Shifty Shellshock | |
|---|---|
 Binzer in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Seth Brooks Binzer |
| Born | (1974-08-23)August 23, 1974 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | June 24, 2024(2024-06-24) (aged 49) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1992–2024 |
| Formerly of | Crazy Town |
Seth Brooks Binzer (August 23, 1974 – June 24, 2024), better known by hisstage nameShifty Shellshock,[10] was an American rapper and singer-songwriter who cofounded therap rock bandCrazy Town, known for their hit song "Butterfly". He later had a solo career as well. Binzer struggled with addiction throughout his career and appeared on the reality television seriesCelebrity Rehab andSober House.
Binzer met fellow Crazy Town frontmanBret Mazur in 1992; they started collaborating under the nameThe Brimstone Sluggers. By early 1999, they formed the groupCrazy Town.[11] In 2000, Crazy Town was signed to tour withOzzfest. They were kicked out after two weeks when Binzer was arrested for throwing a chair through a window while drunk.[11][12]
The band's single, "Butterfly", was a global hit. It peaked at the top of theBillboard Hot 100 and in several other countries including Austria, Denmark, and Norway. The success of the single prompted sales of their debut album,The Gift of Game, to exceed 1.5 million.[13]
Their 2002 follow-up album,Darkhorse,[14] was a commercial failure by comparison, and the band broke up shortly after its release.[15]
Crazy Town announced they had reformed in 2007,[16] and performed live for the first time in five years in August 2009.[17] They released their third album,The Brimstone Sluggers, in 2015.[18]
During Crazy Town's hiatus, Binzer collaborated with British producer and musicianPaul Oakenfold, contributing vocals to Oakenfold's hit single "Starry Eyed Surprise". The track was for Oakenfold's first solo studio albumBunkka. In an interview withRolling Stone magazine in the US, Binzer said that the track was created after the pair met at a Crazy Town show.[19]The song peaked at number 13 on theBillboard Hot 100 and number six on theUK Singles Chart.[20]
Binzer released his only solo album,Happy Love Sick, in 2004. The first single from the album, "Slide Along Side", charted in several European countries, including number 29 on the UK Singles Chart,[20] and number 11 in Italy.[21]
In July 2010, Binzer's new group, Shifty and the Big Shots, released their first single, "Save Me".[22]
Binzer was born in Los Angeles on August 23, 1974; his father, Rollin Binzer, worked as an artist and documentary film director, and his mother, Leslie Brooks, worked as a model and script proofreader.[23][24] He grew up primarily in Los Angeles with the exception of a brief period inMarblehead, Massachusetts.[23] He began writing rhymes and rap songs by the age of 12.[24]
In a 2001 interview withRolling Stone, Binzer admitted to spending three months in theCalifornia Institution for Men following an attemptedburglary, to selling and usingrecreational drugs over a period of several years, as well as to struggling withdrug addiction.[25]
Binzer married Melissa Clark in 2002. They had a son named Halo. In 2011, Clark filed for divorce, citingirreconcilable differences. Binzer dated Tracy Shelor[26] in 2008. They had a son named Gage.[23]
Binzer began a relationship with British modelJasmine Lennard in 2010. On March 27, 2011, police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance between the pair. Binzer was arrested foroutstanding warrants and released later that day. In a video interview withTMZ.com, Binzer stated the disturbance was simply anoise complaint, and that the outstanding warrant was for counter-assaulting a security guard who was using unnecessary force when trying to throw him out of a club.[27] Lennard and Binzer announced their engagement in 2012. Binzer was arrested in February 2012 for battery and cocaine possession, and sentenced to three years' probation; his relationship with Lennard ended shortly thereafter.[28] Binzer and Lennard had a son named Phoenix.[23] In 2013, Lennard asked a California court for exclusive custody of their son, claiming Binzer smokedcrack in front of him and once left acrack pipe in his room.[29]
In 2022, Binzer was dating actressSoleil Moon Frye when he was arrested forDUI in Los Angeles.[30]
Following his struggle with substance abuse, Binzer was one of nine celebrities featured in the first season ofVH1'sCelebrity Rehab.[31] Binzer graduated from treatment with the other cast members in the summer of 2007. His sobriety was short-lived and subsequently he appeared briefly towards the end ofCelebrity Rehab 2, whereDr. Drew and Binzer'ssponsor retrieved him from his hotel room where he had been using drugs and brought him to the Pasadena Recovery Center.[32]
Binzer also appeared on a follow-up show titledCelebrity Rehab Presents Sober House. In July 2008, while shooting scenes for the show, Binzer walked out on production and into a heavy relapse after feeling insulted at a club.[33] William Smith, an employee of Dr. Drew, eventually sought out Binzer at a motel and brought him back to the rehab facility. An embarrassed Binzer pledged to Smith and Dr. Drew that the binge he embarked on was his last. On the show's final episode, Binzer is shown in the preliminary stages of being signed to a record producer for a new song, and resolves to stay sober.[34] On the August 30, 2009, episode ofLoveline, Dr. Drew gave an emotionaleulogy to his good friend and Binzer's former bandmateDJ AM, who had died two days previously from an accidentaldrug overdose shortly after breaking 11 years of sobriety. During the tribute, Dr. Drew mentioned that Binzer's problems with addiction continued afterSober House 1, eventually leading Binzer to take part inSober House 2. When filming forSober House 2 began, Dr. Drew got a "distress call" from Binzer and the two met, with Binzer revealing to Drew that his thirst for drugs was still very much active, and that he needed more help. Dr. Drew reluctantly allowed him to take part in the show and firmly stated that it would be the last time Drew gave him treatment. Dr. Drew voiced his hope that Goldstein's death would inspire Binzer to remain sober.[35]
On March 29, 2012, Binzer was admitted to a hospital after losing consciousness. He awakened from thecoma and was later released from the hospital.[36]
On June 24, 2024, Binzer died at his home in Los Angeles from an accidental overdose ofcocaine,fentanyl, andmethamphetamine; he was 49.[37][38]
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Happy Love Sick
|
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA [39] | UK [20] | SWE [40] | SWI [41] | FRA [42] | AUS [43][44] | NLD [45] | GER [46] | NZ [47] | US [48] | US Top 40 [48] | |||
| 2002 | "Starry Eyed Surprise" (Paul Oakenfold featuring Shifty Shellshock) | — | 6 | — | — | — | 37 | 41 | — | 19 | 41 | 13 | Happy Love Sick |
| 2004 | "Slide Along Side" | 11 | 29 | 36 | 42 | 45 | 48 | 24 | 63 | — | — | 38 | |
| "Turning Me On" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
As Shifty & the Big Shots
Others
Binzer had a minor role in the 1994 filmClifford, and played the lead role in the 2004 short filmWillowbee.[10] He also appeared in the 2016 filmDead 7.[51]
Born on Aug. 23, 1974, Binzer was raised in Southern California by his parents Leslie Brooks and Rollin Binzer. ... By the age of 12, he started writing rhymes and rap songs, marking the beginning of his musical journey.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |