As told to J. Nicely Additional reporting by Sebastian Demian Photo courtesy of Posdnuos “This song does not contain explicit lyrics. But what it does contain is an undesired element. This element is known as the basehead. The lowest of the lowest of all elements that exist. And the sad thing is this particular element is me brother!” “My Brother’s A Basehead” remains one of the rawest and most sincere reality rap songs of all time. A public indictment of a family member on wax, “Basehead” was the genuine expression of Pos’ pain and frustration over his older brother’s descent into drug addiction and homelessness. Eighteen years have now passed since the recording of “My Brother’s A Basehead.” Today, Posdnuos’ brother Tyrone is seven years sober and the rift between the brothers has slowly healed as the years have gone by. Here, the Mercer brothers reflect on the different paths they took, addiction, and the long road to recovery.
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