Crazy Town: Butterfly singer Shifty Shellshock dies, aged 49

The musician and hip-hop artist gained fame for the popular song Butterfly.

Shifty Shellshock, the lead singer of the rap-rock group Crazy Town, passed away at the age of 49.

The artist became famous for their 2001 song Butterfly, which topped the charts in the US and reached the third spot in the UK.

Seth Binzer, who goes by the name of Crazy Town, started the band in 1995. He then had a hit with DJ Paul Oakenfold on the popular club song Starry Eyed Surprise.

Nevertheless, he battled with addiction for the duration of his life, publicly dealing with his struggles on reality television programs like Celebrity Rehab and its spin-off, Sober House.

He was discovered deceased at his residence in Los Angeles on Monday, June 24th. The reason for his passing has not been revealed yet.

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Binzer was born in 1974 and raised in the music industry.

His dad, Rollin Binzer, was the one in charge of making sure the 1973 concert movie Ladies And Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones was a success. He also created the artwork for albums from Chess Records. On the other hand, his mom, Leslie Brooks, worked as a model.

He found his passion for creating rap music when he came across the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill album. This led him to join forces with Bret “Epic” Mazur at a recording session in the early 1990s to form the group Crazy Town.

Imagined as a hip-hop collective with a live band, they didn't have a strong beginning.

The initial two songs from their first album, The Gift Of The Game, did not reach the charts. The band also pulled out from the Ozzfest festival in 2000, following Binzer's arrest for tossing a chair out of a window while intoxicated.

In addition, the album also included Butterfly, a chill love song that featured a riff taken from the Red Hot Chili Peppers' instrumental track, Pretty Little Ditty.

Launched in 2001, this song quickly became popular because of Binzer's incredibly catchy chorus: "Come my lady / Come, come my lady / You're my butterfly / Sugar, baby".

He explained that the song was created as a contrast to the more sexist lyrics he had written before.

"We were composing tracks like Lollipop Porn when I was single, and out of nowhere I found myself in a romantic relationship," he remembered in Fred Bronson's book about top hits on the Billboard charts.

I was feeling love, and she was questioning, 'Why are you writing all these song lyrics? Is this really who you are?'

This inspired me to write a song for her. Instead of composing a song that promotes male dominance, I decided to write something heartfelt and kind for a special girl in my life.

Yet, the band hesitated to release the song as a single out of fear that it would limit their identity.

Binzer stated that a song such as Butterfly is a clear favorite among all listeners, regardless of their toughness.

It is easily digestible for radio listeners, especially female fans enjoy it, and I believe we have maintained our artistic integrity throughout.

His forecast was accurate. Crazy Town did not achieve the same level of success as their most popular song. Their following single, Revolving Door, only reached number 23 in the UK charts, and they never made an impact on the charts after that.

Crazy Town kept performing concerts as recently as May 2024.

Crazy Town broke up in 2002 because their second album, Darkhorse, did not sell well.

Binzer later decided to continue his music career on his own, putting out a solo album titled Happy Love Sick. The album received a decent amount of popularity in Europe.

In that time, he also put out Starry Eyed Surprise, which made it to the sixth spot on the UK charts.

He joined Mazur once again to work on another album by Crazy Town, called The Brimstone Sluggers, which was released in August 2015. After Mazur's departure, Binzer decided to rename the band as Crazy Town X.

The musician was honest about his struggles with drugs and alcohol, and shared about his time behind bars when he was younger. He talked about being involved in violent situations, like using a gun in an attack, and also selling illegal substances.

In 2012, he got in trouble for hurting someone in his home and having drugs. That same year, he had to go to the hospital after passing out, and he ended up in a coma before waking up.

He got arrested for driving while intoxicated in 2022. He was kicked off a Nu Metal tour the previous year after a violent fight with his bandmate, Bobby Reeves, was caught on camera following a show in South Carolina.

As per Stereogum, the two eventually reconciled and Crazy Town performed at shows with Binzer as recently as May 2024.

The musician's three children, named Halo, Gage, and Phoenix, are the ones who will continue to live on after their father's passing.