The 10 Most Ridiculous Musical Alter Egos Ever
There are few things as eccentric as creating an alter ego for oneself. The average person could never suddenly show up for work under a different name, but musicians have been doing exactly that for decades. Artists like David Bowie, Eminem and Beyoncé have created new identities for themselves, and their fans have embraced them even more for it.
However, not all alter egos are so beloved. For every Eminem, aka Slim Shady, there’s a Bono, aka Mr. MacPhisto — a transparent attempt at adding some sort of depth to one’s public persona. But hey, we can’t hate on musicians too hard for trying. We can, however, call them out when they fail. These are the 10 most ridiculous musical alter egos ever.
Kool Keith, aka Black Elvis
Kool Keith, a one-time Ultramagnetic emcee, would probably claim that he was the first rapper to create an alter ego. Although we back his Dr. Octagon material to this day, most of what he dropped after it failed to live up to the same lofty standards. In 1999, he assumed the identity of Black Elvis. Honestly, we’re not sure what Black Elvis was meant to be, other than a bad costume and largely forgettable album, but we’ll always have love for Keith.
Bono, aka Mister MacPhisto
In 1992, U2 embarked on Zoo TV, a tour that would last nearly two years. At some point, Bono decided that during the band’s shows he would assume a series of different personas, including that of Mister MacPhisto, a devil-horned character whose name presumably owes to the folkloric German demon Mephistopheles. We’re not sure what he was trying to say, but 20 years later, does it even matter?
RZA, aka The Rzarector
In the early ‘90s, hip-hop briefly flirted with horrorcore, a sub-genre with lyrics inspired by horror movie tropes. The Gravediggaz, a supergroup comprised of Prince Paul, Frukwan, Poetic, and the RZA, were the most noteworthy carriers of the guts-and-gore torch. As Rzarector, the RZA rapped about subjects like chewing his own arm off. If it sounds bad, that’s because it was — in retrospect, at least. Nonetheless, we’ll give Robert Diggs a pass, if only because we’re still fans of his more prominent alter ego, Bobby Digital.
Justin Bieber, aka Shawty Mane
Justin Bieber’s affinity for all things hip-hop — flashy cars, jewelry and Lil Twist — is well documented, and every so often, the singer steps out of his comfort zone and drops a bar or two under the name Shawty Mane. The origin of the less-than-inspired title is a mystery, but Bieber likely thought of it himself. As Shawty Mane, he famously rapped over Cam’ron and Vado’s “Speaking In Tungs,” dropping a verse that somehow inspired the latter artist to compare him to Biggie. We’re going to assume Vado never actually heard the track.
Uncle Jesse, aka Vulture
Those of us reared in the ‘90s remember Full House’s Uncle Jesse as the front man from the fictional Jesse and the Rippers. When the band failed to score a record deal, Jesse reinvented himself as Vulture, a metal dude whose career lasted a whopping one gig. Sadly, his bro Joey’s elaborate stage show didn’t quite come together as planned, ending another chapter in Jesse’s storied existence.
Courtney Love, aka Cherry Kookoo
Courtney Love has long been known for her erratic behavior. A few years ago, Hole’s former front woman and Kurt Cobain’s wife chalked it all up to Cherry Kookoo, an alter ego she promptly killed off — naturally, by way of a blog entry — before thanking her fans for their support.
David Johansen, aka Buster Poindexter
In 1987, New York Dolls singer David Johansen went lounge and calypso when he released an album under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter. You may not remember the name, but you almost certainly know his cover of Arrow’s “Hot Hot Hot,” which showed up everywhere you can imagine. Johansen somehow dropped three more records under the Buster Poindexter pseudonym although even he has come to loathe the song the persona is known for.
Lady Gaga, aka Jo Calderone
Jo Calderone, Lady Gaga’s male alter ego, was apparently the product of an experiment. Gaga would later show up to the 2011 VMA’s in full Calderone gear, telling the media that the New Jersey native had come in lieu of the pop singer. We don’t really care one way or the other, but we’re assuming that Gaga, bedecked in her white T-shirt and all, accomplished whatever it was she set out to do.
Nicki Minaj, aka Roman Zolanski
As her earliest appearances showed, Nicki Minaj can spit, but we’re not sure what spurred her to conceive Roman Zolanski, a persona that comes out when she’s at her angriest. She carried the idea further, creating Martha, Roman’s mother. But while Minaj has explained both characters in detail, her decision to name them after a disgraced filmmaker still perplexes us.
Garth Brooks, aka Chris Gaines
There comes a time when every musician wants to broaden his artistic scope. For country star Garth Brooks, that moment arrived in the late ‘90s when for whatever reason, he introduced the persona of Chris Gaines, an Australian-born rock star. The idea was that Gaines’ album would serve as a sort of prelude to a movie, but the alter ego met his fate before the film could materialize.
There are few things as eccentric as creating an alter ego for oneself. The average person could never suddenly show up for work under a different name, but musicians have been doing exactly that for decades. Artists like David Bowie, Eminem and Beyoncé have created new identities for themselves, and their fans have embraced them even more for it.
However, not all alter egos are so beloved. For every Eminem, aka Slim Shady, there’s a Bono, aka Mr. MacPhisto — a transparent attempt at adding some sort of depth to one’s public persona. But hey, we can’t hate on musicians too hard for trying. We can, however, call them out when they fail. These are the 10 most ridiculous musical alter egos ever.