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Music News

Shifty Shellshock, Crazy Town Singer, Dead at 49

The musician died at home, according to the medical examiner's office.

Shifty Shellshock of American rap rock band Crazy Town, United Kingdom, circa 2001.

Shifty Shellshock of American rap rock band Crazy Town, United Kingdom, circa 2001.

Tim Roney/Getty Images

Shifty Shellshock, the frontman of rap rock band Crazy Town, has died at 49, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The musician died at home on Monday (June 24), and the cause of death is still pending investigation.

Shellshock was born Seth Binzer on Aug. 23, 1974. He met Crazy Town co-founder Bret Mazer in 1992, and the band went on to add various members, including Adam Goldstein (better known as DJ AM, who died from an accidental overdose in 2009), Rust Epique, Antonio Lorenzo Valli, James Bradley Jr., among others. The band released its debut album The Gift of Game in November 1999. It peaked at No. 9 on the all-genre Billboard 200 on the chart dated March 3, 2001, and remained on the tally for 34 weeks.


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The set’s first two singles, “Toxic” and “Darkside,” failed to chart, but the third time was the charm for Crazy Town. “Butterfly” — which sampled the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Pretty Little Ditty” — arrived in October 2000 as the album’s third single and climbed to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, where it held the top spot for two weeks with its catchy chorus: “Come my lady, come come my lady / You’re my butterfly, sugar baby/ Come my lady, you’re my pretty baby/ I’ll make your legs shake, you make me go crazy.”

In all, the track remained on the chart for 23 weeks and is the group’s biggest hit to this day. (The track made Billboard‘s One-Hit Wonders of the 2000s list in 2014; the band did not land another song on the tally during its career.)

Sophomore album Darkhorse was released in November 2002 and debuted at No. 120. It failed to reach any higher, and fell off the chart after one week. The band broke up shortly after.

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Binzer was open about his struggles with substance abuse. He appeared on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew in 2008, and VH1’s Sober House from 2009 to 2010.

He is survived by his kids Halo, Gage and Phoenix.

This article was originally published by Billboard U.S.

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Neill Dixon
Courtesy Photo
Neil Dixon
Legal News

Departure Festival Settles Lawsuit with Canadian Music Week Founder Neill Dixon After Legal Dispute Over Unpaid Sale Fees

The former owner of Canadian Music Week, renamed Departure, has reached a resolution after filing a notice of action at the Ontario Court of Justice.

Departure Festival has resolved its dispute with Canadian Music Week (CMW) founder Neill Dixon.

Dixon sold CMW to Oak View Group and Canadian music company Loft Entertainment last year and announced his retirement, but subsequently filed a lawsuit for breach of contract and unpaid sale fees.

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