On July 4th, 1984 - police in Northport, New York found the badly mutilated body of 17-year-old Gary Lauwers in a wooded residential area - covered with leaves and twigs. The next day, they would arrest his murderer: 17-year-old Richard Allen Kasso Jr. Unfortunately, Kasso would never stand before a judge for the crime. He was found hanged in his jail cell on July 7th.

Though it appeared to be a very cut and dry case, people talked about this murder for decades to come. Why, you may ask? Because of who Ricky Kasso was before the murder. While on the surface he was the typical stoner loser, spending his nights sleeping in backyards or on friends couches, his friends knew him to be interested in the occult and a member of the "Knights of the Black Circle": A group of friends who sold marijuana to one another.This information becomes important when Kasso bragged to his friends that Satan came to him in the form of a crow, telling him to murder Lauwer. This story became a large part of the "Satanic Panic" phase of the '80s and early '90s, where parents and older members of society were terrified of things like Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden turning their children into devil worshippers.

However, the buzz surrounding the case died with the panic, and it was largely locked away in the annals of history until 2019. When music producer TOBACCO and rapper Aesop Rock came together to collaborate on their latest project, "Malibu Ken", they decided that they wanted to tell the story of Ricky Kasso to modern audiences. With Aesop using his layered and intriguing verses in between TOBACCO's bit crushed and intense backtrack, the duo brought the story back to life with unsettling accuracy on their track titled "Acid King." I know I've all but spoiled the whole story here, but I highly suggest giving the track a listen. If nothing else, you will hear two amazing artists bringing their talents together in an interesting and unusual hip-hop banger.