Hip-hop and rock are like two peas in a pod. Although sonically, they are two very different genres, they share one thing in common: the aura of rebellion. Whether it’s punk or heavy metal, the rock genre has many highly anti-establishment and non-conformist derivatives regarding their lyrics and delivery. However, the outlandish and eccentric rocker Marilyn Manson is not an individual one would connect to hip-hop.
However, regardless of Manson’s assumed distance from hip-hop, one rapper is obsessed with him. The rockstar (real name Brian Warner) has been a confusing and stigmatised artist for a long time and, since the 1990s, has been a controversial figure presumed to influence young people negatively.
Akin to NWA, who the FBI investigated, Manson’s music was analysed by the federal government and examined by US Congress. Furthermore, in 1999, American news outlets blamed Manson’s music for influencing the mass shooters involved in the Columbine High School massacre.
However, for one artist, this backdrop only made Manson’s abrasive music and outlandish character more interesting. This musician is Pink Tape rapper Lil Uzi Vert. The emcee (real name Symere Woods) has been a proud fan of the rockstar since he emerged.
In an interview with Pharrell Williams for his podcast OTHERtone, Woods explained how he became a fan of Manson, divulging, “When I was supposed to go to bed I would be watching ‘Celebrity Deathmatch’ and I didn’t know who he was. I knew everybody else but I didn’t know who he was. I was young when ‘Celebrity Deathmatch’ first came out. I would just see him and be like, ‘This guy reminds me of Sting’ like wrestling.”
He continued, “Then I figured it out. Started using the internet, took the phone out, plugged that dial-up in, and typed in Marilyn Manson. I don’t know it just…” Uzi even referenced Manson in his interview with Nardwuar after he received a poster of the rocker, and revealed a lot of his style comes from the star, who he named ‘The Pale Emperor’, insisting, “I will leave this Earth for this man right here. He’s the pale Emperor. I saw Marilyn Manson. He had like the platinum grills, and that’s when I got my first ones. And honestly, I didn’t even buy them. My grandma bought those. I paid her back right away, though.”
Warner and Woods have exchanged words on social media, and Marilyn Manson retweeted a clip of Woods spending $220,000 on a Marilyn Manson chain. Although it’s a strange relationship, it makes sense of Lil Uzi Vert’s outlandish, brash and gothic approach to music. You can hear the musician explain his love for Manson in the video below.
