Bad Credit
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Defunct | 2008 |
| Headquarters | San Diego, California , United States |
| Products | Music albums, live performances |
Bad Credit was a comedic hip hop duo originating from San Diego, California, active between 2002 and 2008. The group was fronted by performers and comedians Matthew Gorney (known as Optimus Rime) and Dallas McLaughlin (who performed as Dr. Cliff Mixtable).
Identifying their style as "financial hip hop," Bad Credit satirized the extravagant "bling-bling" rap culture by emphasizing fiscal responsibility, drawing inspiration from The Wall Street Journal. Their repertoire included tracks like "Balance Your Checkbook." Their live shows were notable for distinctive props, including a paper shredder used to destroy fake unpaid bills, which were then tossed as confetti.
Overview
The formation of Bad Credit was spontaneous, sparked by Gorney's idea for a song titled "Bill Gates Owes Me Five Bucks," which shaped the group's financial-themed direction. Their first performance took place at an open mic event at the Blarney Stone Pub in Clairemont, San Diego. They quickly built a following and gained support from Otis "O" Barthoulameu of Fluf, who assisted in organizing their lineup and securing gigs.
Although Gorney and McLaughlin were the primary members, Bad Credit frequently performed with a rotating ensemble of local San Diego musicians from bands such as Reeve Oliver and The Incredible Moses Leroy, adopting playful stage personas like Methodist Man and EZ E-Literate.
The duo was described by San Diego City Beat as delivering "the most charming white-guy hip-hop you'll ever encounter." They achieved moderate acclaim within San Diego’s music community, receiving a nomination for "Best Hip-Hop" at the 2003 San Diego Music Awards and appearing on several occasions on XETV-TDT's Fox Rox. Their touring included extensive dates with Orange County’s comedy rock ensemble The Aquabats, and their music was featured on the sketch comedy program Mega64.
Following their split in 2008, both members contributed writing to the children’s television series Yo Gabba Gabba!, which was created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz of The Aquabats. They also participated in the production of The Aquabats! Super Show!. Gorney notably composed original music for the show, with several songs compiled on its official soundtrack.
On an individual level, McLaughlin focused on comedy writing and stand-up performances, while Gorney continued to develop his music career. In 2014, he joined the solo band of former My Chemical Romance vocalist Gerard Way as bassist during the release of the album Hesitant Alien. Later, in 2019, Gorney temporarily toured with The Aquabats under the alias "Smash McLarson" as a substitute bassist and provided vocals on their single "Skeleton Inside!", which appeared on their 2020 release Kooky Spooky...In Stereo. This album featured four tracks credited to him as co-writer.
In the summer of 2019, Bad Credit announced plans for a reunion involving several live performances and intended to release a live album containing previously unheard material.
Discography
- Albums
- Financial Hip Hop Inc. EP (2003)
- Giving Back by Giving Up (2004)
- Music videos