Put a Spell On You

Witchdoctor brews indie-rap stew

The spirit of Atlanta’s Dungeon Family rests within one man’s music. While the crew that spawned OutKast, Goodie Mob and Organized Noize has mostly dissipated, Witchdoctor is still making the bluesy, spiritual-minded street rap he was once known for.

Who is Witchdoctor? Back in the mid-’90s, when OutKast and Goodie Mob were really hot, many of the lesser-known Dungeon Family artists got major-label deals. Erin “Witchdoctor” Johnson snared a deal with Interscope Records and released A S.W.A.T. Healin’ Ritual in 1997.

A S.W.A.T. Healin’ Ritual earned respectable reviews but sold poorly. After his Elektra deal ended, Witchdoctor formed Dez Only 1 Enterprises. He has released several CDs and books, including a volume of poetry called Diary of the American Witch Doctor. Witchdoctor sells his products for $20 on his MySpace page, www.myspace.com/ejthewitchdoctor.

Witchdoctor is only one of several Dungeon Family members who weathered the peaks and valleys of rap fame. But his current material deserves to be heard. It’s powerful and moving in a way that recalls Goodie Mob’s Soul Food. Despite their frequent religious overtones, his redemptive songs are strong enough to reach anyone, from the man on the block corner to the parishioner in the church pew.

“[Dez Only 1] means God in my own Ebonic language,” says the 35-year-old Witchdoctor via phone from New York, where he’s trying to “make a few things happen.” The 35-year-old is consumed with faith and spirituality. He says he got his recording name from God in a dream. He even sells $20 private consultations on “personal issues” and the “spiritual” realm on his MySpace page. “I wouldn’t say I’m a religious person. I’m just somebody who loves God,”

Last year, Witchdoctor produced two albums, King of the Beasts and The God iz Good Movement. He refers to them as “weight,” appropriating a popular metaphor for large quantities of drugs to be sold. “Since I’m unsigned, I want to present myself as if I’m signed, you see what I’m saying? I think these two albums give me real powerful, heavy music that can help me compete in this crazy music world,” he says.

But Witchdoctor’s cruel assessment of his business prospects belies the devotional tone of his music. Even when mixing religious hymns with combative street raps, he sounds calm and poised, as if he’s at peace with himself.

The God iz Good Movement starkly illustrates Witchdoctor’s imperfections. There is the stormy apocalypse of “Body Armor,” with its chorus “I sound like a suicide bomber”; and “Mercy,” where he says, “Thank you for your mercy/The world wants to curse me/Because I’m still choosing earthly.” On “Prayer Call,” he recounts a stint in prison, rapping, “Now my dreams are good dreams, and I hope they never stop/Lord, thank you for letting that pistol charge get dropped.”

“I have a song called ‘Spell on Them Hoes,’ where I deliberately put some strong language in there, and then on the hook I say, ‘Forgive me Lord, but I’m hell on these hoes.’ It’s a way of me being humble to God, but at the same time being true to myself,” he says. “God is the only spirit or person that we can’t pretend in front of or put a mask on.”

Witchdoctor says he will soon release another CD, Escape to New York. His goal is to release around two or three titles a year. And though his material is only available online, he has fans throughout the country, as well as overseas in Britain. “I haven’t sent any copies to any record labels. I’m just selling it to the people who want it,” he says. “It’s me trying to stay alive in the business, and eat in the streets, too.”