The music of $uicideBoy$ varies between different sub-genres of rap; while some songs have melancholy tones with lyrical content that focuses on subjects such as depression and suicidal ideation (topics not widely exposed in rap music), others are wildly aggressive, with themes of violence and sexual content. Some of their music is based around life growing up in New Orleans; song titles such as Audubon, Tulane, Elysian Fields and St. Bernard reflect streets and neighborhoods that influenced the life of Arceneaux and Petrou. A large portion of their music focuses on depression and its symptoms, an angle not often received in mainstream hip hop; Arceneaux elaborated on this in an interview with Mass Appeal, stating, “A lot of people take it as emo, or depressed music, or negative music... it’s really just connecting. It’s therapy, through music". Excluding occasional guest producers, the entirety of Suicideboys' discography is self-produced, mainly by Arceneaux under his pseudonym Budd Dwyer (an homage to the former politician of the same name).
$crim was born Scott Arceneaux Jr. on April 11, 1989 in Marrero, Louisiana. Arceneaux originally was inspired by T-Pain and Kanye West to produce music, buying his first laptop which he used to start DJing with money gained from selling drugs. Arceneaux's passion for DJing extended when he started to attend Delgado Community College, where he was hired to DJ parties. He also worked selling used furniture, getting fired for his new hand tattoos after three years.
Ruby da Cherry was born Aristos Petrou (Αρίστος Πέτρου) on April 22, 1990 to an American mother and Greek Cypriot father. Raised in Metairie, Louisiana, Petrou's interest in music began when he was seven, playing violin and then drums when he was ten, eventually joining bands in middle school. He worked at his father's restaurant as a waiter, a job he held until 2015. His experience with the punk rock scene continued as he joined the band Vapo-Rats as its drummer; however, disillusioned with the apathy his bandmates showed towards the future of the band, Petrou left in order to pursue a career in hip-hop with Arceneaux.
Arceneaux and Petrou are cousins, and as such shared a close relationship growing up. Realising that both were interested in taking a musical career seriously, and both dissatisfied with the direction of their lives, the two formed Suicideboys, making a pact that if their musical career didn’t work out, they would both commit suicide. Elaborating on this in an interview with Mass Appeal, Arceneaux states that, “it was pretty much like cutting the hand, bleeding, and making a pact that there’s no plan B, that if this doesn’t happen by the time we’re 30, I’m blowing my head off”.
The duo's first project together, a three-track EP named Kill Yourself Part I: The $uicide $aga, was released in June 2014 on SoundCloud and Bandcamp, attracting attention for their collaboration with notable underground rapper Bones. In the following months, the duo released a further nine iterations of the Kill Yourself series. After a number of collaboration EPs with fellow underground artist Black Smurf, their first full length project titled Gray/Grey was released on March 3, 2015.
Suicideboys' underground breakthrough came with the release of 2015 EP $outh $ide $uicide, a collaboration with established South Florida rapper Pouya, which thrust the duo into the underground rap spotlight. Other 2015 releases include 7th or St. Tammany, YUNGDEATHLILLIFE, High Tide in the Snake's Nest, Grey Sheep EP, I No Longer Fear The Razor Guarding My Heel (part I and II), My Liver Will Handle What My Heart Can't, Now The Moon's Rising and G.R.E.Y.G.O.D.S. with fellow g59 rapper RAMIREZ.
The duo's first foray onto the mainstream musical charts came with the release of Radical $uicide in the summer of 2016. The five-track EP, produced by EDM musician Getter, peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Rap charts. Other 2016 releases include Dark Side of the Clouds, Grey Sheep II, Eternal Grey, I No Longer Fear The Razor Guarding My Heel (part III), G.R.E.Y.G.O.D.S.I.I. with [artis]RAMIREZ, DIRTYNASTY$UICIDE with GERM, and Black $uicide Side C with Black Smurf.
In 2017 the boys released another 10 iterations of the Kill Yourself series, they also dropped DIRTIERNASTIER$UICIDE, with GERM.
On September 7, 2018, their debut studio album I Want to Die in New Orleans was released. A statement posted by the duo's official Instagram account stated, "We started recording this album in the beginning of 2017. Initially we wanted to write about our experiences on the road and express how our lives had become slightly more extravagant."
In late 2018, a rumor arose that the group had broken up following a series of ominous tweets. However, they soon clarified that the tweets were in relation to "personal issues" facing Arceneaux, and that they had in fact not broken up.
Introversion 2.0
$uicideboy$ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They try matchin' me
Plague with the wicked ways
It's back to the rapturing
Actually capturing souls in a black canteen
Open the cap, and become blackened
Back to the back of the 'Lac
Flickin' cigarette ash
And laugh at y'all strapped with the gat
Like I'm actually scared to die
Pull the fucking trigger
Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah!
Back to the back, eyes rollin' back
Spent all my racks, spent it on crack
Spent it on smack, look where I'm at
Ain't going back, ain't going back
Got a heart so cold, remember sellin' dope
Remember sellin' coke, DEA pulled me over
Plain cars, plain clothes, I
Didn't bend an inch
I'm strictly sticking to the code
Few years ago was masked up, robbin' stores
Set 'em up on Craigslist
Then robbed 'em at the door
I'm at the bottom tryna eat, I got no hope
Fuck big Ben's death had my head fucked up
I'm poppin' Roxys with the Benzos
Chest fucked up (I guess my luck's up)
The lyrics to "$uicideboy$ // Future diary's" song "INTROVERSION 2.0" can be interpreted as a representation of the darker sides of life. The first paragraph talks about the singer's reckless behavior, where he seems to be unafraid of death despite having a barrel full of gasoline. He emphasizes his wicked ways and captures souls representing his disconnection with human emotions. He further emphasizes his detachment from life by saying he spent all his money on drugs and does not intend to go back. The singer's language is full of rough edges and vulgarity, alluding to the anger and frustration that he may feel, as a result of living in this way.
The second paragraph further emphasizes his illegal past and the consequences he faced while selling drugs. Despite being caught by the DEA, the singer did not betray his code of silence, and he is proud of that. He further narrates his experiences of robbing stores, which shows how desperate he is to make ends meet. The reference to Big Ben's death may indicate that he struggles with living in a world where hope is limited, which then pushes him towards substance abuse. The lyrics of this song paint a picture of a person who's disconnected from life, and it shows how reckless and desperate measures he is willing to take to survive.
Line by Line Meaning
Barrel full of gasoline, and still
They try matchin' me
Despite having a potentially dangerous and destructive force within me, others continuously try to compete with me.
Plague with the wicked ways
It's back to the rapturing
My actions and habits are negatively influencing others and I'm returning to my ways of self-indulgence.
Actually capturing souls in a black canteen
Open the cap, and become blackened
I am taking the spirits of others and locking them away in a dark place, becoming more and more corrupted in the process.
Back to the back of the 'Lac
Flickin' cigarette ash
I am returning to a place of isolation, where I indulge in my vices and waste away my time and resources.
Got a chain made of crack, I smoke diamonds
And laugh at y'all strapped with the gat
Like I'm actually scared to die
I possess something destructive and valuable, which I use for my own pleasure, and mock those who feel the need to arm themselves for protection.
Pull the fucking trigger
Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah!
Shoot me if you must, I am unafraid and resigned to my fate.
Back to the back, eyes rollin' back
Spent all my racks, spent it on crack
Spent it on smack, look where I'm at
Ain't going back, ain't going back
I have squandered all of my resources on addictive and self-destructive substances, and cannot return to a state of sobriety.
Got a heart so cold, remember sellin' dope
Remember sellin' coke, DEA pulled me over
Plain cars, plain clothes, I
Didn't bend an inch
I'm strictly sticking to the code
Despite being caught and threatened, I did not break under pressure and am committed to an unethical, criminal lifestyle.
Few years ago was masked up, robbin' stores
Set 'em up on Craigslist
Then robbed 'em at the door
I used deceitful tactics to carry out my illegal acts, targeting innocent victims for financial gain.
I'm at the bottom tryna eat, I got no hope
Fuck big Ben's death had my head fucked up
I'm poppin' Roxys with the Benzos
Chest fucked up (I guess my luck's up)
I am struggling to survive and feel hopeless, resorting to drug use to ease my pain and facing the consequences of my lifestyle.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Aristos Petrou, Scott Arcenaux
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Analena Hosack
on For The Last Time
life is hard. i am a 14 y/o struggling with depression. i don't want attention. i don't want anything, i just want to feel better. $uicideboy$ music is the only thing that i can very much relate to, they speak words that i am too afraid to speak. i live in a household of people who don't give a fuck about my mental health. they don't take my words into consideration, so whats the point of going on..."Fuck, I don't see what's the point of going on, no"-...and to those i love, thanks for sticking around. it may sound stupid or cliche that i used that lyric but its true. I'm going through so much and as of right now my life is shit i might be put into a foster home because the legal guardian i am living with dose not want to deal with me anymore. i just want to be back with my biological dad...my bio mom is fighting for custody of me and my twin sister but she abused us for 8 years of our life, "Don't wanna do it again got shit i'm not tryna relive." i have the choice to live with my mom but whats the point there's shit i'm not tryna relive, i'm not tryna be abused again...that's me digging my own grave...literally. but anyways i wanted to say that people who are clinically depressed aren't looking for attention when they post comments about there depression, they just don't know who to speak to about it or maybe they have no one to talk to about it....so think about that next time your going to be mean to someone who is simply trying to get some help. i know I've learned from that mistake because i know so many kids who think its cute, quirky or just simply fun to claim that they are depressed, and those are the people who i'm not okay with because they don't really know how it feels to be so goddamn sad all the fucking time. I've tried committing suicide twice already, and i just simply don't know what to do anymore.