Shifty Shellshock, the lead singer of the rap rock band Crazy Town, known for the hit song “Butterfly,” has passed away at the age of 49.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s website, Shellshock, born Seth Binzer, passed away at his residence on Monday. The cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
Shellshock met his Crazy Town co-founder, Bret Mazur, in 1992. Initially, they produced music under the name the Brimstone Sluggers. By 1999, the band had rebranded to Crazy Town. They expanded their lineup to include Rust Epique, James Bradley Jr. (JBJ), Doug Miller, Adam Goldstein (DJ AM), and Antonio Lorenzo “Trouble” Valli. Crazy Town’s debut album, The Gift of Game, was released in November 1999. The band soon supported the Red Hot Chili Peppers on tour.
In October 2000, Crazy Town released “Butterfly” as the third single from their album The Gift of Game. The song samples “Pretty Little Ditty” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and features Shellshock’s infectious earworm: “Come my lady, come-come my lady, You’re my butterfly, sugar baby.”
The track skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two non-consecutive weeks, marking the band’s biggest hit.
Crazy Town Disbands, Launching Shifty Shellshock’s Solo Career
However, the band’s success was short-lived.
Crazy Town’s second album, Darkhorse (2002), failed to generate the same excitement as their debut. The band disbanded.
However, Shellshock embarked on a solo career, collaborating with Paul Oakenfold on the 2002 hit “Starry Eyed Surprise,” which reached No. 41 on the charts. In 2004, Shellshock released his debut solo album, Happy Love Sick, which achieved moderate success in Europe.
Crazy Town Reforms
Crazy Town reformed in 2007 and, in 2015, released their third album, The Brimstone Sluggers. The album’s title alluded to the moniker used by Binzer and co-founder Bret “Epic” Mazur, per Loudwire. Although they never released another album, Binzer kept the nu-metal group alive, recently putting out a series of singles under the name Crazy Town X.
Meanwhile, eight weeks ago, Binzer posted his final update on Instagram. The image depicted a person clad in black amidst a crowd dressed in white, with the caption “real is rare, fake is everywhere” prominently displayed at the top.
“To the ones who stay even when I try my hardest to scare [them] away,” Shifty wrote alongside the image.
Shellshock is survived by his three children: Halo, Gage, and Phoenix.