Stuck Mojo
Encyclopedia
Stuck Mojo is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 band from Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

. Formed in 1989 by guitarist Rich Ward
Rich Ward
Richard Park "Rich" Ward is an American guitarist, also known by his stage name, "The Duke". Ward is best known as a founding member of Stuck Mojo, a popular and influential underground rap-metal band of the 1990s, but he is also known as lead guitarist of heavy metal band Fozzy.-Early life:Ward...

, Stuck Mojo is considered to be one of the pioneers of rap metal
Rap metal
Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock which fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop music with heavy metal.-History:Rap metal originated from rap rock, a genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with rock...

. Touring alongside bands such as Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...

 and Slapshot
Slapshot (band)
-History:Slapshot was formed in 1985 by Steve Risteen and Mark McKay, formerly of Terminally Ill; Jack "Choke" Kelly, formerly of Negative FX and Last Rights; and Jonathan Anastas, formerly of Decadence and DYS...

. Stuck Mojo's most successful album, Rising
Rising (Stuck Mojo album)
Rising is the third album by Atlanta rap metal group Stuck Mojo. Unlike the previous two, this album found considerable mainstream success, most likely due to the music video for the song "Rising", which featured members of WCW Diamond Dallas Page, Raven and The Flock. This video received...

, peaked at #48 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

 Top Heatseekers chart
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...

. The band disbanded in 2000, reforming five years later. In 2006, their original vocalist, Bonz, was replaced by rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...

 Lord Nelson
Lord Nelson (rapper)
Lord Nelson is the lead vocalist for the rap metal band Stuck Mojo. He joined the group in 2006 after being offered a position to sing and rap for their album Southern Born Killers. Real Name Lloyd Nelson, The Stage Name "Lord Nelson" was given to him by Rich Ward on joining Stuck Mojo...

. Their fifth studio album, Southern Born Killers
Southern Born Killers
Southern Born Killers is an album by Stuck Mojo. The initial version of the album was released as both a CD and as a free download from the band's website on April 23, 2007...

, was initially released without a record label, offered as a free download in addition to being sold on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

. To date, they have released six studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

s and one live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...

.

History

In their early days, Stuck Mojo was criticized for their hip hop influences, while some audiences directed bigotry towards against Bonz, their African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 lead vocalist/rapper. In 1994, Stuck Mojo signed a deal with Century Media Records, releasing their debut album, Snappin' Necks
Snappin' Necks
Snappin' Necks is the debut album by American heavy metal band Stuck Mojo. It was released in the summer of 1995. The album was preceded by three separate demos, one of which landed the band a recording contract with Century Media Records in 1994, which lead to this album...

 in 1995. Allmusic's Bret Love wrote that "The group's high testosterone and volume levels, and virtual lack of funkiness, ensure a somewhat limited appeal, but for angry young men with too much pent-up energy, the powerful aggression of Snappin' Necks must be close to heaven." In October 1995, the band joined Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...

 and Slapshot
Slapshot (band)
-History:Slapshot was formed in 1985 by Steve Risteen and Mark McKay, formerly of Terminally Ill; Jack "Choke" Kelly, formerly of Negative FX and Last Rights; and Jonathan Anastas, formerly of Decadence and DYS...

 on a ten-week tour while living in a rented van. Stuck Mojo's first European tour followed, and they were named the best live band by MTV Europe
MTV Europe
MTV Europe is a pan-European 24-hour entertainment cable and digital television network launched on August 1, 1987. Initially, the channel served all regions within Europe being one of the very few channels that targeted the entire European continent...

.

Their second studio album, Pigwalk
Pigwalk
Pigwalk is the second full-length album released by rap metal group Stuck Mojo. This album is considered to be a milestone in the rap metal genre. Stuck Mojo performed "Here Comes the Monster" and "Mental Meltdown" on MTV's 1996 Headbanger's Ball. A music video for "Pigwalk" was also made...

, was released on October 8, 1996. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...

 wrote that "Pigwalk captures the pummelling power of the band's intense live shows, yet the group doesn't yet have the ability to construct a memorable riff or hook, leaving Pigwalk as an entertaining, but uncompelling, cross of Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...

 and Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...

." On March 3, 1998, Stuck Mojo released their third studio album, Rising
Rising (Stuck Mojo album)
Rising is the third album by Atlanta rap metal group Stuck Mojo. Unlike the previous two, this album found considerable mainstream success, most likely due to the music video for the song "Rising", which featured members of WCW Diamond Dallas Page, Raven and The Flock. This video received...

. It peaked at #48 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

 Top Heatseekers chart
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...

. Allmusic reviewer Steve Huey wrote that "Rising shows some musical growth from Pigwalk, although Stuck Mojo still lose their musical focus on several occasions over the course of the album."

Stuck Mojo disbanded following the release of a live album, HVY1
HVY1
HVY1 is the only live album by rap metal group Stuck Mojo. Most of the songs are taken from the band's performance in 1998 at the Masquerade Club in Atlanta, however some of the songs are from a performance in Spain...

, and their fourth studio album, Declaration of a Headhunter
Declaration of a Headhunter
Declaration of a Headhunter was the final studio album rap metal group Stuck Mojo released before breaking up in 2000, the same year the record was released. Unlike the previous albums, all music and lyrics were written by Rich Ward. This was mainly due to friction that had been brought up between...

, reforming in 2005. During the band's period of inactivity, Ward worked on side projects such as Fozzy
Fozzy
Fozzy is an American heavy metal/hard rock band, formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1999. Lead singer Chris Jericho , who is also a professional wrestler, resides in Florida, while the rest of the band lives in Georgia. The band is currently signed to Riot! Entertainment...

 and Sick Speed. In 2006, Stuck Mojo began recording material for a new album with original vocalist Bonz. Rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...

 Lord Nelson
Lord Nelson (rapper)
Lord Nelson is the lead vocalist for the rap metal band Stuck Mojo. He joined the group in 2006 after being offered a position to sing and rap for their album Southern Born Killers. Real Name Lloyd Nelson, The Stage Name "Lord Nelson" was given to him by Rich Ward on joining Stuck Mojo...

 was asked to contribute guest vocals to the album. When it was decided that Bonz would not continue as the band's vocalist, Lord Nelson stepped into Bonz' position. The band's fifth studio album, Southern Born Killers
Southern Born Killers
Southern Born Killers is an album by Stuck Mojo. The initial version of the album was released as both a CD and as a free download from the band's website on April 23, 2007...

, was released directly through the band's website without a label. The album was released as a free download, while the compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

 edition contained a bonus DVD. After signing with Napalm Records
Napalm Records
Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock.Originally, Napalm Records focused mainly on black metal acts such as Abigor and Summoning and folk metal bands such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg....

, Southern Born Killers was released nationally, with three bonus tracks. On November 28, 2008, Stuck Mojo released their sixth studio album, The Great Revival
The Great Revival (album)
The Great Revival is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Stuck Mojo, released by Napalm Records on November 28, 2008.-Music and lyrics :...

. It featured what has been described as some of the band's heaviest work, as well as some of the band's most "commercially-tinged songs".

Music and lyrics

Stuck Mojo fuses Southern
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...

-based heavy metal with hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

 influences, and is considered to be one of the pioneers of rap metal
Rap metal
Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock which fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop music with heavy metal.-History:Rap metal originated from rap rock, a genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with rock...

. Mark Jenkins
Mark Jenkins
Mark Jenkins is an American artist most widely known for the street installations he creates using box sealing tape. In addition to creating art, he also teaches his sculpture techniques through workshops in cities he visits...

 of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...

 noted the conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...

 viewpoint of some of the band's songs, writing that "the [song] "Crooked Figurehead" does begin with an anti-Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

 rant, which suggests that this Atlanta quartet is the mirror image of leftist
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...

 agit-metal band Rage Against the Machine." The band cites Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...

, Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...

, Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...

 and Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...

 as influences.

Discography

  • Snappin' Necks
    Snappin' Necks
    Snappin' Necks is the debut album by American heavy metal band Stuck Mojo. It was released in the summer of 1995. The album was preceded by three separate demos, one of which landed the band a recording contract with Century Media Records in 1994, which lead to this album...

     (1995)
  • Pigwalk
    Pigwalk
    Pigwalk is the second full-length album released by rap metal group Stuck Mojo. This album is considered to be a milestone in the rap metal genre. Stuck Mojo performed "Here Comes the Monster" and "Mental Meltdown" on MTV's 1996 Headbanger's Ball. A music video for "Pigwalk" was also made...

     (1996)
  • Violated
    Violated
    Violated was a European-only EP released by rap metal band Stuck Mojo. The album was released as a means of promoting the band for its first ever tour overseas in Europe. The EP including a cover of Black Sabbath's Sweet Leaf, as well as two live songs....

     (EP) (1997)
  • Rising
    Rising (Stuck Mojo album)
    Rising is the third album by Atlanta rap metal group Stuck Mojo. Unlike the previous two, this album found considerable mainstream success, most likely due to the music video for the song "Rising", which featured members of WCW Diamond Dallas Page, Raven and The Flock. This video received...

     (1998)
  • HVY1 (Live)
    HVY1
    HVY1 is the only live album by rap metal group Stuck Mojo. Most of the songs are taken from the band's performance in 1998 at the Masquerade Club in Atlanta, however some of the songs are from a performance in Spain...

     (1999)
  • Declaration of a Headhunter
    Declaration of a Headhunter
    Declaration of a Headhunter was the final studio album rap metal group Stuck Mojo released before breaking up in 2000, the same year the record was released. Unlike the previous albums, all music and lyrics were written by Rich Ward. This was mainly due to friction that had been brought up between...

     (2000)
  • Violate This (Compilation)
    Violate This
    Violate This is a compilation album by Stuck Mojo. Released in 2001, the album compiles previously unreleased demos, alternate takes, b-sides, and new recordings.-Track listing:#Ten Years#Your Revolution#Not Promised Tomorrow 97'#No Pride, No Respect...

     (2001)
  • Southern Born Killers
    Southern Born Killers
    Southern Born Killers is an album by Stuck Mojo. The initial version of the album was released as both a CD and as a free download from the band's website on April 23, 2007...

     (2007)
  • The Great Revival
    The Great Revival (album)
    The Great Revival is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Stuck Mojo, released by Napalm Records on November 28, 2008.-Music and lyrics :...

     (2008)
  • TBA (2011?)

Band members

  • Lord Nelson
    Lord Nelson (rapper)
    Lord Nelson is the lead vocalist for the rap metal band Stuck Mojo. He joined the group in 2006 after being offered a position to sing and rap for their album Southern Born Killers. Real Name Lloyd Nelson, The Stage Name "Lord Nelson" was given to him by Rich Ward on joining Stuck Mojo...

     - vocals
  • Rich Ward
    Rich Ward
    Richard Park "Rich" Ward is an American guitarist, also known by his stage name, "The Duke". Ward is best known as a founding member of Stuck Mojo, a popular and influential underground rap-metal band of the 1990s, but he is also known as lead guitarist of heavy metal band Fozzy.-Early life:Ward...

     - guitar; vocals
  • Sean Delson - bass
  • Bud Fontsere – drums

Former band members

  • Rodney Beaubouef – drums
  • Bonz – vocals/lyrics - currently in killerintheworkplace
  • Dan Dryden – bass
  • Corey Lowery
    Corey Lowery
    Corey Lowery is a hard rock bassist and vocalist, previously of the bands Still Rain, Stuck Mojo, Switched and Stereomud. Lowery currently plays bass and provides backing vocals in the band Eye Empire. Eye Empire was previously known as Violent Plan. Before Violent Plan, Corey was playing with...

    – bass
  • Tim Maines - drums
  • Ryan Mallam – guitar
  • Mike Martin - guitar
  • Dwayne Fowler - bass
  • Brent Payne - drums
  • Karman Gossett - drums
  • Steve Underwood - drummer
  • Brad Hasty - drums
  • Scott Spooner - keyboards
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