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Myzery’s camp gives a Psycho Realm history lesson!

Alright class…listen up!  I know a lot of you OG ninjas out there have a vast knowledge of old school hip hop.  Some of the younger cats really don’t though, and they’re about to get schooled by Myzery‘s camp about the group The Psycho Realm!  They are playing on the Underground Stage at the GOTJ on Saturday Night (2 AM) shortly after Project Born rocks the stage.  I have personally never seen them perform, but I plan on being there at this year’s Gathering of the Juggalos!  Now, get ready to fill your dome with some knowledge about these OG Killas:

MYZERY CAMP GIVES A HISTORY LESSON ON NEW GOTJ PERFORMERS- THE PSYCHO REALM

Okay, so in our last MYZERY news update you may recall a brief endorsement (in MYZERY’s GOTJ “Must See” List) of a group called The Psycho Realm.  Now hip hop heads, and especially West Coast rap historians, already have a strong understanding of this veteran rap group out of L.A.  That’s largely due to their self titled debut released on Sony (Ruffhouse Records) in 1997.  The album is still considered by many critics as one of the most impressive debut albums ever released by a rap group.  We here at MYZERY Camp fully agree with this decree, as it still remains one of the few albums ever where the “skip” button isn’t necessary at all.  From start to finish, it’s actually a rap masterpiece.  The group’s original lineup consisted of Gonzalez brothers- Sick Jacken and Duke, along with Cypress Hill frontman B-Real.  It should be noted that the Psycho Realm never actually met the platinum recording artist, not until B-Real himself attended one of their outdoor concerts in L.A.  B-Real was so impressed by their natural talent, that he actually approached them immediately after their performance about joining their group.  This was during the pinnacle of Cypress Hill’s popularity, and the addition of B-Real instantly fueled the record label (Sony) to announce that Psycho Realm was in fact an official member of Cypress Hill’s extended roster.  To further promote the album’s release, the group embarked on the nationwide “House of Horrors” tour with none other than- ICP (headlining), The House of Krazees (Twiztid and the R.O.C.) and Myzery.

While you’ve never heard of any collaboration attempts between The Psycho realm and the remainder of the tour’s lineup, you have heard references to a collaborative incident that they were ALL involved in…and subsequently locked up for.  Remember ICP’s lyric “I love waffle house, I stab people there”, or what about Twiztid’s inside lyric on $85 an hour “and I ain’t even wearing a damn thing green b*tch”.  Both of those cryptic lyrics were in reference to an infamous waffle house brawl in which a group of southern “sons of the soil” type individuals thought it would be wise to get lippy with the tour members.  Bad idea for, well, …their health.  As Big Ponch vividly recalls- “those Psycho Realm boys don’t play.  I can’t remember the exact words that were said, but as soon as the words left the country dudes mouth, Big Duke didn’t hesitate to straight drill homeboy right in his mouth.  The rest was just one big blur…with the Clownz, Twiztid, Psycho Realm, and us, all landing a free trip to jail that night”.

With the release of such a well received debut album, coupled with a high profile national tour, it seemed like nothing could stifle their growing momentum.  But, as fate would have it, tragedy struck, and only one month before the slated release date of their 2nd album “A War Story: Book 1”.  Maybe when Jacken released his solo album titled “Stray Bullets”, it was in reference to this tragic moment, or perhaps just an unrelated/preferred album title, either way, this was actually the exact occurrence that altered the path of The Psycho Realm as a group…forever.  You see, as Duke was attempting to break up a heated argument at a late night burger joint, shots were fired, and being in the middle of the scuffle, Duke caught a bullet in the throat.  The gunshot wound left Duke completely paralyzed from the neck down.  It should come as no surprise, but this incident was devastating for the group on both a personal and professional level, as Duke wasn’t just a member of the group, but also considered to be their general.

The Psycho Realm’s back catalog is a bittersweet celebration, because officially, their first self titled LP was the only Psycho Realm album to ever receive a big studio release (and one of the greatest rap albums of the 90’s, if not ever).  Through his brother’s drive to persevere and carry on the legacy, Jacken later released the two formerly scrapped studio albums to their legion of anxious fans.  They were basically released without promotion and strictly through word of mouth.  Fans quickly noticed the absence of B-Real, whose binding contractual stipulations with Sony denied him almost any involvement with the group (which he would increasingly find ways to circumvent later on).  However, Jacken carried on with pride and since 1999 has steadily released a slew of impressive albums, but now under the banner of “The Psycho Realm Presents”, instead of misleading audience to believe that these albums were created by the group’s original lineup.  This banner was boldly displayed, as Jacken has vowed that it would be disrespectful to insinuate the same exact recipe that the original three members created.

Somewhere along the way, Jacken identified an urge to become a more complete musician, versus being type casted as just the last active member of The Psycho Realm.  So Jacken retreated to seclusion to master the musical production side of the house, specializing in his own unique brand of fusing hip hop elements with Motown and even classical sounds.  His new craft became immediately renowned within the hip hop community (and often venturing into rock), as his talents became sought after by scores of established artists.  Both his production and guest vocal appearances can be heard on collaborations with artists ranging from-  Blink 182, Swollen Members, P.O.D., La Coka Nostra, Xzibit, Everlast, The Beatnuts, Slaine, Killah Priest, and Cypress Hill.  Aside from their time tested first album, Jacken’s 2nd most critically acclaimed release occurred when he joined forces with DJ Muggs to release the joint album- “The Legend of the Mask and the Assassin (in reference to DJ Muggs world famous Soul Assassins rap stable)”.

So here we are, some 16 years after they first stormed on the scene, and for many Gathering attendees, seeing The Psycho Realm’s name mentioned in the infomercial was a first time exposure to their very existence.  We here at Myzery Camp are urging any and all GOTJ attendees to enlighten your musical palette, and give The Psycho Realm a chance to really warp your unsuspecting minds!  You will not be disappointed.  To describe their sound is somewhat misleading, especially if you’re taking their name into account.  In an age where the Underground far outnumbers the mainstream, the name Psycho “ANYTHING” is today’s trend for that crazy mass murder music, where the mindless gore and sex is touted as if the artists aim to outdo the work of Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, and Ron Jeremy with each and every verse.  However, The Psycho Realm was the granddaddy of “Psycho” group monikers, but their music instead depicts the insanity of what ugly truths are really lurking in those neighborhoods…from the other side of the tracks.  If their musical content sounds too descriptive to be phony, that’s because they’ve always exposed the crime infested underbelly of the streets, much of which they’ve witnessed firsthand.  To them, growing up to the brutal sights and sounds of Pico Union was as nonfiction as it gets.  This life has translated clearly into their music, as it’s always portrayed the most compelling examples of- organized crime, police corruption, political scandal, toxic women, and wartime situations that have ever been explored in rap.  It’s definitely sugar free rap, and bursting with high octane Mafioso plot and suspense.  Do yourself a favor and just google the song “La Conecta”, and then you’ll probably ask yourself why some mafia movies aren’t as well written as the song you just heard.

So if you plan on making your own GOTJ “must see” list this year, you should definitely add The Psycho Realm’s late night (Saturday 2 am) set to your agenda.  Myzery Camp will be proudly posted up in attendance for this one.  Hell, for us, it’s been 16 years in the making to see these guys rock the stage again.  If you’re still a diehard fan of anybody after some 16 years, they must be doing something right to keep your attention.  And although Big Duke has been long out of commission regarding any stage performances (he’s still a huge contributor behind the scenes with production and merchandising), Sick Jacken will more than likely be joined by label mate and Street Platoon frontman Cynic, not only to fulfill Duke’s verses, but also to perform his own verses from the vast collaborations with Sick Jacken.  So yeah, in closing Myzery Camp is urging all those in search of that “Best Kept Secret” type of hip hop, to come join us in giving some L.A. legends their proper respect for their first (of hopefully many more) Gathering performances.  See you soon- Hodge

Some suggested Psycho Realm listening-

  1.  The Psycho Realm’s self titled debut (entire album)
  2. “street platoons”
  3. “earthquake weather”
  4. “sick dogs”
  5. “show of force”
  6. “wasted”
  7. “the black hole”
  8. “death or retirement”
  9. “black ships”
  10. “needful things”

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    Faygoluvers Comments

  1. Old Mr Dangerous

    Old Mr Dangerous

    Comment posted on Tuesday, July 30th, 2013 03:18 pm GMT -5 at 3:18 pm

    Hell yeah. Classic group

  2. Felix_Strange

    Felix_Strange

    Comment posted on Tuesday, July 30th, 2013 10:28 pm GMT -5 at 10:28 pm

    Fucking a I miss Psycho Realm remember making a mix tape with them Rage Against the Machine and ICP
    back in the day, that was my road jams lol please tell someone remembers cassette tapes

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