The R.O.C. (Raps On Contact)
The R.O.C. is a hip-hop artist, whose career went through many stages. His last known news was that he would not be performing anymore, since then, he has been taken off of Hatchet House, a sub-label of Psychopathic Records. He announced in 2008 that he would make his last performance ever at the Gathering of the Juggalos '08 with Blaze Ya Dead Homie. The R.O.C.'s younger brother Mr. Y.U.G. is also a rapper, and has recently released his official debut album "Weightin'" exclusively on www.cdbaby.com
History
Beginning years
In the beginning, The R.O.C. started rapping in a group called Strength Productions, with his cousin Evol (who was then known as "Big Father Hightop") and a third member named J HO under which they put out a LP entitled Rolling With Strength. The R.O.C., Monoxide (who was then known as E.X.P.) and Madrox (who was then known as Big J) were really good friends since a young age. When Big J and E.X.P. asked The R.O.C. to do a track with them, The R.O.C. accepted. They began making more and more tracks together, drawing The R.O.C.'s attention away from Strength Productions. After doing so many tracks together, the three realized they had an entire LP collaboration. Soon enough, Big J and E.X.P. asked The R.O.C. to rap with them in their group, their group at this point had no name. The R.O.C. agreed and abandoned Strength Productions, leading to the collapse of Strength Productions for good.
House of Krazees
Home Sweet Home
As the trio, they were ready to rap, but they didn't have a name. While coming across a movie The House of Crazies they decided this would be a good name for their group, modified to be "House of Krazees". As they were working on their first album, they came across a investor and music producer named Scott Chapman. As they created the record label "Retro Horror Muzik", they had their first album produced by Scott Chapman, and published by Asylum Records. They released it in 1993 and entitled it Home Sweet Home. They did sell "enough tapes" to get them a little bit of money to pay for another album. As they worked on their next album, they needed more money to fund it, thus, Scott Chapman was now not only producing their albums, but was also funding them too.
Homebound
As they worked on their second album, they decided to name it Return of the Madmen. Scott had got them an opportunity to have the album released on Mazz Music Records, but due to business and contract problems, this never happened. As they worked on the album more, Big J decided to change his name to Mr. Bones and E.X.P. decided to change his name to Hektic, while The R.O.C. kept his name the same. Having the album finished in June, 1994, they released it under Retro Horror Muzik renamed as Homebound. The House of Krazees toured with the most known underground act at the time "Esham" in a small tour which gave them the opportunity to promote the New album. This gave them double the sales they thought they would make. In the same year, The R.O.C.'s cousin released his first solo tape entitled Satanix for Life.
Season of the Pumpkin
As the three went into the studio to record a third album, they came across an underground group in Detroit called "2 Krazy Devils" who featured members Psycho C and Krazie. The R.O.C. produced their album for them, and then, seeing how his group was working on their album, asked 2 Krazy Devils to collaborate with them for a track on their new album coming out October 31. 2 Krazy Devils agreed, and the track was finished before the due date of the album, and it was entitled "Lettin' Ya Know". Then for no known reason, the song was removed, and the album was released in October 1994 not selling as many copies as they had hoped.
In 1995, the three came across what looked like a better investor, and re-released Season of the Pumpkin under Walter Stephanenko, and his label Latnem Entertainment. It sold alo more copies under the new funding, and also made House Of Krazees rise even higher locally. At this point, they were among the most popular acts in the underground scene of Detroit, and officially signed to Latnem Entertainment.
Outbreed
Later after re-releasing Season of the Pumpkin, in May 1995, the three released their fourth album entitled Outbreed, released on Latnem Entertainment. This EP had a more hip-hop sound to it. It sold many copies due to a small tour the House Of Krazees did to promote this album, with a new upcoming Detroit rapper named Eminem opening some shows for them. The R.O.C.'s cousin released his second and last tape entitled Satan's Poet. This album had the track "Lettin' Ya Know" with "2 Krazy Devils" On It.
X-Posed
In early 1996 The R.O.C. began working on a solo full-length LP. He would release a sampler giving away the name of the album X-Posed, which helped further promote his solo album. He had both original House of Krazees members on the tape, but it didn't sell as much as any other House of Krazees tape. X-posed was released November, 1996.
Head Trauma
In late 1996 House Of Krazees would work on a fifth studio album, and release it in February, 1996, on Latnem Entertainment. To help promote this album, the House of Krazees toured with The Insane Clown Posse on the "First Annual Hallowicked Tour". This helped bring the House of Krazees farther, and become popular in many more states. As they joined ICP a second time on tour as an opening act along with Myzery (for both tours) for the "Milenko All Up In Yo Face Tour". Which would expand the popularity of House of Krazees all the way to Texas and all over the west.
The Last of House of Krazees
While House of Krazees got back from their tour with ICP and Myzery, they were invited to do a song for a compilation of a bunch of underground artists and excepted, this was called Mob Mentality. The House of Krazees recorded the song "Ghost" for the compilation album and turned it in, which got House of Krazees name even bigger. As they were growing and growing, the three decided to release a Collectors tape featuring past House of Krazees songs, so in March, 1997, the House of Krazees released the tape Collector's EDition '97, with three different colored covers. As the House of Krazees started to record their sixth album, they named it Evolution, then renamed it [...] To Make Ya Ears Bleed set for release on Latnem Entertainment in 1998. Then, in early 1998, before half the album could get done, only one song was recorded and then Mr. Bones and Hektic left Latnem Entertainment due to finance problems, claiming their manager Walter wasn't paying them enough, or as they say, barely anything. The R.O.C. would stay with Latnem Entertainment.
The Howse
In 1998, The R.O.C. began a new project, called The Howse. He went and recruited some local Detroit rappers, and signed them all to Latnem Entertainment, to create The Howse. The artists he signed were Mr. Vitology (A.K.A. Armageddon), Black WIDOW, and The Beast.
Esohpromatem
The Howse released one album, entitled Esohpromatem in 1998 which was metamorphose backwards. They released it in two forms which were, the Gold Foil and Blue Foil. As The R.O.C. was talking to Skrapz (formally Krazie of 2 Krazy Devils) more. The R.O.C. would have the idea AbOUT re-creating the House of Krazees, but with who. As The R.O.C. noticed Skrapz talent again, he had convinced Walter to drop Mr. Vitology, Black Widow, and The Beast from Latnem Entertainment and sign Skrapz. Around this time, the two old House of Krazees members who left Latnem Entertainment would sign to Insane Clown Posse's record label Psychopathic Records, under the name of Twiztid. Mr. Bones would become Jamie Madrox, and Hektic would become "Monoxide Child".
The rebirth of the House of Krazees
The Night They Kame Home
The R.O.C. was now going by the name of SOL along with Skrapz, was the "House of Krazees" again. The new album they put out would be called Season of the Pumpkin 2. As Twiztid asked for the right to use a song they were recording for [...] To Make Ya Ears Bleed called "[...], [...], [...]" for their new album "Mostasteless", The R.O.C. agreed on the only request that he got "props" in the album booklet. Failing to follow this request, Twiztid released it anyways and removed The R.O.C.'s lyrics from the song. As February 1997 neared, House of Krazees' new album was finished, but changed to The Night They Kame Home. The R.O.C. (SOL) and Skrapz left Latnem Entertainment shortly after due to financial problems and the same reason "Twiztid" left. This would mark the last release by House of Krazees to date.
HaLFBrEEd and Virus Independent
After SOL (The R.O.C.) and Skrapz left Latnem Entertainment, they would move on (without the rights to the name House of Krazees or the lyrics) to create their own label entitled Virus Independent. Then in 1999 they released their "Virus [...] Sampler" giving birth to HaLFBrEEd. Skrapz and The R.O.C founded Virus Indie alongside Steven "Prozak" Shippy of the group Bedlam.
Serial Killaz
This would be the first album to ever be released by HaLFBrEEd, entitled Serial Killaz. It was released on Virus Independent, but nearly sold half as Mostasteless. Needing someone to put their music out further, they would stumble upon a popular underground artists, and investor.
KontamiNATION
As they came in contact with Siccmade Records, (Brotha Lynch Hungs record label), they got a contract that would be best for both sides. As HaLFBrEEd dropped their first LP, it was released on Siccmade Records and the distribution reached twice as far as when they put Serial Killaz out. It was put out in September, 2000 and entitled ''KontamiNATION. Due to finance and contract problems, HaLFBrEEd had to disband Siccmade Records, but with a much larger fanbase touching nationwide.
A better start
Now that people knew who HaLFBrEEd were, they albums would sell much, much, more. So they decided to re-release their first album Serial Killaz, putting it out to much more people in 2000. This sold much more than the original release, and now Virus Independent was a very popular label. Except, on this re-issue, it only had seven tracks, as the original had nine. SOL and Skrapz were starting to come up in the music industry much more.
Rage of the Plague, and the end of HaLFBrEEd
Their next album would be entitled Rage of the Plague released on Virus Independent on October 31, 2000. As Skrapz would come across a local artist named Mr. Freeze, he would eventually want to do regular hip-hop instead of the Horrorcore music he usually does. After signing Mr. Freeze to Virus Independent, a new group was born, consisting of Skrapz, Mr. Freeze, and The R.O.C. (SOL).
Level Jumpers
After signing Mr. Freeze to Virus Independent, the new group of the three started recording a new album under the name of Level Jumpers, it would take a new form of regular hip-hop, and they would no longer put out horrorcore albums with HaLFBrEEd, HaLFBrEEd was finished. By December 2001, Level Jumper's album would be released, Simply Complex, followed by The Red Pyramid in 2002 which Skrapz would reveal that the reason they changed there style was because, it was a different point in all their lives and they felt like they needed to do something new. Afterwards, they would release the final album put out by HaLFBrEEd, The End, which was a greatest hits CD with some songs that were also neverbefore released.
Solo Discography
- X-Posed (1996)
- Wormholes (2001)
- Bits & Pieces Vol.1 (2003)
- I'm Here EP (2005)
- Oh hell nO! (2006)
- Welcome To The Dark Side (2008)