The Crazy Town/Weezer Collab You May Not Know About
It was reported today that Shifty Shellshock, singer of Crazy Town, died yesterday (6/24) at age 49. Born Seth Binzer, he founded the band in the mid-90s and had massive success with their hit “Butterfly.” The track had a recent resurgence with a remix circulating on TikTok a few months ago.
Everyone knows the hit “Butterfly.” What you may not know is the material that came after it. Riding the wave of their debut The Gift of Game, Crazy Town released their sophomore album Darkhorse in 2002. The second track features a collaboration that made all the sense in the world in the early 00s, when rap-rock and alternative were mashed together in rock radio playlists. Looking back at it now, it’s a bit odd to see this name among a nu-metal tracklist: Rivers Cuomo of Weezer.
At that time, Weezer’s Green Album was huge, boasting hits like the hard-chugging “Hash Pipe” and a more mellow “Island in the Sun.” Weezer’s commercial success was sustained long after Crazy Town’s fleeting one-hit-wonder, but at the time the collab was fitting. The song that features a solo by Rivers Cuomo is “Hurt You So Bad,” and you can hear it below. The video is a delightful throwback to 2000s-era bleached hair and Powerpoint-esque camera cuts.
Crazy Town – Hurt You So Bad feat. Rivers Cuomo of Weezer
Another connection is to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. “Butterfly” samples a song from Mother’s Milk called “Pretty Little Ditty.” Listen to the two tracks below.
At the time of this publishing, a cause of death for Shifty Shellshock has not been made public.
