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Brokencyde

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Brokencyde
Brokencyde at the 2009 Warped Tour in Hartford, Connecticut
Brokencyde at the 2009 Warped Tour in Hartford, Connecticut
Background information
OriginAlbuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Genres
Years active2006–present
Labels
Members
  • Mikl
  • Phat J
Past members
  • Se7en
  • Antz
Websitebrokencyde13.com

Brokencyde (stylized as brokeNCYDE) is an American hip hop group from Albuquerque, New Mexico, founded in 2006. The group's lineup consists of Michael "Mikl" Shea and Julian "Phat J" McLellan, and musically are one of the founding groups in the crunkcore genre, which (in general description) is crunk hip hop music with screamed vocals.

History

Formation, record deal and debut album (2006–2009)

Main article: I'm Not a Fan, But the Kids Like It!

Brokencyde was founded by singers Se7en and Mikl. The name of the group supposedly originated from the idea that their music was "broke inside" due to personal problems.[6] After the band began promoting themselves online, members Phat J and Antz joined Brokencyde. They released their debut mixtape, The Broken!, in July 2007, followed by another mixtape, Tha $c3ne Mixtape (2008).

Brokencyde toured with bands such as Breathe Carolina,[7] The Morning Of,[8] Karate High School, and Drop Dead, Gorgeous. In July 2008, Brokencyde appeared on MTV's Total Request Live, where they performed the single "FreaXXX" on the segment "Under the Radar". They signed with Suburban Noize Records later that summer, and released the BC13 EP on November 11, 2008 during a promotion with the retail chain Hot Topic.[9]

In 2008, the group performed dates on the Millionaires-headlined "Get F$cked Up" tour, and appeared twice on "Fearless Music TV", performing "Sex Toyz" and "FreaXXX" in December 2008.[10]

The group's first full-length release, I'm Not a Fan, But the Kids Like It!, debuted at #86 on the Billboard 200 in July 2009.[11] Brokencyde was featured on the US Warped Tour 2009,[12] but left the tour in August to play featured appearances in Europe.[13]

Later Brokencyde played dates on "The Original Gangstour" tour with Eyes Set to Kill, And Then There Were None, and Drop Dead, Gorgeous. They played dates on the "Saints and Sinners Tour 2009" with Senses Fail, Hollywood Undead, and Haste The Day.[14]

Will Never Die, Guilty Pleasure and departure of Phat J and Antz (2010–2014)

Main articles: Will Never Die and Guilty Pleasure (Brokencyde album)
Brokencyde performing in 2010

In early 2010, the band released two songs for free download on their Myspace. The songs were "I'm Da Shizzit" and a cover of the song "Sexy Bitch" by David Guetta. In the summer Brokencyde co-headlined the 2 DRUNK 2 FUCK tour with Jeffree Star. Soon after the tour ended they announced that they were in the studio. In the beginning of fall their new album was announced to be complete with the title of Will Never Die. The album was released on Break Silence Recordings on November 9. In winter 2010, Brokencyde co-headlined the KA$H 4 KU$H tour with the Millionaires. On October 30, the video for "Teach Me How to Scream" was released via MySpace.

In April 2011, the members of Brokencyde assaulted Punchline drummer Cory Muro at Smiling Moose in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This resulted in Muro needing three staples in his head and his friend Johnny Grushecky having a broken nose.[15]

The group released their third studio album Guilty Pleasure on November 8, 2011. An updated version was later released on March 13, 2012 titled Guilty Pleasurez which the band is supporting with a European "Guilty Pleasurez" tour.[16]

In 2012, Brokencyde played dates on the "Fight to Unite Tour" alongside other acts including Blood on the Dance Floor, Deuce (formerly of Hollywood Undead), Polkadot Cadaver, William Control and The Bunny the Bear.[17] On October 29, 2012, Julian "Phat J" McClellan announced via his official YouTube page that he was amicably leaving Brokencyde to pursue a solo career.[18]

All Grown Up (2014–2018)

In December 2014, Brokencyde launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, seeking US$30,000 to help fund the recording and marketing of a new album titled All Grown Up.[19] By the time the funding period ended in February 2015, the band only managed to raise US$1,421 from 33 backers — less than 5% of their intended goal.[20] Nevertheless, the group still self-released a 23-track album titled All Grown Up.

0 to Brokencyde, Se7en's departure and the return of Phat J (2018–present)

In April 2018, the band announced that they had signed a deal with Cleopatra Records through which they would be releasing their fourth album on Cleopatra Records' imprint, X-Ray Records.[21] The album, 0 to Brokencyde, was released on June 22, 2018.[22]

In 2022, it was announced that Se7en had taken a leave from the group and that Phat J had returned to the lineup.[23]

Critical reception

Brokencyde is widely panned by critics. Cracked.com contributor Michael Swaim said the band sounded like "a Slipknot-Cher duet",[24] while another Cracked contributor Adam Tod Brown commented on their song FreaXXX "I hate that song so much that I would hold it face down in a bathtub until it drowns if I could."[25]

British comic book writer Warren Ellis considered Brokencyde's "FreaXXX" music video "a near-perfect snapshot of everything that's shit about this point in the culture".[26] A writer for the Warsaw Business Journal attempted to describe their music: "Imagine an impassioned triceratops mating with a steam turbine, while off to the side Daft Punk and the Bee Gees beat each other to death with skillets and spatulas. Imagine the sound that would make. Just try. BrokeNCYDE is kind of like that, except it also makes you want to jab your thumbs into your eyeballs and gargle acid."[27]

The New Musical Express stated in a review of I'm Not a Fan, But the Kids Like It!, that "even if I caught Prince Harry and Gary Glitter adorned in Nazi regalia defecating through my grandmother's letterbox I would still consider making them listen to this album too severe a punishment."[28]

August Brown of the Los Angeles Times writes:

"This 'Albucrazy'-based band has done for MySpace emo what some think Soulja Boy did for hip-hop: turn their career into a kind of macro-performance art that exists so far beyond the tropes of irony and sincerity that to ask 'are they kidding?' is like trying to peel an onion to get to a perceived central core that, in the end, does not exist and renders all attempts to reassemble the pieces futile."[29]

In the late 2010s and early 2020s, several music critics[who?] described Brokencyde as an antecedent to hyperpop artists like 100 gecs.[30][31][32]

Members

Timeline

Discography

LPs
Year Title Label Release date
2009 I'm Not a Fan, But the Kids Like It! BreakSilence June 16, 2009
2010 Will Never Die BreakSilence November 9, 2010
2011 Guilty Pleasure BreakSilence November 8, 2011
2016 All Grown Up Self-released February 14, 2016
2018 0 to Brokencyde Cleopatra Records June 22, 2018
EPs
Year Title Label Release date
2008 BC13 Self-released March 27, 2008
2008 BC13 Mix Self-released April 28, 2008
2008 BC13 EP BreakSilence October 21, 2008
Other releases
Year Title Label Release date
2007 The Broken! Self-released July 7, 2007
2008 Tha $c3n3 Mixtape Self-released 2008
2011 DJ Sku Presents: Brokencyde Vol. 1 Self-released March 30, 2011

References

  1. ^ "Brokencyde | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  2. ^ "Screamers, Whiners and Synthesizers: There's a Rave Going On". The New York Times. July 20, 2009.
  3. ^ Gail, Leor (July 14, 2009). "Scrunk happens: We're not fans, but the kids seem to like it". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
  4. ^ John McDonnell. "Screamo meets crunk? Welcome to Scrunk!". The Guardian.
  5. ^ Enis, Eli (August 17, 2020). "The Musical Legacy of Brokencyde, Once of History's Most Hated Bands". Vice Media. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  6. ^ "Brokencyde". Indiestar.tv. Mainstream Killed the Indie Star. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ "hiphoppress.com". Archived from the original on December 26, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  8. ^ "Aim For The Skies in Bowling Green, KY - Sep 25, 2008 7:15 PM - Eventful". Eventful.
  9. ^ "The Hype Magazine 24/7 News: Innovators of Crunkcore Brokencyde Release Debut EP Exclusively Through Hot Topic November 11th, 2008". Thehypemagazine.blogspot.com.
  10. ^ [1] [permanent dead link‍]
  11. ^ Chart, Billboard.com
  12. ^ Rich Leigh (December 28, 2008). "Warped Tour 2009 Line-up". Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  13. ^ "Brokencyde Kicked Off Warped Tour? Nay!". August 26, 2009. Archived from the original on August 29, 2009. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
  14. ^ [2][permanent dead link‍]
  15. ^ "Members of Brokencyde assault Punchline drummer". themusic.com.au. April 27, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  16. ^ "brokeNCYDE". Facebook.com.
  17. ^ "The Fight To Unite Tour". Facebook.com.
  18. ^ Video on YouTube
  19. ^ Sharp, Tyler (January 3, 2015). "BrokenCYDE have launched a $30,000 crowdfunding campaign for a new album". Alternative Press. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  20. ^ Ritchie, Andy (February 12, 2015). "It Turns Out Only 33 People In The Entire World Want A New BrokeNCYDE Album". Rock Sound. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  21. ^ Redrup, Zach (April 27, 2018). "NEWS: Brokencyde sign with Cleopatra Records!". Deadpress.co.uk.
  22. ^ "Brokencyde - 0 to Brokencyde (CD) - Cleopatra Records Store". cleorecs.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  23. ^ "Mikl Shea & Phat J from Brokencyde are back! – kbrecordzz". kbrecordzz.com.
  24. ^ "The 6 Worst 'Professional' Music Videos on the Web". Cracked.com.
  25. ^ "10 Great Songs By the Worst Bands of All Time". Cracked.com.
  26. ^ "Brokencyde – Warren Ellis". Warrenellis.com.
  27. ^ "Tech Eye: Fresh ideas, sour tunes". Warsaw Business Journal. April 12, 2010. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  28. ^ "NME Reviews - Album Review: Brokencyde - 'I'm Not A Fan, But The Kids Like It!'". Nme.com. June 11, 2009.
  29. ^ "Pop & Hiss". Latimesblogs.latimes.com.
  30. ^ "The Musical Legacy of Brokencyde". Vice. August 17, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  31. ^ "Why 100 Gecs Deserves to be Taken Seriously". Uproxx. December 20, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  32. ^ "The Riotous, Internet-Speed Sound of 100 Gecs". New York Times. September 4, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  33. ^ "I'm leaving brokeNCYDE". YouTube.
  34. ^ "The Death Race Tour 2011 (behind the screams)". YouTube. March 5, 2012. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
  35. ^ Eglinton, Mark (June 24, 2009). "BrokeNCYDE: The Decline Of Western Civilization Part Three?". The Quietus. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
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