Inside Shifty Shellshock and Crazy Town's Rocky Road to Fame on the Wings of 'Butterfly'

Versions of this story previously ran in 2001 issues of Teen PEOPLE and PEOPLE magazines. Crazy Town frontman Shifty Shellshock was found dead at home in Los Angeles on June 24, 2024, at the age of 49.

Two singles into their November 1999 debut, The Gift of Game, Crazy Town still hadn't scored a hit. Then that December the Hollywood-based rap-rockers released the video for "Butterfly," an ode to vocalist Shifty Shellshock's now ex-girlfriend Cynthia, who appeared in the clip.

"It's not too sappy," said Shifty, then 26, of the song. "She loves it." (Even Shaggy told Teen PEOPLE it was "the flyest video on MTV.)

She wasn't the only one: It made inroads with MTV and top-40 radio, helping the album go platinum. "This is where the real work begins," said bandmate Epic. "This is what we asked for."

Crazy Town's dramatic history dates back to 1992, when struggling rapper Shifty (real name: Seth Binzer) met Bret "Epic" Mazur, a DJ-producer and son of a music-publishing exec, while perusing mix tapes at an L.A. flea market. Soon Epic, then 27, was producing demos for Shifty and writing music for his gigs around L.A.'s underground hip-hop scene. Eventually, he joined him at the mic.

But before long the duo was seduced by the seedier side of Hollywood's party scene. "We were doing the rock-star thing before we had records out," said Shifty. "We ended up in rehab. I was like, 'What a loser. I wanted to be something.' " Shifty and Epic spent the next year attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and recruiting members for Crazy Town, a moniker that acknowledges their Hollywood roots.

A year after signing with Columbia Records in 1999, Epic and Shifty — along with guitarist Craig "Squirrel" Tyler, 27, bassist Doug "Faydoedeelay" Miller, 25, guitarist Anthony "Trouble" Valli, 25, and drummer James "JBJ" Bradley Jr., 26 — hit the road for Ozzfest 2000. However, with more than a year of touring already behind them (including a stint opening for Orgy), the fatigued band had to back out after a few dates when Shifty had a relapse. "We almost threw it all away," said Epic. "We had to prove to our managers that they had a real band on their hands."

Not long after, though, Crazy Town bounced back, with a hit single in "Butterfly" and a new image as alterna-heartthrobs.

"We joke about it," said Shifty. "If girls discover something beyond [the music], it's a bonus. We like attention. But we'd still be singing the same songs if we were scruffy-looking."

"A lot of kids know 'Butterfly,' but we're not that band," added Epic. "We're not mellow and laid-back." Shifty continued, "We can't be happy-go-lucky all the time. We're emotional, sick creatures."

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The group's 2003 follow-up album, Darkhorse, received less praise, including from PEOPLE, whose critic called the effort "tired." The band broke up not long after the release, though some members had reunited in recent years.

"Being in Crazy Town has all been one big highlight. But when we went platinum, I got a tear in my eye because that was a lifelong goal," Shifty shared in 2001. "Now, every day is a new milestone."

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.