The first seeds of Psycho Realm were sown in the tough downtown Pico-Union neighborhood, right across the street from Doheny Park. First-generation Americans and the eldest two of the four Gonzalez boys, Jack and Gustavo, a.k.a. "Duke," grew up in the contentious neighborhood in the mid- and late-1980s.
"Our side of town is the 'Sick Side' of town. They have the South Side, North Side, East Side, whatever. Our side is the Sick Side," Jack explains over a lunch of Argentine Lomo and Mimosas on Hollywood's Melrose Avenue one recent Sunday, fresh off a series of concert dates in Italy.
The patriarch of the Gonzalez family came to the U.S. from Mexico at the age of 15 and supported his family by painting cars. Their house was filled with music: classic oldies, which surface prominently in Psycho Realm's tracks, along with regional Mexican music and giants of the 1960s and '70s like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix.
Immersed in hip-hop as a middle-school student, Jack's neighborhood friend, Yonjo, got ahold of a record featuring a guy out of Miami rapping in Spanish. They threw it on the turntable and, inspired by what they heard, the boys wrote a Spanglish rap about all of the friends they grew up with and the growing specter of neighborhood gang warfare that would crest just a few years later in the early 1990s.
Older brother Duke was attending Cal State Northridge (CSUN) at the time, and Jack and Yonjo made the trip out one weekend to see Latin hip-hoppers A Lighter Shade of Brown play the on-campus pub. When the following act was late to the stage, a deejay friend of Duke's threw on an instrumental beat and persuaded Jack and Yonjo to get on stage. Their song about the neighborhood characters got the crowd going crazier than the headlining act, and Jack was hooked.
Eventually, Yonjo dropped out to work for his family's business, Duke got in on the act, and his days at CSUN soon came to an end as well. "I think he went with the intention of doing something, but didn't know what he wanted to do," says Jack. According to his little brother, Duke spent most of those two years with his '79 Regal backed up to the door of his dorm room, juicing up the batteries on his hydraulics with free electricity, courtesy of the Cal State University system. When the party was over, he left.
By now Jack was attending the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies' (LACES) magnet high school Mid-City. Always a talented writer, he once won an essay contest for an opportunity to travel to the Soviet Union, but those plans were derailed by the ill-timed collapse of communism. Jack also played first-chair trumpet in the band and rubbed elbows in Miss Cox's music class with Lucas MacFadden (a.k.a. DJ Cut Chemist of Jurassic 5, Ozomatli and the Brainfreeze projects with DJ Shadow), and a certain actor you may have heard of named Leonardo DiCaprio.
Jack admits that he and his boys used to give Leo a hard time, but when they ran into each other years later at a Playboy magazine party, there were no hard feelings. "He was like, 'Hey, your music's tight.' I was like, 'You're acting's dope,'" Jack remembers.
After graduating from LACES, Jack also took a stab at higher education, attending Santa Monica College on scholarship, taking random courses for credit like weight training. "My dad always wanted us to do the college thing," he says. "Get a good job, make eighty-, a hundred-thousand-dollars a year. Live the good life, you know?" But with an infant daughter to support (he's now the proud father of five girls) and a waning interest in academics, Jack decided that his energy was better spent working and nurturing Psycho Realm's music.
About that time, Psycho Realm caught what could be considered the band's big break. It was 1993 and they were playing a free "End Barrio Warfare" show at the Olvera Street Plaza downtown, which happened to be attended by B-Real of Cypress Hill. B liked what he heard, met with Jack and Duke after the show, and eventually signed Psycho Realm to his production company and the Ruffhouse/Columbia/Sony label, mentoring the fledgling duo. "He was a good mentor," says Jack. "He helped us structure our songs more.
Live shows, he taught us how to work the crowd."
B-Real was so impressed with Psycho Realm that he actually wanted to join the group and make it a trio, but Jack and Duke were reluctant to let anyone else in the fold. "We had the mentality of the old rock bands: If you can't do an album on your own, you ain't shit," says Jack. The brothers told B-Real they would pass, but he was persistent. "We told him if you're going to be in the group, you've got to do all the promotional stuff, too. You don't get superstar status. And he was down with it, so we were like, 'Let's do the whole album.' And we did the whole first album with him."
The Big Debut
When it came time to put out their self-titled debut album in 1997, Jack and Duke were adamant that it was credited only to Psycho Realm, minting them as their own brand. Sony didn't go for it. "On everything, every sticker, it said, 'Featuring B-Real of Cypress Hill,' " recalls Jack. "You can't really blame them because they're sinking so many dollars into it. They're going to go for the marketing aspect." It wasn't all bad news, though. Even now, when Cypress Hill comes up, Psycho Realm usually gets a mention, and vice-versa.
Timing was not on their side, however. Simultaneously, Cypress Hill, Nas, and the Fugees were all on the Ruffhouse label, and they all had big radio hits. Not being a radio-friendly group, Psycho Realm fell into a no-man's land, and consequently fell through the cracks. "They didn't know what to do with us," laments Jack. "Two Mexican guys from L.A. rapping. They were just like, 'What is this? How can we market this?' "
Psycho Realm eventually decided it was best to part ways with Sony. "Sony did give us a worldwide promotional campaign, so we're known all over the world now," says Jack. "We can go to Europe and have promoters pay us to do shows. And we have fans that are coming to the shows all over the world – Mexico, South and Central America, Europe, Australia."
With a DIY work ethic, the Gonzalez brothers have also cultivated a vast network of independent distributors around the globe, keeping their music, their fans – and their profits – close to their chests. Jack breaks it down: "Instead of making eighty cents a record, we're making six or seven dollars a record. It's more of a direct contact with the streets, too, because on a day-to-day basis I'm going around to stores dropping off product. People at the shows buy it, people see me on the streets. I'm out there every day. It's being accessible. I think a lot of people can relate to us and the fact that we're in everybody's face, we're standing next to everybody, it makes it that much more real."
The ugly face of Los Angeles street violence got a little too real for Psycho Realm in late January 1999, just a month before their second album, "A War Story, Book 1," was scheduled for release on their own Sick Symphonies label. After a Delinquent Habits show at the El Rey theatre, Duke and a few friends went in search of late-night nourishment, ending up at Tommy's burger stand at Beverly and Rampart. Following an altercation in the parking lot, Duke was shot in the neck, severing an artery, with the bullet ending up right between the "L" and the "O" of his "Los Angeles" tattoo.
War Story II
By the time Jack made it to the scene, Duke was already on his way to County-USC Medical Center, and only his jacket remained in the street, ringed by yellow police tape. He caught up with Duke in the hospital hallway, barely alive and disfigured by swelling, bandages and clamps. Duke survived, and the police arrested the shooter, but his injuries left him a quadriplegic at 28.
Jack calls the months after Duke's misfortune "The Dark Ages." "I wasn't really doing much," he says. "Not really making music, just cruising the streets." Duke eventually convinced Jack to get back to making music, and he hooked up with dedicated foot soldiers of the Psycho Realm promotion machine and fellow Angelenos, Street Platoon. Together they recorded "The Steel Storm," released in 2001. Dad went to nursing school so he could care for Duke full time and Psycho Realm eventually got back on track.
Now, along with his musical contributions, Duke runs Psycho Realm's cyber-domain, maintaining the Web site and mailing list. And L.A. hip-hop's favorite sons released their long-awaited third album, "A War Story, Book 2," in November 2003. On one of the 15 new tracks, "Poison Rituals," MTV News' Kurt Loder even recounts the night Psycho Realm's lives changed forever at the burger stand. Standout and single-worthy tracks also include head-bobbing party track "Good Times" and street anthem "The Killing Fields."
By all appearances, Psycho Realm barely missed a step. When they threw a record-release party at the El Rey, the same theater where they attended the Delinquent Habits show that fateful night in 1999, Sick Soldiers lined up around the block, and the 600-plus fans that were turned away incited a near-riot. The L.A.P.D. even showed up, decked out in riot gear, though the situation eventually ended peacefully.
"We do it all ourselves," says Jack. "For two guys [Street Platoon], me and my brother, who's quadriplegic, we're not doing too bad."
ONLINE:
For a list of independent retailers carrying Psycho Realm's catalogue, tour dates, news, and merchandise, visit www.psychorealmonline.com.
Poison Rituals
The Psycho Realm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(G.Gonzalez, J.Gonzalez)
Hook:
Fiend when the leno gets put to the flame
Caps and 'shrooms stems to alter my brain
Drop a few tabs to make me insane
The I lose myself in a realm of strange days
My pusher helps me reach a sick domain
Lose yourself and your name ina a pile of cocaine
Slave to the drug that slugs all my pain
Pow Wow
(Jacken)
Smoke crawls through the tube of the mask I take a blast
Faceless figure you can't see through the clouded glass
Consuming herb gas, let loose the straps and pass
Like inked clowns we laugh
Through ancient indian rites we Pow Wow at night
With Bow Wows take full flight
Let the paece pipe ignite insight
Spark the light then invite the right zone
Taking you on the ultimate height
Despite the legal status we find ways to have it
Some to create some simply 'cause they're addicts
Always at it like drug nymphos, burn info
Memory loss because they puff indo
(Duke)
Hear the tone of my vocal cords and get stoned
On the street I'm a durg zone, homes
Roam in you head in your psyclone
Sicko mindstate full blown
Come load up the ammo
white paper wraps indo and freaks your weed hoe
Let the smoke settle
Deep in the mind of a big time fiend and you'll see
Good and bad times
You're real life scene turns into fields of icks dreams
Using anything to get high sicko
Will you come backe or remain trapped ?
Hook:
Fiend when the leno gets put to the flame
Caps and 'shrooms stems to alter my brain
Drop a few tabs to make me insane
The I lose myself in a realm of strange days
My pusher helps me reach a sick domain
Sober's out of range it's over I've changed
Lose yourself and your name ina a pile of cocaine
Slave to the drug that slugs all my pain
Pow Wow
Lose yourself and your name instrange days like drug slave
(Duke)
Indian style, some with red-eyes
And there won't be no lies
I'm seeing visions
In the desert we were all trippin', I'm stuck
Can't see shit just next drug hit
'Til I'm dead I'll keep my head lit
Overdoses and greedy ass loads
For those that want to walk these roads
Let the drug settle
(Jacken)
I see in three dimensions no question
Cause I D A.R.E.D. to overcome drug prevention
Tried to avoid it but I guess I was destined
For mind expansion, the kind to write text in
'Til in peace I'm resting forever getting high
'Til I get the ultimate high in heaven
But 'til then keep myself bound to the limit
Won't O.D. unless I predict it in lyrics
And when you hear it I've overcome death and don't fear it
I'm one who never smokes simply for gimic
I speak it, I live it, blaze to enhance my spirit
Calm my nerves so I don't go out and smack critics
We're inked outcasts who inhale grass to get a grasp
Life's hard task for low class
So we maintain by numbing our brain with pain killers
Some snort dust and others use vein fillers
My crew smokes chronic pillars used to chill us
As long as there's addicts the president remains the biggest dealer
(Duke)
Whos your pusher, baby ?
Sick dogs pushing these drugs and dicks in oyur guts
You get fucked
Drunk slots act scandalous
Minds get lost and your bodies fell lust
We stay high
Just don't want to be sober, why try?
You run around in the mix of fiends trying to get re-upped
All kinds of good drug got you fucked up
So now you just need a fix somehow
Call up your dogs and have your Pow Wow
The Psycho Realm's song "Poison Rituals" is an exploration of drug addiction and its grip on the minds and bodies of its subjects. The hook of the song immediately sets the mood with lines like "lose yourself in a realm of strange days" and "slave to the drug that slugs all my pain." The verses delve into different aspects of addiction, from the sheer pleasure of getting high to the dangers and consequences involved. The title of the song, "Poison Rituals," suggests that drug use is a kind of ritualistic behavior, with its own set of rules and practices.
Jacken's verse brings out the ritualistic aspect by describing a Pow Wow, an event that involves smoking and passing around the peace pipe. He describes the smoke crawling through the tube of a mask and claims that they "Pow Wow at night" and "let the peace pipe ignite insight." He also references "ancient Indian rites" and "Bow Wows take full flight," emphasizing the communal aspect of the experience. Duke's verse takes a darker tone, describing addiction as a sick mind state that can trap its subjects indefinitely. He talks about "overdoses and greedy ass loads" and how addiction can make people act like "drunk slots." He also references the dangers of drug dealing and how the government plays a role in fueling addiction.
Overall, "Poison Rituals" is a poignant exploration of addiction and its various effects on the mind, body, and soul. The song is a reminder to take care of ourselves and those around us, and to recognize the dangers of drug use.
Line by Line Meaning
Fiend when the leno gets put to the flame
When my cigarette lighter ignites, I become a desperate addict.
Caps and 'shrooms stems to alter my brain
Consuming drugs is a way to change my reality and my perception.
Drop a few tabs to make me insane
Taking hallucinogenic drugs makes me lose touch with reality.
Then I lose myself in a realm of strange days
When I'm high, my perception of time and reality changes completely.
My pusher helps me reach a sick domain
Drug dealers are enablers who help me sink deeper into addiction.
Sober's out of range it's over I've changed
Being sober is no longer an option for me because I'm addicted now.
Lose yourself and your name ina a pile of cocaine
Becoming addicted to drugs is a way to dissociate oneself from reality and escape from a painful existence.
Slave to the drug that slugs all my pain
Drugs bring temporary relief from pain, but ultimately create a cycle of addiction that is hard to break.
Smoke crawls through the tube of the mask I take a blast
When I smoke, the smoke travels through my lungs and into my bloodstream, affecting my brain.
Faceless figure you can't see through the clouded glass
The drugs have taken over my identity, and I'm no longer recognizable to myself or others.
Through ancient indian rites we Pow Wow at night
We gather in secret to perform drug rituals that we feel are connected to an ancient spiritual practice.
With Bow Wows take full flight
With the influence of drugs, we become wild and uncontrollable, like animals.
Let the paece pipe ignite insight
The act of smoking drugs is seen as a way to gain insight into one's own mind and thoughts.
Spark the light then invite the right zone
Smoking drugs is a way to create a specific mood or atmosphere, and invite certain people or energies in.
Taking you on the ultimate height
Using drugs to achieve a high is seen as a spiritual goal in itself.
Despite the legal status we find ways to have it
Using drugs is a way to rebel against the government and society's rules.
Some to create some simply 'cause they're addicts
People start using drugs for different reasons, sometimes just out of curiosity, sometimes to alleviate pain, sometimes because they become addicted.
Always at it like drug nymphos, burn info
Drug addicts are always in search of their next high, and will do whatever it takes to get it, regardless of the consequences.
Memory loss because they puff indo
Marijuana use can cause short-term memory loss and confusion.
Hear the tone of my vocal cords and get stoned
The sound of my voice can be hypnotic and entrancing, and can make people feel as if they are under the influence of drugs.
On the street I'm a durg zone, homes
People see me as a drug dealer, and I'm always surrounded by drugs and drug users.
Roam in you head in your psyclone
The drugs create a psychological storm in your mind, and it's hard to find your way out.
Sicko mindstate full blown
Being addicted to drugs changes your mental state, making you obsessed and irrational.
Come load up the ammo white paper wraps indo and freaks your weed hoe
Rolling up marijuana into a cigarette paper is a way to consume the drug.
Deep in the mind of a big time fiend and you'll see
Drug addiction is a deeply entrenched behavior that affects every aspect of one's life.
Good and bad times, You're real life scene turns into fields of icks dreams
Drug addiction can create a distorted perception of reality, and make it hard to distinguish between good and bad.
Indian style, some with red-eyes
Drug users often sit cross-legged on the ground, and their eyes can become bloodshot from drug use.
And there won't be no lies
Drug abuse is a harsh reality that can't be denied or hidden.
I'm seeing visions
Drug use can create vivid hallucinations and altered perceptions of reality.
In the desert we were all trippin', I'm stuck
Drugs can create a sense of being stuck in a state of mind and unable to escape.
Can't see shit just next drug hit
Drug addiction can make it hard to see the long-term consequences of one's actions, and create a cycle of seeking the next high.
'Til I'm dead I'll keep my head lit
Drug addiction can become a lifelong struggle that is hard to overcome.
Overdoses and greedy ass loads
Drug use can be dangerous and lead to overdose, and dealers can be motivated by greed.
For those that want to walk these roads
Drug addiction is a path that some choose to follow, despite the risks and dangers.
I see in three dimensions no question
Drug use can create visual effects and alter perception of one's environment.
Cause I D A.R.E.D. to overcome drug prevention
The D.A.R.E. program is a anti-drug education initiative, and lyrics suggest that it had the opposite effect on the artist.
Tried to avoid it but I guess I was destined
Even if one tries to avoid drugs, they can still become addicted and fall into the cycle of abuse.
For mind expansion, the kind to write text in
Drug use is seen as a way to expand one's mind and enhance creativity.
'Til in peace I'm resting forever getting high
Drug addiction can become a lifelong struggle that is hard to overcome, and one might continue to seek highs even in death.
'Til I get the ultimate high in heaven
The ultimate goal of drug addiction becomes about seeking a spiritual high beyond this world.
But 'til then keep myself bound to the limit
Drug addiction becomes a way to feel alive, with the risk of destroying oneself.
Won't O.D. unless I predict it in lyrics
Drug addiction can be fatal, but the artist suggests that he won't die from an overdose unless he predicts it in his lyrics first.
And when you hear it I've overcome death and don't fear it
Facing death can be a reality for drug abusers, and the artist suggests that they have not yet overcome their fear of dying from drugs.
I'm one who never smokes simply for gimic
Drug use is not a gimmick or a joke to the artist, but rather a part of their life and identity.
I speak it, I live it, blaze to enhance my spirit
Drug use is central to the artist's identity and a way to enhance their creativity and spiritual practices.
Calm my nerves so I don't go out and smack critics
Drug use is seen as a way to cope with emotional pain and aggression, and avoid lashing out at undeserving targets.
We're inked outcasts who inhale grass to get a grasp
Drug use is seen as a way to cope with feelings of social exclusion and alienation.
Life's hard task for low class
Drug use can be a way for those in lower socio-economic classes to cope with the challenges of their situation.
So we maintain by numbing our brain with pain killers
Drug use is seen as a way to numb the pain and cope with uncomfortable feelings.
Some snort dust and others use vein fillers
Different types of drugs are used to cope with different types of pain and discomfort.
My crew smokes chronic pillars used to chill us
Marijuana is used as a way to relax and cope with stress among the artist and their community.
As long as there's addicts the president remains the biggest dealer
Drug addiction is a systemic issue, and presidents and politicians play a role in perpetuating the cycle of abuse and addiction.
Whos your pusher, baby ?
Drug dealers can be seen as analogous to the devil, always tempting people to fall into the cycle of addiction.
Sick dogs pushing these drugs and dicks in oyur guts
Drug dealers are seen as morally corrupt, and contributing to the physical and emotional harm of their customers.
You get fucked
Drug addiction can ruin one's life and lead to serious problems.
Drunk slots act scandalous
Drug addiction can lead to risky behaviors and recklessness.
Minds get lost and your bodies fell lust
Drug use can disconnect the mind and body, leading to a sense of detachment and emptiness.
Just don't want to be sober, why try?
Drug use becomes a coping mechanism that is hard to escape or separate from one's identity.
You run around in the mix of fiends trying to get re-upped
Drug addiction can become a cycle of seeking the next high, and being in the company of other addicts.
All kinds of good drug got you fucked up
Addiction can make it hard to see the negative consequences of drug use, even if the drugs initially felt good to take.
So now you just need a fix somehow
Addiction can create a tense and anxious state of seeking the next high, and feeling desperate to avoid withdrawal.
Call up your dogs and have your Pow Wow
Addicts often gather together to take drugs, and reinforce the cycle of abuse and addiction.
Contributed by Penelope H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.