Suicide Notes

Novel idea – artists killing themselves on their first single. What else would you expect from a group called Suicide Notes?

Starring scratch DJ Lroy and producer/rapper Hades, the pair debuts with a video for “Kurt Cobain,” directed by Ben Schneider. The clip finds the latter attempting to murder the former and make it look like a suicide, then offing himself in various ways. That’s interspersed with footage of their alter egos shooting an infomercial pimping firearms and used flip-phones with plenty of babes on set.


Lroy and the girls, on set
Suicide Notes formed last year when the longtime collaborators, frustrated with other musical endeavors, moved in together and started making beats. The project’s focused on the turntable skills of Lroy, who also takes a creative left turn by debuting as a rapper.

“This is a fresh start for Lroy. He’s like a Despot who’s never had an album out,” reveals Hades. “He’s more talented than me, and I’ve been putting out albums my entire life. This is him putting his balls out.”

The group’s name comes from the minor scale on a keyboard.

“Suicide is seven letters and there are seven letters in a key,” explains Hades. “We both predominantly produce sad music in A-sharp minor, so I have my keyboard taped up and it says ‘S-U-I-C-I-D-E’ on those notes. Most of our album is going to be in that key.”

That thread of self-destruction extends throughout their debut EP, slated for release on Hades’ Black Market Pluto label in the fall. Along with “Kurt Cobain,” the free download will also feature a song about another celebrity that took his own life, “Hunter S. Thompson.”

“We’re not celebrating suicide or condoning it,” says Lroy. “We’re celebrating the human condition of being up against adversity and wanting to kill your old self to come into some new shit. If we list anyone’s name as a track, we revere them.”

Hades says the single’s named “Kurt Cobain” because it’s reminiscent of hip-hop that was popular when Nirvana topped the rock charts. In the spirit of Cobain, the tune’s both pop and anti-pop. Verses are rapped from the perspective of each MC’s alter ego – Hades as Frankie Donatello and Lroy as Boo G. Ratchet.

“Frankie Donatello is a very sleazy, conniving, greasy hustler,” explains Hades. “He wears cheap suits and a fake Rolex. He lives with his mama and he takes women home to her house. He’s got grease stains on his wife-beater.”

“Boo G. likes clothes,” Lroy assesses of his fictional counterpart. “He likes to be fresh all the time. He thinks he’s a ladies man, but he’s just a sex addict. He’s a hustler too, and just really arrogant.

“But in a truthful way!”

Can’t get enough? Dig some bonus footage of Frankie Donatello slangin’ cell phones. - Austin Chronicle

October 9, 2015

Suicide Notes is a fictional Hip-Hop group from Austin, TX. DJ/Producer LROY (Legitimate Rhythms Own You) & Producer/Emcee HADES (Hungry Artists Don't Ever Stop) got together one day at dark times in each others lives. Feeling like they'd almost accomplished all they wanted out of life, it became a running joke to end it all or leave soon from natural causes.

When reflecting on the music catalog that would be left behind, it became clear that there was more to say. Something that could sum it all up.

Boo G. Ratchet & Frankie Donatello came after the failed suicide attempts to help LROY & HADES leave a proper suicide note behind in the form of an album. Boo G. Ratchet is a wannabe aristocrat and barely functioning sex addict & Frankie Donatello is a sleazy, desperate low-rent con artist who lives with his mamma.

Suicide Notes's debut album drops on December 1st on Black Market Pluto. - DopeCauseWeSaid

Suicide Notes made a splash earlier this year with their “Kurt Cobain” video, which had Lroy and HADES the Unscene portraying their alter egos Boo G. Ratchet and Frankie Donatello in a murderous bit of late night infomercial theater. It got the duo some love from the Chronicle and now they’re back at it with “Ernest Hemingway,” the next single from their upcoming debut album, due out in December. Where “Kurt Cobain” had the laid back feel of the West Coast jams that would have been contemporary to Nirvana, “Ernest Hemingway” is curiously futuristic, Lroy decking the song out in the synth heavy textures of a lost Dan the Automator beat. It’s more propulsive than “Kurt Cobain,” but the group’s clever, self-effacing lyricism remains on point, offering ample reason to get excited for the full album to come. - OVRLD

Suicide Notes is a self-titled concept album by a concept hip-hop duo in Austin. This is their debut album and dictates their respective characters' series of suicide notes. Suicide Notes released this album in December. It's gotten coverage in the Austin Chronicle, popular Austin blogs such as OVRLD, and more. Monikker's Hip-Hop Blog will be posting a new podcast show featuring an interview with Suicide Notes rapper/producer HADES (also, Protextor will be there).
Dark humor permeates this record. Even many of the song titles are part of the album concept. Those song titles bear names of real artists who killed themselves. Despite the concept and thematic material being so dark, this isn't one of those scary horror core albums. The characters, Frankie Donatello & Boo G. Ratchet (another funny, quirky name - "bougie ratchet") rap about their fantasies, failures, and frank feelings on life. Sometimes they come across a little nerdy in the sense they're analyzing and thinking too hard about things. Their funny interludes and skits aren't meant to be taken literally.

The record opens with a nod to golden age with some great boom bap beatboxing. The album production sticks to a boom bap foundation but also explores synth-y, electronic-influenced rap beats. One of my favorite production trends on this record is their use of funky, digitally manipulated vocal samples on choruses. Examples include the songs "Ernest Hemingway" and "Bad Dreams." This is a great sound that rap fans should find dope.



Suicide Notes' first single, "Kurt Cobain," was released in the latter half of 2015 with an accompanying music video. The song features instantly recognizable keys, samples, and bass parts. It's a funky East Coast hip-hop vibe. Frankie and Boo G drop their tongue-twisting rhymes over turntable samples. "Kurt Cobain" has the type of production that I can see the lyrically-minded, now-defunct West Coast group Jurassic 5 rapping over. Live bass, slightly funky, live authentic percussive parts and scratches. This isn't any of that mainstream crap.

The masterminds behind the record go by the stage names of HADES (plays the character of Frankie Donatello) and LROY (Boo G. Ratchet). They're not only the rappers and characters, but also the producers of the music. In addition, the record was released on the Austin hip-hop label Black Market Pluto, which is headed by HADES.

HADES and LROY have been working on great records with other Austin artists too. They were both involved in Protextor's new album SHIFT. LROY was credited on P-tek's song "Breakdown," and HADES has multiple production credits on SHIFT. These artists do seem to fit well together, as they all mesh their talents with a lyrical hip-hop style in unique, unconventional and slightly nerdy ways. It feels right that an artistic, open-minded city like Austin would be dropping dope hip-hop records such as these. - MonikkerMusic

I’ll give you a minute to stop hyperventilating over the combination of Suicide Notes and “Kurt Cobain” before getting into the details of this short. Suicide Notes is a project pairing up Austin hip hop secret weapon HADES the Unscene and turntablist LROY, both adopting new personas while focusing on their emcee sides to some decidedly Prince Paul-esque production. The video itself looks like an artifact from the Prince Paul era, commentary on the non-Straight Outta Compton end of hip hop nostalgia, complete with scantily clad women shuffling around as HADES’ alter ego Frankie Donatello hawks pagers and burner phones. There’s a side story involving HADES’ attempts to kill LROY and stage it as a suicide. Director Ben Snyder nails the lo-fi quirkiness of golden age hip hop clips but Suicide Notes’ delivery is no joke, this is a crafty duo with heaps of promise. - OVRLD

The Austin hip-hop series returns with Part 2, featuring Black Market Pluto label founder/artist HADES & his concept duo Suicide Notes. The duo consists of HADES & LROY, who play the concept characters Frankie Donatello & Boo G. Ratchet, respectively. Preview the new self-titled record & hear HADES tell about their personal & artistic journey. Their new EP full of remixes & new songs will be here by April.

Download Suicide Notes here: blackmarketpluto.bandcamp.com/album/suicide-notes

Monikker's Hip-Hop Blog is giving away the record this week as part of a regular drawing for blog readers. Sign up here.

Show HADES & his Black Market Pluto label love on Twitter.

A brand new remix from the Suicide Notes record released today. Here's the remix for "Ernest Hemingway." Look for it on the EP of remixes & new Suicide Notes music dropping in a couple months.

*World Premier* We are planning an Extended Play release of remixes & new songs in late March or early April. This... - Monikker

The new song "Gonzo" is from Austin duo Suicide Notes' upcoming EP. The music video is here! "Gonzo" opens up with Boo G. Ratchet/LROY's "I rode from A-town to Dallas..." dropping some tongue twisting complex rhymes. The video shows LROY & HADES (Frankie Donatello) dragging bodies in trash bags & digging pits for them in a cemetery.

When HADES' verse starts, they're officially driving around in their car & doing weird stuff. The car shots are juxtaposed with more shots of them in the cemetery with body bags. HADES is dressed in a hilarious wig & has some funny wordplay, like this line: "Never looking for b*tches, it's easy to make them come/pardon that last line, that was f*ckin dumb."

Overall "Gonzo" is a great suicide note. The production is more signature Suicide Notes, a kind of trippy electronic boom bap. Their new EP full of remixes & new jams should be here soon. I really recommend this group for their creativity & originality in both production & lyricism. - Monikker

Directed by producer HADES (Hungry Artists Don't Ever Stop) and released independently through Black Market Pluto, an indie label and studio in Austin, TX comes the new video for "Gonzo", a brand new song which will be featured on the upcoming "Extended Play" by Suicide Notes. - OK-THO

GONZO is a brand new song which will be featured on the upcoming Extended Play by Suicide Notes., a concept Hip-Hop group with members LROY (Legitimate Rhythms Own You) & HADES (Hungry Artists Don’t Ever Stop) portraying fictional characters Boo G. Ratchet & Frankie Donatello respectively, who materialize to help characterize the final music and words of their suicidal counterparts. GONZO is directed by producer HADES and released independently through Black Market Pluto, an indie label and studio in Austin, TX. - DopeCauseWeSaid