(NOTE: Music That Sucks is the correct opinion of the author. If you disagree then you are probably one of those people who believe the Holocaust was a Zionist hoax.)
Welcome one and all to a special induction into the "halls" of MTS. This time I will take you on a guided tour through the genre that is known by many names. Hate Rock, Race Music, White Power Music, and the name I am referring to the genre as: Hatecore.
The message that this music attempts to spreads notwithstanding (it should go without saying that the message is horrible), the music itself sucks ass. I've had the idea for this induction for a long time now, since Pilsner Panther did a write-up on early "Race Music" for his Pilsner's Picks over at threestooges.net. This induction will focus on the history of what is known as "modern day" Hatecore music. Later on I will attempt to post some examples of Hatecore for you to listen to, and to feel some of the pain that I went through in researching this induction.
If James Brown is the Godfather of Soul, then Johnny Rebel is the "Godfather of Hatecore" and the best place to start. Rebel (real name C.J. Trahan) is of Cajun descent and was an aspiring muscian in the 1950's. He grabbed his guitar and headed to Nashville, only to head back to his home state of Louisianna dejected. Everything changed in the late 1960's when Trahan began working for Reb Rebel Records out of Crowley, LA and took the Johnny Rebel stage name.
In his heyday, Rebel recorded 12 songs; ten of them about race. Some of the titles in his canon include: "Some Niggers Never Die (They Just Smell That Way)", "Nigger, Nigger", "In Coontown", "Lookin' For A Handout", "Nigger Hatin' Me", and "Kajun Klu [sic] Klux Klan". These tracks have a sort of Rockabilly sound to them, a very bad Rockabilly sound. Much like Christian Rock, the musicianship here is third rate and of course is supposed to take a back seat to the message. With that said, it is hard to get passed the music, which sounds like it would fall short of besting Uncle Cletus' Goodtime Moonshine Jug Band in a competition. As for the lyrics and "message", they are so stupid that they're comical. How anyone could take this shit seriously is way beyond me, but then again we are talking a much different time, when the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing.
The irony of it all is that alot of the "Segregationist Music" recorded at Reb Rebel by Johnny Rebel and his contemporaries was done with black studio musicians. In interviews Rebel claims that he never used black musicians, but was actually friends with quite a few of them. Friendly enough with one of them to borrow the man's car for a date.
A funny thing happened in the years since the end of Johnny Rebel, his music gained a cult following. Someone was making money off of this shit, and it wasn't Trahan. It is unclear who owns the rights to this music, and there is currently a lawsuit filed by Rebel against people selling bootlegs of his recordings, such as Resistance Records. Johnny Rebel has also made an appearance on the Howard Stern Show, but for the most part he keeps a very low profile.
Hatecore actually emcompasses many genres of music with the same lyrical message. The genre that most people equate Hatecore with today is Metal. One of the more popular Metal Hatecore acts is a British band called Skrewdriver. Influenced by Punk, as well stalwarts like the Rolling Stones and the Who, Ian Stuart was connected to the racist National Front, but didn't start incorporating his hatred for "Niggers and Jews" into the band's music until 1982. Skrewdriver is band that popularized the stereotypical image of skinheads thrashing around in Doc Martin boots, and are considered the best in their genre. However, the music is loud for the sake of loud and nothing more. You can go through a bottle of aspirin by the time the third song comes on. The lyrics are for the most part unintelligible; if you are trying to spread a message of hatred you'd think they'd do so in a way so the listener can understand what is being said.
Other offshoots of Hatecore include straight Rock, something called Oi, Black Metal, and even balladeers. Band names include, Blue Eyed Devils, Saga, Berserkr, and Angry Aryans. Just like Christian Rock these are musicians who would (or have) fail in the mainstream and are marketing themselves to a niche audience. There is nothing revolutionary about this shit, it's all stupid and horribly played. Hatecore seems to be most popular in the US, UK, and Germany, but with sales over 100,000 albums being considered a success it's hard to take these jackoffs seriously. There is more substance in a newborn's first bowel movement than there is in the world of Hatecore.
Hatecore, music...that sucks!
