Healdsburg rapper making waves in underground world
By Sarah Lewers, Staff Writer
File Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 2006 12:52 PM PST
Healdsburg has its own shining star in the underground rap universe.
Rapper Malice, born Jeremy Kelsay, has been bending ears with intoxicating beats and lyrics ranging from the violent and satirical to the serious and heartrending.
A Sonoma County native, the 24-year old piqued the interest of underground rap afficionados with the release of his first solo album, Concepts, in 2004.
Malice's dynamic performance on Concepts earned him a worldwide fan base and led to a whirlwind of shows across the United States and throughout parts of Europe and the success train shows no signs of derailing where the young artist is concerned. He recently got a national distribution deal for Concepts, shared billing with Too Short and The Team and is set to drop his sophomore album, The Re-Do, in less than a month.
The inspiration for Malice's lyrics derives from his own life experiences, a chilling proposition when album tracks range from “Burning Down the House,” an homage to pyromania, to “Shake ‘Em Up,” celebrating the abuse of prostitutes.
His graphic and offensive lyrics have earned Malice the label of “horrorcore,” a sub-genre of rap which combines hardcore rap with horror movie themes. Concepts is even listed as the fourth most popular horrorcore album on the Horrorcore.com website.
But Malice begs to differ, claiming the shockingly violent lyrics and themes are a ploy to grab listener's attention and ultimately deliver a positive message.
With lyrics that degrade women, glorify drug use, celebrate abusive relationships and encourage suicide? Malice says yes.
“I do a lot of shock-value music which has kind of labeled me horrorcore,” he said. “The reason I do shock value is that's how you get this generation to listen. You say something out of the ordinary and you get their ear. Once you get their ear, then you bring Jesus; you bring the word of God.”
So, how did Malice go from incarceration in the Sonoma County hoosegow, where he spent 90 days for assault, to spreading the word of the God?
It wasn't easy.
The journey from jail to Jesus has been an uphill battle for Healdsburg's homegrown rapper, fraught with death, heartbreak, self-doubt, drug abuse and violence.
Malice laid down his first tracks on a 1999 underground album as part of the group 707 Proof, when he was involved in Sonoma County's gangbanging underworld. The group released a second album, “Livin' Up in a Body Bag,” in 2000, shortly before Malice was incarcerated. When Malice was released, the group parted and “everyone just did their own thing.”
Malice refused to relinquish his love of performing; the rapper always knew he was meant for the stage.
“Since I was a little kid, I knew I wanted to be something big. I knew I was destined for acting, stand-up (comedy) or music,” he said. “Jail definitely motivated me to go out and do something with my life.”
But inspiration came with a hefty price tag. A split with the mother of his 7-year-old daughter, Kyra, and the deaths of his nephew, older brother, John, and over a dozen friends during a short span left the aspiring artist depressed. He was floundering in an ocean of pain, selling drugs to support his daughter and developed a substance abuse problem.
“I was selling dope for so long, it was around for so long, you just get caught up in it, you know?” Malice said. “It was a dreadful, depressing time. I recorded some of my best music at that time. If I didn't have music, I would have killed myself, probably.
“Depression and suicidal thoughts bring out the best music in me.”
Turning negatives into positives is a dominant theme in Malice's life. He got clean, found God, used the sorrow and pain he felt from being surrounded by so much death as fodder for his lyrics and expressed his overwhelming emotions through music.
“It brought me to God,” Malice said of the dark period. “I don't think anything ever happens for no reason. The things we go through makes us us.”
And now Malice wants to spread a positive message through his music, starting with The Re-Do album. The album's official release date is March 8, the five-year anniversary of brother John's death.
One of the tracks on the album, “Dear John,” explores Malice's relationship with his older brother and often moves listeners to tears, reaffirming Malice's conviction that he has found his calling in music.
“If you can make people cry, pull emotions out of people, then you're doing the right thing,” he said.
The Re-Do is primarily a collection of older songs to which Malice has added his own unique twist, including “Sweet Home California,” a take-off on Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1974 hit “Sweet Home Alabama.”
Malice has a theme for every album; The Re-Do explores the life and times of the artist, chronicling his journey from a troubled youth into manhood. Malice boycotted television and radio while he was creating beats and writing lyrics for The Re-Do to ensure his message was uncorrupted by outside influences.
“You won't see a lot of shock value on it,” he said. “Redemption, hope - it's about everything.”
Wit so much behind him, what's the next step for the charismatic rapper?
“Probably with my right foot,” Malice jokes. He switches to his more serious demeanor and shares that he will head to Los Angeles after The Re-Do is released, but he won't specify why.
“Let's just say I have a few connections down there, people that have been waiting on me.”
All signs point toward Malice being on the fast track to success, and, in spite of a rocky beginning, he's ready.
“You can't change the past, but you can always better the future,” he said. “I know it's my time to shine, now.
“It's time.”
By Sarah Lewers, Staff Writer
File Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 2006 12:52 PM PST
Healdsburg has its own shining star in the underground rap universe.
Rapper Malice, born Jeremy Kelsay, has been bending ears with intoxicating beats and lyrics ranging from the violent and satirical to the serious and heartrending.
A Sonoma County native, the 24-year old piqued the interest of underground rap afficionados with the release of his first solo album, Concepts, in 2004.
Malice's dynamic performance on Concepts earned him a worldwide fan base and led to a whirlwind of shows across the United States and throughout parts of Europe and the success train shows no signs of derailing where the young artist is concerned. He recently got a national distribution deal for Concepts, shared billing with Too Short and The Team and is set to drop his sophomore album, The Re-Do, in less than a month.
The inspiration for Malice's lyrics derives from his own life experiences, a chilling proposition when album tracks range from “Burning Down the House,” an homage to pyromania, to “Shake ‘Em Up,” celebrating the abuse of prostitutes.
His graphic and offensive lyrics have earned Malice the label of “horrorcore,” a sub-genre of rap which combines hardcore rap with horror movie themes. Concepts is even listed as the fourth most popular horrorcore album on the Horrorcore.com website.
But Malice begs to differ, claiming the shockingly violent lyrics and themes are a ploy to grab listener's attention and ultimately deliver a positive message.
With lyrics that degrade women, glorify drug use, celebrate abusive relationships and encourage suicide? Malice says yes.
“I do a lot of shock-value music which has kind of labeled me horrorcore,” he said. “The reason I do shock value is that's how you get this generation to listen. You say something out of the ordinary and you get their ear. Once you get their ear, then you bring Jesus; you bring the word of God.”
So, how did Malice go from incarceration in the Sonoma County hoosegow, where he spent 90 days for assault, to spreading the word of the God?
It wasn't easy.
The journey from jail to Jesus has been an uphill battle for Healdsburg's homegrown rapper, fraught with death, heartbreak, self-doubt, drug abuse and violence.
Malice laid down his first tracks on a 1999 underground album as part of the group 707 Proof, when he was involved in Sonoma County's gangbanging underworld. The group released a second album, “Livin' Up in a Body Bag,” in 2000, shortly before Malice was incarcerated. When Malice was released, the group parted and “everyone just did their own thing.”
Malice refused to relinquish his love of performing; the rapper always knew he was meant for the stage.
“Since I was a little kid, I knew I wanted to be something big. I knew I was destined for acting, stand-up (comedy) or music,” he said. “Jail definitely motivated me to go out and do something with my life.”
But inspiration came with a hefty price tag. A split with the mother of his 7-year-old daughter, Kyra, and the deaths of his nephew, older brother, John, and over a dozen friends during a short span left the aspiring artist depressed. He was floundering in an ocean of pain, selling drugs to support his daughter and developed a substance abuse problem.
“I was selling dope for so long, it was around for so long, you just get caught up in it, you know?” Malice said. “It was a dreadful, depressing time. I recorded some of my best music at that time. If I didn't have music, I would have killed myself, probably.
“Depression and suicidal thoughts bring out the best music in me.”
Turning negatives into positives is a dominant theme in Malice's life. He got clean, found God, used the sorrow and pain he felt from being surrounded by so much death as fodder for his lyrics and expressed his overwhelming emotions through music.
“It brought me to God,” Malice said of the dark period. “I don't think anything ever happens for no reason. The things we go through makes us us.”
And now Malice wants to spread a positive message through his music, starting with The Re-Do album. The album's official release date is March 8, the five-year anniversary of brother John's death.
One of the tracks on the album, “Dear John,” explores Malice's relationship with his older brother and often moves listeners to tears, reaffirming Malice's conviction that he has found his calling in music.
“If you can make people cry, pull emotions out of people, then you're doing the right thing,” he said.
The Re-Do is primarily a collection of older songs to which Malice has added his own unique twist, including “Sweet Home California,” a take-off on Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1974 hit “Sweet Home Alabama.”
Malice has a theme for every album; The Re-Do explores the life and times of the artist, chronicling his journey from a troubled youth into manhood. Malice boycotted television and radio while he was creating beats and writing lyrics for The Re-Do to ensure his message was uncorrupted by outside influences.
“You won't see a lot of shock value on it,” he said. “Redemption, hope - it's about everything.”
Wit so much behind him, what's the next step for the charismatic rapper?
“Probably with my right foot,” Malice jokes. He switches to his more serious demeanor and shares that he will head to Los Angeles after The Re-Do is released, but he won't specify why.
“Let's just say I have a few connections down there, people that have been waiting on me.”
All signs point toward Malice being on the fast track to success, and, in spite of a rocky beginning, he's ready.
“You can't change the past, but you can always better the future,” he said. “I know it's my time to shine, now.
“It's time.”
