Dark Lotus
Dark Lotus | |
---|---|
Origin | Detroit, Michigan, United States |
Genres | Hip hop, horrorcore |
Years active | 1998 – present (hiatus) |
Labels | Psychopathic |
Members | Joseph Bruce Joseph Utsler Chris Rouleau Jamie Spaniolo Paul Methric |
Past members | James Lowery Zlatko Hukic |
Dark Lotus is an American hip hop supergroup based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1998, the group consists of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler of Insane Clown Posse, Chris Rouleau, and rappers Jamie Spaniolo and Paul Methric of Twiztid.
History
Dark Lotus made its debut with the single "Echoside,"[1] which was originally intended for the group's debut, but released on Insane Clown Posse's 1999 album The Amazing Jeckel Brothers instead, because the Dark Lotus album's production took longer than expected.[1] It was later announced that each member "would act as a 'petal' of the lotus,"[2] and that there would be six members. After speculation as to who the sixth member would be, including rumors that either Esham or Vampiro would join the group, it was announced that Marz would be a member.[2]
Dark Lotus released their first album, Tales from the Lotus Pod, in 2001. Mike E. Clark was brought in to produce the album, but left the project after producing four songs, and Fritz the Cat produced the rest of the album.[3] The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, #6 on the Top Independent Albums chart, and #158 on the Billboard 200.[4] Marz left the group, and was replaced by James Lowery. In 2002, Tales from the Lotus Pod was reissued in a new version removing Marz's vocals.[5] On April 6, 2004, Dark Lotus released their second studio album, Black Rain. It peaked at #3 on the Top Independent Albums chart, and at #71 on the Billboard 200.[4]
Lowery left the group, and a third album, The Opaque Brotherhood, on April 15, 2008 was released without him.[2][6] It peaked at #4 on the Top Independent Albums chart, #23 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, #45 on the Top Internet Albums chart, and #45 on the Billboard 200.[4] Allrovi reviewer Stewart Mason praised the album, writing "Nothing on The Opaque Brotherhood will convince anyone who isn't already a fan, but the tormented lyrics and matter-of-fact delivery remove a layer or two of distance and artifice from the band's familiar themes, and make them that much more disturbing as a result."[7] Twiztid left Psychopathic Records on December 13, 2012,[8] but according to Violent J, Dark Lotus have not broken up and will continue to release music on Psychopathic Records as time permits.[9]
Music and lyrics
Kimberly Chun of the San Francisco Chronicle described Dark Lotus' musical style as a mixture of "dub, goth, metal, shock rock and hip-hop, with a WWF announcer's delivery and shuffling stoner beats thrown in for good measure."[10] Much of Dark Lotus' lyrics revolve around the occult.[2]
Discography
- Tales from the Lotus Pod (2001)
- Black Rain (2004)
- The Opaque Brotherhood (2008)
(TBA) 2014
References
- ^ a b Bruce, Joseph; Echlin, Hobey (August 2003). "Complete Discography". In Nathan Fostey (ed.). ICP: Behind the Paint (2nd Edition ed.). Royal Oak, Michigan: Psychopathic Records. pp. 560–561. ISBN 0-9741846-0-8.
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has extra text (help) - ^ a b c d "Dark Lotus > Biography". Allrovi. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
- ^ Bruce, Joseph; Echlin, Hobey (August 2003). "Hatchet Rising". In Nathan Fostey (ed.). ICP: Behind the Paint (2nd Edition ed.). Royal Oak, Michigan: Psychopathic Records. pp. 470–496. ISBN 0-9741846-0-8.
{{cite book}}
:|edition=
has extra text (help) - ^ a b c "Charts and awards for Dark Lotus". Allrovi. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
- ^ D'Angelo, Joe (September 25, 2001). "Insane Clown Posse Axed By Label, Launching Tour". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ^ Bonaventura, Andrea (October 25, 2006). "The Calm Before the Storm". Real Detroit Weekly. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
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(help) - ^ Mason, Stewart. "Review of The Opaque Brotherhood". Allrovi. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
- ^ https://twitter.com/tweetmesohard
- ^ http://www.insaneclownposse.com
- ^ Chun, Kimberly (October 10, 2001). "Hip-hop on pop at Insane Clown Posse plus Paula West and Basement Jaxx". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
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