Hello and welcome to the first ever Do It For The Underground newsletter! I’m your host Robbie, as always.
Presumably, you are receiving this because you gave me your email address, either on Instagram of via a Facebook post about this exact newsletter. I appreciate you taking interest in this and signing up!
So, first and foremost, why a newsletter? DIFTUG is already active on social media, YouTube, etc. Why do I need to send you a fucking email on top of all that? Great question!
I started this because I believe long form commentary and considered, intelligent analysis are important parts of music journalism that do not currently exist in this scene. “Journalism” in this scene has kind of been reduced to sharing or summarizing things posted directly by the artists on social media and, while I think that is valuable for visibility, it is not journalism. Music journalism and criticism are art forms. They are involved and have depth to them. Social media is rarely that.
I also think that some of the most exciting and forward looking art in this scene is being overlooked by the old guard of juggalo media. It makes me sad that the long term fallout of the nearly ten year old ICP/Twiztid beef has led to a scene that is so fragmented that things that are as exciting as S.O.N’s The Bastard Son rollout or an album as good as Ouja Macc’s Darcc Planet are only discussed and celebrated within their own small niche and completely ignored, if not derided by the people on the “other side”, a concept that shouldn’t exist among juggalos and fans of the underground in the first place. This is all art influenced by and in the lineage of acts like Insane Clown Posse, Twiztid, Tech N9ne, Lo Key, LSP, you name it. If we continue to separate ourselves from one another because “So and so artist is mentored by X, Y or Z, who are the opps”, this culture will wither and die as soon as the OGs retire or pass away. I don’t want to see that. This shit should be forever. It can be if we nourish it.
So, what is this newsletter?
I plan to use this space to highlight and dig deeper into recent news and events in the underground, write more opinionated editorial pieces than I might include in my socials or on the YouTube show, and to write thoughtful reviews of new albums and singles. Consider it “DIFTUG (Robbie’s Version)”, where I put more of my personal, nuanced opinions into the world and hopefully can inspire some deeper thought and conversation on this art that we all love so much.
I plan to write a little something anywhere between every other week to a few times a week, depending entirely on what is going on and what moves me. Let me know how often YOU want to see writings like this.
The next letter I write will go more in depth on a couple of subjects, but for now, since this has already gone long, here are a few quick hits and things that have been on my mind in the underground:
Klokwerk E’s Anubis
The new Klokwerk record is something special. I’ll write a long form review of it soon, but for now I’ll just say it’s a huge step up for the boys, something totally different from most of what they’ve done previously and a great horrorcore record that mixes darkness, humor, world building and storytelling into something that you need to hear.
The Legion Realm Holiday Special/S.O.N’s “Sulfur” video
We shot these in October following Samhain Ceremony 4. Both were a blast to be a part of and came out much better than I could have ever imagined. The Legion Realm Holiday Special is the first thing to ever come out under the DIFTUG brand that I didn’t have final edit or say over and Keagan and S.O.N truly made something special that I am extremely proud to be able to release under my umbrella(UMBRAella?). If you haven’t watched either of these pieces of art, go do that NOW! If you’ve already watched both, go watch them again.
xSHY361x’s “Madame Daugeron” music video
The artist formerly known as Shy One just dropped a brand new music video for “Madame Daugeron” from his 2022 album The Sematary 2. The video is super sick, and so is the album. If you’re unfamiliar with xSHY361x, stop sleeping. He’s been around since the late 90s and has a very unique style that blends Memphis rap and gothic rock and takes equal influence from horror movies and Three 6 Mafia’s Koopsta Knicca. Check it out here:
Lo Key Deep Dive
With Lo Key dropping a new record this weekend, I’ve gone on a deep dive of his entire catalog to date. I typically do this once or twice a year and it’s always incredibly fulfilling. Lo Key is truly the underground GOAT to me. I personally put him above ICP, Twiztid, Tech N9ne or anyone else as far as my personal enjoyment of the music goes. His catalog is so rich and deep, covering horrorcore, moody, industrial rock, hip hop, EDM, fucking…piano ballads, and on and on and ALL of it is great. Dude doesn’t miss and I couldn’t be more excited for LXVE to drop on March 1st. If you wanna go on the dive for yourself, here is my personal Lo Key discography playlist. There are a handful of local files you won’t have access to, but otherwise, if it’s on streaming, it’s all there.
Okay, I’ll leave you with that for now. We’ll talk soon. If you made it to the end of this, thank you. If you loved it or hated it, write back and tell me why. I’m all ears. Let me know what else you want to see in this space.
Hugs and kisses,
Robbie