepiest beats of all time and the video is equally as disturbing. Gravediggaz are specialists of the horrorcore rap and on “Diary Of A Madman,” they delve into the origins of their horrorcore rap, painting a vivid picture of their eerie beginnings.
Snoop Dogg “Murder Was The Case”
Backed by Dr. Dre’s haunting production, Snoop Dogg metaphorical raps about selling his soul to the devil.
DMX “The Omen”
DMX battled with a lot of demons while he was alive and on this song we get to witness him going back and forth with one of them. “The Omen” was the second song in his “Damien” series and probably the most chilling. X gave us psychotic episodes about his dealings with Damien – his inner demon. The song is a brilliant yet chilling narrative of his struggle.
Tech N9ne “The Boogieman”
It’s Hallwoen and Tech is the boogeyman. The Missouri rapper’s scary content about unidentifiable beasts lurking in the shadows sets a misty, haunting tone.
Eminem “Amityville”
Named after the classic horror movie ‘The Amityville Horror’, this track combines an anthemic chorus with dark themes, delivering a jarring musical experience.
Whodini “The Haunted House Of Rock”
Whodini’s “The Haunted House Of Rock” is an ode to the spooky season. With refrences to Dracula, werewolves and ghouls, it is a Halloween essential. It’s funky, repetitive and has a gnarly sense of spookiness about it. Plus it’s sure to get your guests on their feet.
Geto Boys “Chuckie”
Like all horrocore, this was inspired by the popular Child’s Play slasher series of movies based around a serial possessed doll called Chuckie. The Geto Boys add the perfect touch of horror with lines such as “My name is Chuckie, some say I’m insane/You give me some gin, and I might eat a dog’s brain/Give me a motherfuckin 15-pack
And I’ll be damned if I don’t bring 15 dead niggas back.”
DMX “X Is Coming”
DMX was a master of the dark arts. “X Is Coming” brings out his sociopathic tendecies as he goes on about how he “plucked you like a chicken, with your head cut off.” The song is packed with exaggerated violence, but the creepiest part of it all is that chorus . There’s something about turning popular children songs into chants of terror that is unsettling.
Brotha Lynch Hung “Meat Cleaver”
A gruesome track that delves into cooking body parts, eating brains, and torture, making it an ideal pick for a celebration built around terror.
Kanye West x Jay-Z x Rick Ross x Nicki Minaj “Monster”
Featuring an ensemble cast of artists, this single from Kanye West encapsulates often disturbing horror movie references and mannerisms, adding a touch of darkness to your Halloween playlist.
The song’s official music video, directed by Jake Nava, features dark, horror related imagery, with references to several horror movies, such as American Psycho and Saw. It became widely controversial on release, and was banned on MTV and removed from Kanye’s YouTube account.
E-40 “Zombie”
The infectious chorus chanting, “If you’re a zombie, monster, ghoul or fiend,” is a genius addition to set the macabre atmosphere
The Fat Boys “Are You Ready For Freddy”
Although not as memorable as The Fresh Prince’s, “Are You Ready For Freddy,” still makes for a noteworthy addition to your Halloween playlist.
Big L “Devil’s Son”
“Look at my scalp real close and you’ll see triple 6s.” This track is packed with The Omen refrences and psychotic lyrics about violence and the underworld. It’s downright evil, which makes it perfect for your occult craziness.
Happy Halloween
