Axe Murder Boyz

Prolific hardcore rap duo Axe Murder Boyz (also known as AMB) started as an underground act formed by Mexican-American brothers Mike and James Garcia, who also perform solo as Bonez Dubb and Young Wicked, respectively. Linked with Psychopathic Records, Hatchet House, and Majik Ninja Entertainment, the pair injected some of the creepy horror and cartoonish violence associated with those horrorcore labels with their own hardcore, West Coast gangsta-rap-influenced stylings, which could be heard on charting efforts Blood In, Blood Out (2006), Gods Hand (2008), The Garcia Brothers (2014), and Muerte (2018). Founded in 1999 in Denver, CO, by the Garcia brothers, the duo began its recording career on the independent label Axe Recordings. Releases on the label included The Underground Stylistikz and How Far Will I Go?, both from 1999, as well as Tormented (2000), The Galaxy (2001), The Down Low EP (2002), and Tha Underground Stylystiks Compilation Album, Vol. 1 (2003). They subsequently switched to the independent label Canonize Productions and released albums including fourth official full-length, The Unforgiven Forest, which arrived in 2004, as well as a pair of EPs, Vampirez and Underdogz. Following this series of album releases, AMB won a contest held by Insane Clown Posse's Psychopathic Records and was offered a recording contract. Blood In, Blood Out -- their debut for the label and sixth album overall -- was issued in 2006 and featured appearances by ICP, Shaggy 2 Dope, Twiztid, and Blaze Ya Dead Homie. Embraced by the Juggalo community, the set made gains on the Billboard Heatseekers, Independent, and Internet charts, barely breaking into the overall album chart at number 199. was an underground rap sensation, breaking into the Billboard 200 album chart. They followed with God's Hand in 2008, released on the Psychopathic Records subsidiary label Hatchet House. For their eighth, 2014's The Garcia Brothers, the eponymous pair briefly returned to Psychopathic before hopping to Twiztid's adjacent label Majik Ninja Entertainment for 2018's Muerte. ~ Neil Z. Yeung & Jason Birchmeier, Rovi