Ghostemane

[elevenism]

I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea, and some might even find it laughable, but I damn sure like it.

This dude, who calls himself Ghostemane, has been doing this dark, eerie trap thing for a few years. His background is in metal and hardcore. Most all of it is self produced, and a lot of the drum samples are samples of him playing. He raps in a few different voices, one of them sounding kind of like Bone or Three Six Mafia, and he screams sometimes. He's a twenty something Caucasian dude with his hair dyed white.

Anyway, I decided to finally bring it up here because his new album is something else entirely, and I've seen people talking about NIN influence. And I DEFINITELY hear the nin influence, particularly TDS era.

This new album combines elements of industrial, straight up metal, and trap. He sings more, and there are some tracks that are closer to being rock songs.

Personally, I fucking LOVE it. Yes, it's almost ridiculously dark, but so is my current state of mind these days.

Here's the new album.
I

And here's his biggest hit song from a couple years back.



I wondered if anyone else was digging it, especially the new stuff.

[mfte]

I found out about this guy from NoJumper. It's definitely interesting but I find it hard to listen more than 1 or 2 songs in a row. I really like the music portion of his material over his flow or lyrics. For this sort of lurking dark trap rap I much prefer the $uicideBoy$


His appropriation of old cartoons is cool and how they're re contextualized with the dark music.

[Toadflax]

I dig this.

[bobbie solo]

I went and saw Vein open for this clown. Then I left.

[elevenism]

I went and saw Vein open for this clown. Then I left.

Yeah I figured you'd say something like that. Seriously.
@bobbie solo , that's why i wrote "I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea, and some might even find it laughable, but I damn sure like it." from the get go

[elevenism]

I would urge anyone who likes ghostemane at all to check out the new album though.

It's WAY more industrial/rock oriented than anything else he's done.

One of the first few tracks on the album is sort of an homage to wish, for instance.

And like, ok, YES, the lyrics are kind of childish. But sometimes, I need that shit. Like currently, hearing dude scream "im not gONNA MAKE IIIT" over nasty industrial production is extremely cathartic for me.

[bobbie solo]

Hey man, do you. I just think of Juggalo bullshit when I heard him. And I can't take his soundcloud style of rapping seriously at all. On a more positive note, DJ Enuff played this today at work as part of an old school set he was pre-recording for Shade 45:



The set was so good (Nas- One Love, Biggie- Party & Bullshit, Wu-Tang- Triumph, Dr. Dre- Bitches Ain't Shit, buncha M.O.P., buncha Cypress Hill, buncha Redman, Eminem- '97 Bonnie & Clyde), everyone came out from their studio or work area and was hanging out and watching/listening. Doesn't happen as much anymore bc we have to play so much modern garbage most of the time.

[elevenism]

Hey man, do you. I just think of Juggalo bullshit when I heard him. And I can't take his soundcloud style of rapping seriously at all. On a more positive note, DJ Enuff played this today at work as part of an old school set he was pre-recording for Shade 45:



The set was so good (Nas- One Love, Biggie- Party & Bullshit, Wu-Tang- Triumph, Dr. Dre- Bitches Ain't Shit, buncha M.O.P., buncha Cypress Hill, buncha Redman, Eminem- '97 Bonnie & Clyde), everyone came out from their studio or work area and was hanging out and watching/listening. Doesn't happen as much anymore bc we have to play so much modern garbage most of the time.

That's awesome. Dude, i wish i had your fucking job.

Dude, JUGGALO? Seriously? HA! That's rough. There's nothing i hate more than ICP.


Honestly, the new record sounds a WHOLE hell of a lot like NIN.

[bobbie solo]

Would be sweet if the instrumentals came out.

[elevenism]

Would be sweet if the instrumentals came out.

There is ONE really nice instrumental track on the record: check it out.

[eversonpoe]

finally checked out his newest album today and i couldn't get into it. there are a lot of interesting ideas but it jumps around too erratically between them and the different styles he occupies, and it makes for an unpleasant listen. i had to completely skip "ballgag" because it was so stupid. the opening track sounded a bit like NIN though which i thought was interesting. but for the most part, it's basically just trap with some industrial sounds, and it's definitely not my cup o' tea. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[ManBurning]

I am not interested in this what-so-ever. But some of you may be, so I'll just leave this here for the 2 or 3 of you that do like this lol...

[thefragile_jake]

I was actually super bummed that tour wasn't anywhere close to me.

[elevenism]

I was actually super bummed that tour wasn't anywhere close to me.

Have you seen any of his live shows on Youtube?
They have a full band, and they go hard as a motherfucker: lots of metal/hardcore interludes, and they play Head Like a Hole.

I wouldn't go to his show, because the crowd is fucking insane, and I'm too old and beat up for that shit, ha.

I WISH I could go.

[elevenism]

...there are a lot of interesting ideas but it jumps around too erratically between them and the different styles he occupies, and it makes for an unpleasant listen.

dude, I wish I hadn't read this observation, because, now, I see it too- the way it jumps around so much. And, now that I'm noticing it, I still like it a LOT, but, I like it a little less than I did before.

I think that maybe that has to do with 2min being the average track length for today's hip hop.

BUT, this album is a big left turn from JUST trap, so, maybe in the future, the songs will be more fleshed out.

[elevenism]

Artsy little doc that reminds me of Closure.

And it ends with audio clip of Trent talking about being successful, and still miserable, from a fragile era interview (I think that's when it's from, at least.)

This dude REALLY loves him some NIN, I think.

[elevenism]

New Ghoste



Once again, this kid captures just how I feel. And I love that NASTY industrialish noise.

[elevenism]

Another stunning outing from Ghostemane. This is like N/O/I/S/E , but, a little more mature.

At 40, this is the only new music that really excites me, aside from Tyler, Billie Eilish, and Earl. Oh, and that new Busta Rhymes.

[elevenism]

Ghoste is moving further and further away from hip hop like, at all.
This is pretty much just straight up industrial metal.

[elevenism]

So I saw that Ghostemane is finally sharing the stage with his idol/plagiarism source, Trent Reznor, at the Kentucky festival. It's NIN, Snoop Dog, MGK, Ghostemane.

I hope Trent watches the show and some networking is done, and these guys talk, because there's no-one I'd rather see opening for NIN than Ghostemane. I'm not going to an ACTUAL ghostemane show because it looks like a good way to get hurt at 41.

But, if I had a SEAT, AND NIN was playing afterwards, well, that'd be lovely.

[elevenism]

also, @bobbie solo is a juggalo.

[mfte]

He's down with the clown?

[elevenism]

He's down with the clown?

that's what i heard.

He fucks with the juggler.

I heard he was going to The Gathering this year. :P

[bobbie solo]

I come back on here after a month & I have to see this SLANDER!!!!!

[elevenism]

New video for old song. It's dope.

I also noticed that it said "Creative Director: Poppy"

There are a lot of signs of getting through a breakup on Anti-Icon, and I felt like an awful bastard for wondering if he and Poppy are together now.

Sure enough, they are. I kind of wish I HADN'T found that out? Like, I'd rather things maintain a bit of mystery.

At the same time, though, that sounds like a partnership bound to create dark strange music and visuals: she also directed Lazzaretto and Hydrochloride.

Another thing I've recently learned about Ghoste is that he's refusing to sign with any label. His new video shot to several hundred thousand views within a couple hours, but I guess he wants to do things his own way.

Finally, I learned that in late 2019, he quietly put out a straight up metal EP that seems heavily inspired by black metal.

He also did a short acoustic ep.

Here's the metal one; it's not half bad if you're into that sort of thing.

[firewlker]

I also noticed that it said "Creative Director: Poppy"

There are a lot of signs of getting through a breakup on Anti-Icon, and I felt like an awful bastard for wondering if he and Poppy are together now.

Sure enough, they are. I kind of wish I HADN'T found that out? Like, I'd rather things maintain a bit of mystery.

At the same time, though, that sounds like a partnership bound to create dark strange music and visuals: she also directed Lazzaretto and Hydrochloride.

They're together since late 2019, got engaged and everything.

[elevenism]

They're together since late 2019, got engaged and everything.

Yeah, I know. I don't usually seek out such information, especially with an artist like this.
You POSTED ME SAYING THAT, ffs.

I don't usually get into information like that.

[elevenism]

Ok so, I've been revisiting Ghostemane's N/O/I/S/E, aka No One is Safe from Evil, and noticed a bunch of shit I missed before.

One thing @eversonpoe mentioned when she heard it was that Ballgag was stupid, and I think I agreed. It's been awhile.

But I'm now 99% sure that song isn't what it seems. I think it's about someone accidentally KILLING someone during consensual sex, OR, possibly, the mind of a lunatic rapist muderer.

Idk who else is into this other than @thefragile_jake , @Toadflax, @Mutilated, @RocketScience but hey, YOU cats might find this interesting, at least.

OK, SO
The song ballgag has some pretty sexually aggressive lyrics that I won't repeat here, about, well, fucking a woman who is ballgagged, for.one. It's not QUITE BMWAG territory. It's close, but the narrator clearly states "I got the consent so I'm goin' all out."

This plays out over some dark trap in the first portion of the track.

The final spoken lines are "shorty SAID she's a freak" x6 or 8, I think.

THEN, there's a breakdown. If you listen closely, there's a SAMPLE in said breakdown, repeating the words "it's conSENSUAL" multiple times, and it sounds like the speaker is trying to convince HIMSELF, like it's cut from someone saying "but it was consensual!' or something like that.

Ok so after THAT comes the big ass industrial metal part wherein Ghoste is screaming " I'VE GOT SOMETHING INSIDE OF ME AND YOU MAKE ME WANNA LET IT OUT."

When THAT ends, the whole thing collapses into droning industrial noise, and, again: if you listen closely, you can hear someone saying "what's wrong? What's wrong? What's wrong? What's wrong?"

And the "what's wrong" bit is spoken all innocently, with genuine concern.

NOW that song makes a hell of a lot more sense to me: I don't think it's "I'm Ghostemane and I'm into rough sex." I think it's about something MUCH darker, which honestly made me think again about the Trenchcoat song.

In THAT song, if you pay close attention to the lyrics, the final verse is basically saying that the cops will shoot you in the wrong part of town for looking at them funny, but school shooters commit mass murder and get to live another day, AND become immortalized.

This sentiment is followed up with something like "go blast your local press," as in, the media has a hand in glamorizing these people: Natural Born Killers style.

So BOTH of these tracks make me think back to the second track, and first full song on the record Nihil, when he says "Looking around and all I see at the end of the line: I see a dystopia/ Evil all around and no one is safe/Nihilist- I am the finest although I don't align with it/we're all to blame, keep on denying it."

So BASICALLY, I'm starting to think this little.record is about all the dark, depraved shit in the world deeply fucking someone's head up.
I also think it was meant to be a sort of trappy TDS thing.

I still love this record, BTW, and now that this act has gone like 95% straight up industrial and 5% hip hop, I guess it now stands as sort of the end of an era

[elevenism]

@bobbie solo
Koona T'chutu, Solo?
You basically accused me of being a Juggalo for being into Ghostemane.
I'm calling you out, Solo.
Explain to me how THIS relates to ICP.


Or.this:


Isn't it closer to NIN/MM with some trap influence, and a whole.hell of a lot of BONE Thugs influence? Also, the man has a fucking astrophysics degree.
Compare that to ICP.

I'm just waiting for Trent, and the rest of you guys to catch up.
People called me crazy for being into 100 Gecs...until NIN took them on tour.

Suddenly, there are thousands of 100 Gecs fans on the Ninternet.
Same shit happened with A Place to Bury Strangers, Does it Offend You, Yeah?, Crystal.Castles, etc.

I implore anyone seeing this to give Ghoste a shot, starting with N/O/I/S/E, or perhaps Anti-Icon.
Dig his work with Parv0.
Perhaps check out Hexada if you dig the other ones, and maybe his black metal side project.

If you're already INTO dark hip hop, though, just check out Mercury and Andromeda, and THEN get into the intensely industrial shit.

Here is a man doing a killer cover of HLAH at his live show, but today's NIN fans only seemed to like it when Hannah Montana did it. This frightens me.

[bobbie solo]

Sure, he's def. growing his sound into something improved from the earlier stuff. That first song is still pretty bad, and his image is goofy as hell. The second song is pretty solid. I dug it. I will give you that. From what I see and where he gets booked, he's still trying to appeal to the mainstream, nu-metal revival type kids. Keep going in the direction of that second track, drop the fucking rapping completely and like start doing stuff with Youth Code or something.

That stuff from FOUR YEARS AGO that is still bothering you IS like ICP nonsense. It's really cringey to me, I'm sorry. Glad he's inching towards respectability though. I know you want vindication haha.

You need to move from bumblefuck Texas and get closer to somewhere where you can catch all these diverse artists you like live. I knwo you can't b/c of health & family reliance factors, but it would do you so good to more easily indulge/support all the music you ride for.

But then you'd be busier & not d/l all those movies we leech off you. So nevermind. Stay put & keep bumpin' the 2023 version of Twizted ;-)