After releasing numerous projects, cousin rap-duo $uicideBoy$ finally release their debut album, ‘I Want to Die in New Orleans.’  

The names Scott Arceneaux, Jr. and Aristos Pertrou aren’t familiar.  Perhaps the names Ruby Da Cherry, $crim, and $lick Sloth among others “ring a bell.” Even if they don’t, New Orleans rap duo $uicideBoy$ is totally worth checking out.  After dropping numerous projects, I Want to Die in New Orleans marks their proper debut album.  It doesn’t disappoint.

“King Tulip”

“King Tulip” kicks off I Want to Die in New Orleans with a bang, thanks in part to an intro by Max Beck (“How did these two motherf**kers, from New Orleans… How did they change music?”), not to mention biting rhymes from Ruby da Cherry and $lick $loth ($crim).  Ruby seems focused on his future demise, while $lick adds drug references to the mix. “King Tulip” concludes with one of many outros related to New Orleans.

“Used to smoke crack, now I count f**king racks.” Yep, those words come straight out of the mouth of Ruby da Cherry on “Bring Out Your Dead.”  Turned up, he spits about two shallow topics – drugs and sex.  Nonetheless, this is a banger without question.  The hook isn’t the most innocent or deepest ever recorded, but definitely bitchin’ – given how many times the word ‘bitch’ appears of course. $lick returns for the second verse, chocked-full of toughness and thriving being unapologetic.

“Nicotine Patches” 

“Nicotine Patches” features a melodic, pop-rap hook from Ruby Da Cherry.  For the first time on I Want to Die in New Orleans, $crim appears (he was $lick $loth on the previous two records).  His delivery is grimy and deadpan – think 21 Savage.  Ruby remains melodic, but has his fair share of rhythm on the second verse.  Like “King Tulip,” a New Orleans-related outro appears. “10,000 Degrees” features an extended intro, chocked-full of swagger, before YUNG PLAGUE (Ruby da Cherry) comes out swinging.  “Straight out of hell, ring the bells / Plague is here to stay,” he spits.  PLAGUE is contrast by YUNG $CARECROW, who brings his distinct, deadly flow in all its hellishness.

“Phantom Menace”

“122 Days” like “Nicotine Patches” brings more melody into the mix.  Perhaps saying Ruby da Cherry sounds ‘glorious’ would be an overstatement, but contextually, he sounds respectable.  As expected, $lick $loth keeps things deadpan with no melody to be found.  The contrast between the two remains effective. Speaking of contrasts, the brief “Phantom Menace” is among the most potent bangers of I Want to Die in New Orleans.  Ruby da Cherry remains aboard, while $lick $loth is traded for NORTHSIDE SHAWTY.  Follow up “Krewe du Vieux (Comedy & Tragedy)” keeps the length short, and remains hard-nosed.  Comprised of two consecutive verses, Ruby and $lick $loth are onboard.

I Want to Die in New Orleans ‘bangs on’ with the utterly scorching “WAR TIME ALL THE TIME,” led by a ferocious performance by $crim.  Of course, Ruby isn’t outdone, screaming to the top of his lungs on the second verse. “Coma” benefits from a more relaxed tempo, not to mention sampling a popular Smokey Robinson classic, “Much Better Off.” This is one of the better productions of the LP. The intense bars continue on “Long Gone (Save Me From this Hell),” which features a repetitive, but memorable hook.

“Meet Mr. NICEGUY”

On “Meet Mr. NICEGUY”, $uicideBoy$ take a more melodic approach.  Even so, the f-bombs still fly freely, and the duo retains some edge. For NORMAN ATOMIC (Ruby da Cherry), he dabbles in relationship issues, asking at one point, “Where the fuck what I when this relationship dried?” ANTHONY MARS ($crim) confirms how deep the pain he feels is, referencing depression, and potentially more troubling, suicide.   Interestingly, on the second verse, MARS contrasts ATOMIC’s first verse by focusing more on coping with life’s hardships with drugs.  He attempts to atone for loneliness from the absence of family “just to numb up.”  The depressing joint ends with the hook, which sums up how crappy things are for the boy$.

“Suicide been on my mind

Pour my heart on the concrete every f**king time.”

“Carrollton”

$uicideBoy$ clearly ‘don’t give a fuck on their hard-nosed banger, “Carrollton”. Jumping right in, “Carrollton” features an uncredited intro by Juicy J. As great as J’s kickoff is, it’s the sick production work – bass-heavy 808s and the sound of utter, minor-key maliciousness – that makes “Carrollton” the banger that it is. Lil Cut Throat raps the first verse.  He sets the tone by initially performing in a low-key, yet grimy fashion, before getting totally amped-up. His rhymes are hard-nosed, tough-minded, and unapologetic to the nth degree.  A perfect example arrives at the end of his colorful verse:

“Smoke leaking from the sticky that we smoking, boy

F**k a backwood, Swisher’s what I used boy

Smoke what I choose, do what I wanna do

Mother-f**k you and your punk friends too.”

Ruby da Cherry arrives to bless the second verse. Like Lil Cut Throat, he begins more low-key, still biting, before getting totally wild.  His own colorful verse closes as follows:

“‘I don’t give a f**k’ is my f**king epithet

Lace up my Nike Decades, meet me at Heaven’s Gates

7^th Ward by the lake ‘till my death.”

If you like hardcore rap, chocked-full of cockiness, f-bombs, and sheer hellishness, then “Carrollton” is your cup of tea. Obviously, “F**K the Industry” has a tough act to follow.  That said, any song that is bold enough to use the f-bomb in the title is worth checking out, right? 7^th WARD CHARIZARD (Ruby) and Lil Cut Throat both have their share of moments.  I Want to Die in New Orleans concludes with the multi-part, eight-minute juggernaut, “I No Longer Fear the Razor Guarding My Heel (IV).”  With the majority of the album featuring shorter tunes, “I No Longer Fear the Razor…” is certainly ambitious.

Final Thoughts

All in all, $uicideBoy$ deliver an enjoyable proper debut album with I Want to Die in New Orleans.  Maybe it won’t change your life, but there’s plenty to like, including the production work and the cutting rhymes by the duo and their various personas.  “Carrollton” stands out as the very best of the gems.

Gems: “Bring Out Your Dead,” “Phantom Menace,” “WAR TIME ALL THE TIME,” “Coma” & “Carrollton”

$uicideBoy$ • I Want to Die in New Orleans • G*59 • Release: 9.7.18

Photo Credit: G*59