Colorado + Horrorcore: A Troubling + Bizarre History

If you dig deep enough, you'll find plenty of examples of dark, troubling pages from Colorado's history books.

Read More: A Small Colorado Town Had an Internment Camp During WWII |

However, a couple of high-profile crimes that took place in the '90s, as well as a highly publicized and controversial take on these crimes from law enforcement, all share a common theme that has sparked ongoing debates for decades regarding the correlation between fictional violence in the media and actual violent crimes.

Horrorcore + Colorado: Two Troubling Incidents

The notorious rap subgenre known as horrorcore has served as the scapegoat for three high-profile crimes over the years, two of which took place in Colorado.

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In 1996, 18-year-old Joseph Gallegos murdered his roommates in Bayfield, Colorado, after taking meth and allegedly listening to a song by horrorcore rapper Brotha Lynch Hung.

A few years later, the infamous and tragic Columbine Massacre took place in Littleton, an act that once again saw the blame shift to the music that the gunmen listened to, which included metal, industrial, and, you guessed it, horrorcore.

Horrorcore + Colorado: A Bold Statement from Police

Just when it seemed that the correlation between horrorcore and these violent crimes had been all but forgotten, a guide used by the Denver Police Department in 2017 warned of horrorcore fans, specifically fans of the group Insane Clown Posse, being prone to crimes including "murder, shootings, kidnapping, rape, necrophilia, cannibalism, assault, and arson."

The fanbase, known as Juggalos, was also recognized as a gang by the FBI in 2011 but reconsidered the classification in 2017.

Is Horrorcore to Blame for these Violent Colorado Crimes?

The arguably unfounded statements linking the violent lyrics often found in horrorcore music to crimes like Columbine and the Bayfield murders have been the topic of an age-old debate that begs the question: Does correlation equal causation?

Arguments can be made citing other high-profile crimes that have been connected to music, including the Manson Family's infatuation with The Beatles and the Virginia Tech shooter's obsession with Collective Soul's "Shine."

Debating aside, it is bizarre and troubling that Colorado has such a large presence in the controversy surrounding the subgenre and the crimes for which it is blamed.