Helter Skelter is a 1996 album by The D.O.C.

The D.O.C.

Tracy Lynn Curry , primarily known by his stage name The D.O.C., is an American rapper from Dallas, Texas. In addition to a solo career, he was a member of the hip hop group Fila Fresh Crew, and a creative force behind the gangsta rap group N.W.A, where he co-wrote many of their releases. He has...

, and was an attempt at making a comeback following the car crash which severely damaged his vocal cords. The album was widely ignored, and has even been discredited by D.O.C himself. The name of the album is a reference to Charles Manson

Charles Manson

Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...

's idea of The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

' "Helter Skelter" prophesying the end of the world.

The title and concept behind this album were originally developed by Dr. Dre

Dr. Dre

Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...

 as a collaborative effort between him and Ice Cube

Ice Cube

O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...

, titled Heltah Skeltah. At that time however, The D.O.C. had become disillusioned with Death Row Records

Death Row Records

Death Row Records is a record label founded in 1991 by Marion "Suge" Knight Jr., Andre Young , Tracy Lynn Curry and Michael Harris . It is known to have been home to many popular West Coast hip hop artists such as Dr...

 and Dre, having received no payment for his work ghostwriting

Ghostwriter

A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...

 at Death Row . So in late 1994, D.O.C. decided to leave Death Row and headed to 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...

. Taking lyrics he had already written for Heltah Skeltah, he recorded Helter Skelter, keeping the name to spite Dre.

Track listing

1. "Intro" (featuring: Eddie Griffin
   Eddie Griffin
   Edward James "Eddie" Griffin, Jr. is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his sitcom, Malcolm & Eddie along with co-star, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and his role in the 2002 comedy film Undercover Brother as the film’s title character.-Early life:Griffin was born in Kansas City,...
   
   )
2. "Return of da Livin' Dead"
3. "From Ruthless 2 Death Row (Do We All Part)"
4. "Secret Plan" (featuring: Jello Biafra
   Jello Biafra
   Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
   
   )
5. "Komurshell (Mo' Hair)" (featuring: Erotic D)
6. "4 My Doggz"
7. ".45 Automatic" (featuring: Passion, Mally-G aka Jamal from Illegal)
8. "Sonz o' Light" (featuring: Erotic D, Mally-G aka Jamal from Illegal)
9. "Bitchez" (featuring: Erotic D)
10. "Interlude"
11. "Da Hereafter" (featuring: Erotic D)
12. "Erotix Shit" (featuring: DFC, Erotic D, MC Breed
    MC Breed
    Eric Breed better known as MC Breed, was an American rapper best known for his singles "Ain't No Future in Yo Frontin", which peaked at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Gotta Get Mine", featuring 2Pac, that made it to #6 on the Hot Rap Singles.-Biography:Born in Flint, Michigan, Breed is also...
    
    , Mz. Allan, Mally-G aka Jamal from Illegal)
13. "Welcome to the New World" (featuring: Erotic D)
14. "Killa Instinc" (featuring: Erotic D)
15. "Komurshell" (featuring: Voodoo Einstein)
16. "Brand New Formula"
17. "Outro" (featuring: Erotic D)

Bonus tracks

• "Crazy Bitchez" (featuring: Erotic D)

Singles

Single information
"Return of da Livin' Dead" Released: 1995 B-side: "From Ruthless to Death Row (Do We All Part)"
"4 My Doggz" Released: 1996 B-side: "4 My Doggz (Instrumental)"