The 10 Best Ho99o9 Songs of All-Time
Since 2012 Ho99o9 (pronounced Horror) has amassed a substantial following, and it’s no wonder considering their talent. Founded by theOGM and Eaddy, this genre-bending punk and hip-hop act has torn up the stage and collaborated with other incredible artists. The latest track is Paralyze, with the equally incredible 3Teeth hits heavy, but that’s no shocker. Mick Gordon (Doom) co-produced the track, which isn’t the first time these two groups have worked together. In honor of their hot new track, we’ve curated the top ten best Ho99o9 songs of all time.
10. City Rejects
For new and future fans who are just getting started with Ho99o9’s music, City Rejects is a superb starting place. Ho99o9 doesn’t mess around about what they mean, and they mean to bring a message with this song. Unabashedly speaking out against racism and the need to fight it is on par with what you can expect from this hardcore punk meets hip-hop and more sound. The video doesn’t use any metaphors either, showing exactly what is on Ho99o9’s mind when they perform this. NPR called it a ‘fierce critique of racism in media,’ and that sums up City rejects perfectly.
9. Blood Waves
The only track to follow up on City Rejects is Blood Waves. This thrashcore-esque thrill ride of a song comes with a neon spectacular of a video. If you’re not sure what to expect from Ho99o9 yet, this will help broaden your understanding of this crossover sound. They don’t pigeonhole themselves to one single subject or style but rather tend to talk about all the world’s horrors.
8. DeathKult Disciples (999 Anthem)
In stark contrast to the Blood Waves psychedelic video, the music vid that goes with DeathKult Disciples is grainy, gritty, raw, and entirely done in black and white. The aggressive moshpit atmosphere, combined with heavy guitar and drumming, makes a perfect backdrop to the aural ingeniousness of this song. At one point, they incorporate a rough riff from the national anthem to make a point about everything wrong with this country.
7. Mega City Nine
There’s no mincing words or playing in Mega City Nine. This is a song about police corruption and what it’s like to be on the wrong side of it. Like much of Ho99o9’s music, it’s about being hard and fighting the power. The police don’t win in this song, though we all know that they seldom lose in reality. Mega City Nine could easily be the sequel to DeathKult Disciples, though we’re sure it wasn’t created that way.
6. Day of Vengeance (Trilogy of Videos)
This song and video are the third of three that are meant to be played in order. The “Horrors of 1999” EP is intended as a docu-series-style story told in multiple songs. NME points out that the whole series is “unsettling from the outset.” To watch them in order, begin with Savage Heads/Gates of Torment, then Prisoners of War/No Regrets, and end with this all-out aural assault and fight fest of a finale. Although the videos belong together for the full impact, if we had to choose one above the others for this spot it’s decidedly Day of Vengeance.
5. United States of Horror
The title says it all for this song. The United States of Horror is a perfect middle-of-the-road/list song for Ho99o9. Bringing their own sense of style and distinct sound to the United States of Horror Album title track. Ho99o9 manages to convey an overwhelming sense of television, making us feel like life is unreal as we watch it happen.
4. Bone Collector
With over one point two million views on the video alone, you might wonder why this didn’t make number one. It’s an excellent song, and the serial killer vibes add to Ho99o9’s hardcore, dark collection nicely. The vocal drops on the word ‘down’ are especially well done. However, the storytelling in our top three is next level, where this is ‘only’ excellent.
3. War Is Hell
War is Hell embodies the nature of all Ho99o9 songs with a brilliant, visually stunning video that uses clips from real news and events. The raw vocals and nobody-wins spirit of the song have won over fans worldwide. Nods to the Columbine massacre, ‘eat the rich,’ and more serves to show the truly well-rounded nature of this hardcore pair. Even the name of this track shows you the depth of research that goes into Ho99o9’s work. On the surface, it’s just angry, loud music, but below that, a simmering intellect that sees and seethes at the word around it is driving every move these guys make and every album they record.
2. Street Power
Street Power is all about the rage behind ideas like eating the rich. With butcher shop images and blunt lyrics about killing, this is one of the darkest songs from an already near-goth or near death metal duo. You could easily imagine anyone from ‘The Purge’ or a serial killer playing this song as they slay their way through a handful of city blocks. However, those people would only have gotten the surface impression of Ho99o9 and missed the deeper nihilism inherent in these lyrics.
1. Mind Yo Bizness (with PussyRiot)
The basic beat, deep bass, high production values, and vocal smoothness of this song and video are what scored it the number one spot on our list. Showing a roomba’s point of view brings a bizarre feeling of technological spying before the song has really started. It’s the most unique way to set the stage we’ve seen in a video in recent years. The addition of the Russian group Pussy Riot elevates this collaboration and brings depth and a new sound to this outstanding song from two mistrustful perspectives.
Final Thoughts
Some people say music assaults their ears, but they mean it in a bad way. We’d say Ho99o9 definitely creates sonic warfare in your head, but it’s the kind you don’t want to miss. Every album and track seems better than the last, so choosing just ten for this list was tough. Don’t be surprised if it leaves you wanting more. Whether they work alone or do more stellar collaborations, we can’t wait to hear what Ho99o9 releases on their (untitled at this time) album.
