Last year, trap metal progenitors DROPOUT KINGS dropped Yokai, the final record featuring enigmatic frontman Adam Ramey following his untimely passing. After bringing together a career-spanning lineup of Kings current and past, the band took this celebration of Rameys life on the road to share with fans as everyone tried to heal from the shock. Lauded by fans and critics alike, with Nu Metal Agenda stating that "the name Dropout Kings should be on more people's lips, no matter what the band's next move may be," Yokai proved to be a unifying force to a hurting community.
Post-release, the band has also released the video for "Deadname." The neon-tinged, tumultuous digital visuals heighten the emotional song's desperate energy. A mixture of They Live and the Ninja Turtles, there's a subterranean vibe to the music video. The band is violently illuminated with vibrant, flashing flares of color that paint them inexciting glows.
About the video, DROPOUT KINGS' Black Cat Bill states:
"Some songs you sing, others you let the spirits speak through you. This is 'Deadname.'"
Check Out The Official Music Video for "Deadname" below!
Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, DROPOUT KINGS fuse the raw energy of nu‑metal and rap, a synergy Adam helped forge from the very beginning. Just weeks before his tragic passing on May 19, 2025 at age 32, Adam completed the finishing touches on what he considered the band's most personal and powerful album to date.
Yokai is more than an album — it's a legacy. Across its tracks, the influence of Adam's dynamic stage presence and lyrical authenticity resonates profoundly. The album channels the same heart‑pounding aggression and rap‑rock fusion that brought hits like "Virus" to the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts, but with an added emotional depth that can only come from one final shared chapter.
DROPOUT KINGS said upon the announcement of the album:
"It's with an incredible mix of emotion and devotion that we announce the release of our new album, Yokai! However, so much more than just new music, this album is our greatest dedication to the late legend, new father and cherished brother, Adam Ramey. Not just entertainment, but a testimony to the ambition, struggle, pain and indomitable will that has made the Dropout Kings who they are. Not only a journey into the hearts and souls of the band during a time of their greatest loss as well as the experience of Trap Metal's evolution, but the soundtrack to the realization of dreams and the defeat of nightmares across the world. We ask that you listen, enjoy and join us in the mission of not just uplifting and remembering the spirit of one of the best men we'll ever know, but in creating a better world so that those like you, him and us can LIVE better and with brighter futures ahead."
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