Psychopathic Rydas was an American hip hop group based in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. Formed in 1999 as a side project of

Insane Clown Posse Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989 as a gangsta rap group, ICP's best known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsler ...

and

Twiztid Twiztid is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan, known for both their horror-themed lyrics and rock influenced sound. Formed in 1997, Twiztid is composed of rappers Jamie "Madrox" Spaniolo and Paul "Monoxide" Methric. Spaniolo and ...

, the group consisted of

Psychopathic Records Psychopathic Records is an American independent record label headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The label is most associated with the hip hop music subgenres horrorcore and rap rock. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip ...

-associated rappers performing under alternate stage names in the style of

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

. Their best known lineup consisted of

Violent J Joseph Frank Bruce (born April 28, 1972), known by his stage name Violent J, is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler, and part of the hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. He is a co-founder of the record label ''Psychopathic R ...

Shaggy 2 Dope Joseph William Utsler (; born October 14, 1974), known by his stage name Shaggy 2 Dope, is an American rapper, record producer, DJ, podcast host of Shaggy and The Creep Show, and professional wrestler. He is part of the hip hop duo Insane Clo ...

Jamie Madrox James Arthur Madrox, also called the Multiple Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Len Wein, he first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Giant-Size Fantastic F ...

Monoxide Child Paul Robert Methric (born July 14, 1973) is an American rapper and producer from Detroit, Michigan, also known as Monoxide of the rap group Twiztid. Early life Paul Methric began rapping as a teenager while he was in high school and listened to ...

and

Blaze Ya Dead Homie Chris Rouleau, also known as Blaze Ya Dead Homie or simply Blaze (born April 27, 1976), is an American rapper from Mt. Clemens, Michigan. A representative of the hip hop subgenres gangsta rap and horrorcore, his stage persona is a resurrected g ...

History

Psychopathic Rydas was created as a retaliation to the critics saying

artists were "wannabe rappers". The supergroup was also utilized as a showcase for the label's roster which was expanding for the first time since its inception. The group first consisted of Violent J (Bullet) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Full Clip) of Insane Clown Posse, who had released five albums prior; Jamie Madrox (Lil' Shank) and Monoxide (Foe Foe) of Twiztid, who had released two versions of their debut album prior; Myzery (Twin Gatz) who had released a debut EP prior; and Blaze Ya Dead Homie (Cell Block) who was in the process of releasing his debut EP. In the liner notes of Insane Clown Posse's album ''

The Amazing Jeckel Brothers ''The Amazing Jeckel Brothers'' is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on May 25, 1999, by Island Records, in association with Psychopathic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1998 t ...

'' fans could find out how to send proof of purchase to Psychopathic Records to get a full-length album titled ''

Dumpin' Psychopathic Rydas was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1999 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, the group consisted of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers performing under alternate stage na ...

'', by a "gangsta rap spoof" group called Psychopathic Rydas. The album was released on the imprint

Joe & Joey Records Psychopathic Rydas was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1999 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, the group consisted of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers performing under alternate stage na ...

. From that point on, Rydas albums could not be officially released elsewhere due to the use of unlicensed samples and beats. Over the next two years, there were plans for the original six members to release solo albums as their respective persona. ''The Pendulum #7'' (which were mini releases related to Insane Clown Posse's comic book series) featured two solo songs by Violent J (Bullet) and one solo song by Shaggy 2 Dope (Full Clip). A solo song by Jamie Madrox (Lil' Shank) was leaked online, and later included on a limited edition boxset by Twiztid in 2019. A second song by Jamie Madrox (Lil' Shank) was eventually released in 2020 on Twiztid's mixtape ''For the Fam, Vol. 3''. Solo songs by Blaze Ya Dead Homie (Cell Block), Monoxide Child (Foe Foe), and Myzery (Twin Gatz) from the same era never surfaced. After the release of ''Dumpin, Myzery (Twin Gatz) left the group and Psychopathic Records in general. The remaining five members released the album ''

Ryden Dirtay ''Ryden Dirtay'' is the second studio album by American gangsta rap supergroup Psychopathic Rydas Psychopathic Rydas was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1999 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twizti ...

'' at the 2001

Gathering of the Juggalos The Gathering of the Juggalos (The Gathering or GOTJ) is an annual festival put on by Psychopathic Records, featuring performances by the entire label roster as well as numerous well-known musical groups and underground artists. It was founded by ...

, just days before the other collaboration album '' Tales from the Lotus Pod'' by

Dark Lotus Dark Lotus was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Formed in 1998 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, Dark Lotus was best known as a representative of the horrorcore subgenre. From 1998 to 201 ...

came out. ''Ryden Dirtay'' is the only Rydas album to appear on the Billboard Independent Albums chart, at #46. Wanting to involve more artists, Rydas added two new members in 2004, being

Anybody Killa James Lowery (born June 26, 1974), also known as Anybody Killa, or ABK, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan, United States, whose stage persona is that of a Native American warrior. He was signed to Psychopathic Records, but is now under ...

(Sawed Off) and

Esham Esham is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Esham released his debut studio album, '' Boomin' Words from Hell'', in 1989. Since then, he has gone on to release 15 studio albums in total and is best known as a representative of the hip ...

(Converse). As a sampler, the '' Limited Edition EP'' was released. Three out of the four songs would be exclusive to this release. At the 2004 Gathering of the Juggalos, ''

Check Your Shit in Bitch! Check or cheque, may refer to: Places * Check, Virginia Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Check'' (film), a 2021 Indian Telugu-language film * ''The Checks'' (episode), a 1996 TV episode of ''Seinfeld'' Games and sports * Check (chess), a th ...

'' was released. Esham (Converse) and Anybody Killa (Sawed Off) left Psychopathic Records in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Blaze Ya Dead Homie (Cell Block), Violent J (Bullet), Shaggy 2 Dope (Full Clip), Jamie Madrox (Lil' Shank), and Monoxide Child (Foe Foe) were the remaining members of the group yet again, similar to 2001; however, in 2007, they added

Boondox David Hutto (born September 4, 1975) is an American rapper from Covington, Georgia. A representative of the hip hop subgenres rap rock, horrorcore and country rap, Hutto is most commonly known as Boondox, whose stage persona is a killer scar ...

(Yung Dirt) to the group. This lineup released the album ''

Duk Da Fuk Down Psychopathic Rydas was an American hip hop group based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1999 as a side project of Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, the group consisted of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers performing under alternate stage na ...

'' that same year. It would be four years until another Rydas collaboration happened. In 2011, Anybody Killa (Sawed Off) returned to the group. The seven members released the albums '' Backdoor Ryda EP'' and '' EatShitNDie''. This would mark the final releases as a group. In late 2012, Twiztid (Lil' Shank and Foe Foe) and Blaze Ya Dead Homie (Cell Block) would leave Psychopathic Records to eventually form their own label,

Majik Ninja Entertainment Twiztid is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan, known for both their horror-themed lyrics and rock influenced sound. Formed in 1997, Twiztid is composed of rappers Jamie "Madrox" Spaniolo and Paul "Monoxide" Methric. Spaniolo and ...

. Boondox (Yung Dirt) would leave Psychopathic Records in the following years as well. Starting in 2012, the four rappers would still appear at the annual Gathering of the Juggalos, and perform as Psychopathic Rydas as well; however, 2015 would feature the final Rydas performance. 2016 marked the artists' final appearance at the annual event, although the Rydas did not perform at that year's Gathering of the Juggalos. Insane Clown Posse (Bullet and Full Clip) stated in various interviews that a revival of the Rydas was a possibility, but nothing concrete was ever officially announced; thus, the supergroup became inactive. In 2019, Twiztid (Lil' Shank and Foe Foe), Blaze Ya Dead Homie (Cell Block), and Boondox (Yung Dirt) created a spin-off group named The Rydas on their own label, adding in other artists as well. They released their self-titled album under Majik Ninja Entertainment on January 9, 2020. In addition, Myzery (Twin Gatz) and Anybody Killa (Sawed Off) have also released solo albums under their Psychopathic Rydas pseudonyms; however, the releases were not affiliated with Psychopathic Records or Joe & Joey Records.

Music and Style

Psychopathic Rydas reuses the beats of popular rappers within the genre without paying to license the original songs or requesting permission from copyright owners to use the music, effectively making their albums

bootleg Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...

sInsane Clown Posse (1999). ''The Amazing Jeckel Brothers''. Liner notes.

Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

Psychopathic Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been ...

. and resulting in the releases becoming difficult to find in some markets. Psychopathic Rydas' debut album, ''Dumpin, was originally given away for correctly answering a series of trivia questions printed in the liner notes of Insane Clown Posse's album, ''

''.

Discography

*''

'' (1999) *''The Pendulum #7 EP'' (2001) *''

'' (2001) *''Limited Edition EP'' (2004) *''Check Your Shit in Bitch!'' (2004) *''Duk Da Fuk Down'' (2007) *''Backdoor Ryda EP'' (2011) *''EatShitNDie'' (2011)

Members

as Bullet (1999–2015) *

as Full Clip (1999–2015) *

as Lil' Shank (1999–2015) *

as Foe Foe (1999–2015) *

as Cell Block (1999–2015) *

Myzery Nene Encarnacion, also known as Myzery, is a Puerto Rican rapper based out of the Bronx in New York City. He was the first solo act signed with Psychopathic Records, and released his debut EP titled ''Para La Isla'' on the label in 1998. Followi ...

as Twin Gatz (1999–2000) *

as Sawed Off (2002–2006; 2008–2015) *

as Converse (2002–2005) *

as Yung Dirt (2007–2012; 2013–2015)

References

{{Authority control Bands with fictional stage personas Detroit hip hop groups Musical groups established in 1999 Hip hop supergroups Underground hip hop groups Psychopathic Records Hip hop collectives Gangsta rap groups 1999 establishments in Michigan