One year ago, comedic rapper MC Lars dropped a rather long (19-track) album commemorating the work of Edgar Allen Poe in a rather… novel way. In a literary-meets-true crime mashup, MC Lars has resurrected the mystery surrounding the goth overlord’s death by analyzing word choices and other subtle hints hidden within Poe’s masterworks. Dubbed The Edgar Allan Poe LP, with a one-year anniversary edition out now via Oglio Records, MC Lars and (quite a bit of) friends dissect questionable characters, motives, and more hidden behind Poe’s prose “to ask the question no one’s ever solved — who killed Edgar Allen Poe”.
Welcome to “The Poe-cast”, with your host “Mortimer Casketwine”…
The album begins with a disclaimer: “The following program contains graphic descriptions of rhyme-schemes, suspicious meter, and alleged acts of alliteration.” Discretion is advised. MC Lars then segues into the heart of the matter — who’s the killer? The author died in 1849 under myseterious circumstances that remain disputed to this day, making his untimely demise almost as intriguing as the twisted tales he left behind. Considering modern society’s obsession with murder podcasts, Lars couldn’t have picked a better framing device. “Every rhyme hides a crime”, quoth the Casketwine, spoken over a Stranger Things-esque synthy beat. The intro track leads right into “Victorian Drip” — a lyrical look at the evidence.
But let’s backtrack a bit. For those who don’t know, MC Lars is a pioneer of the “lit-hop” movement (literature plus hip hop), spending the last two decades turning classic literary works into rap songs. Shakespeare? Check. Herman Melville? Done. Edgar Allan Poe? Welcome to the gothic new chapter. As a Stanford and Oxford graduate with a Master’s Degree in Instructional Science and Technology, MC Lars isn’t just doing this for kicks; he’s conducting research into how teaching literature through rap can improve students’ attitudes toward the subject, measuring the level of material retention as he goes.
Originally released to Kickstarter backers on Halloween 2025, The Edgar Allan Poe LP was funded by 385 supporters who collectively contributed nearly $30,000 to bring the project to life. For perspective, Poe reportedly earned $9 for “The Raven” back in 1845. Inflation aside, I think we can all agree that the man was severely underpaid for the mark he forever left on the public.
And on ravens, for that matter…
Now a year later, The Edgar Allen Poe LP returns with seven bonus recordings added to its original 12 tracks, including three newly reimagined 2026 versions and four throwbacks from Lars’ 2012 Edgar Allan Poe EP. Executively produced by The Goldbergs creator Adam F. Goldberg, the expanded edition features an eclectic cast of collaborators, including Jaret Reddick (of Bowling for Soup), The Dead Milkmen, Mega Ran, Watt White, Schäffer the Darklord, and more.
The album stands as a true-crime cypher, with “Amontillado” serving as the anniversary edition’s lead single — a fitting choice, considering it’s a tale of vengeance that leads an unsuspecting victim to their grave. From “OG Gothic Poet”, featuring Rodney Anonymous and R2 the Specialist, to “The Devil’s in the Belfry”, with Christina Rotondo and Worm Quartet, MC Lars covers all the Poe classics — from dark and dreary tales all the way to his satirical works.
One to note is “The (Slightly Less) Abridged Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket”, deserving recognition for its title alone. Based on Poe’s only completed novel, the track references a seafaring adventure involving shipwrecks, mutiny, and other maritime misfortunes.
It’s basically Moby-Dick‘s unhinged cousin, only with more existential dread.
The album also takes a detour into absurdity with “$3.47”, a collaboration featuring Schäffer the Darklord, Ash Tell Em, and prank-call personalities Longmont Potion Castle and Brad Carter of Phone Losers of America. Considering Poe’s lifelong financial struggles, a song named after a hilariously specific amount of pocket change feels almost too appropriate. Unless, it’s another clue??
But the album isn’t all murder, madness, and monetary misfortune. “A Dream Within a Dream”, featuring Ash Tell Em, Christina Rotondo, and Liliia Kysil, draws from one of Poe’s more philosophical poems, questioning the fleeting nature of reality and our ability to hold onto the things we love. It’s a reminder that beneath all the ravens, crypts, and incredulous decisions, Poe was also a deeply introspective writer grappling with loss, mortality, and the human condition.
After all, there’s more to gothic literature than dressing in black and contemplating death. Although that certainly helps.
The anniversary edition’s second disc digs further into Lars’ long-running obsession with the poet. “Wiggle Wiggle Worm” gets a 2026 makeover featuring Bowling for Soup frontman Jaret Reddick, while “Mr. Raven” returns in two forms: a new version featuring Chicago’s Gosh Diggity and the original 2012 collaboration with punk rock oddballs The Dead Milkmen. Also resurrected from Lars’ earlier Poe catalog are “Flow Like Poe”, “Lenore (I Miss You)”, and “The Tell-Tale <3”, featuring fellow nerdcore heavyweight Mega Ran.
What makes this project particularly interesting isn’t simply the novelty of rapping about dead authors; it’s the way Lars bridges two seemingly disparate worlds without treating either as a punchline. Hip hop has always celebrated storytelling, wordplay, rhythm, and social commentary — all the same qualities of great literature. Poe was obsessed with the musicality of language, carefully constructing rhyme schemes, repetition, and rhythmic patterns that translate well into hip hop song structure. Take “The Raven”, for instance: its hypnotic cadence and repeated phrases are perfect for a lyrical flow — just add a bit of bass.
And while the subject matter might seem niche, Lars’ audience is anything but.
This is, after all, an artist who can perform at the Gathering of the Juggalos and collaborate with Stanford University’s English Department in the same season. From punk rockers and hip hop heads to literature professors and self-proclaimed theater kids, The Edgar Allan Poe LP manages to occupy a wonderfully weird intersection of cultures. As Lars himself puts it, the goal is to get kids hooked on “The Raven” before they even realize they’ve done their homework. And, frankly, that’s a pretty brilliant approach to literary preservation.
Bottom line, The Edgar Allan Poe LP: One Year Anniversary Edition is a delightfully unconventional tribute to one of literature’s most influential — and delightfully disturbed — minds. Whether you’re a lifelong Poe fan, a goth searching for an audible laugh, a nerdcore devotee, or simply someone who appreciates a good literary pun, there’s plenty here to pique your curiosity. The album is available now digitally and on two-disc CD via Oglio Records. Just in time for Halloween, naturally.
MC Lars – “Amontillado”
Track listing:
- Who Killed Edgar Allen Poe?, feat. Phone Losers of America & Schaffer The Darklord
- Victorian Drip
- Amontillado, feat. Lacey Johnson
- OG Gothic Poet, feat. Rodney Anonymous & R2 the Specialist
- The Devil’s in the Belfry, feat. Christina Rotondo & Worm Quartet
- Fatal Pattern, feat. Schäffer the Darklord & Brad Carter
- Wiggle Wiggle Worm, feat. Dory-Loup
- The Black Cat Came Back, feat. Ash Tell Em
- The (Slightly Less) Abridged Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, feat. Somos Animales
- $3.47, feat. Schäffer the Darklord, Ash Tell Em, Brad Carter, & Longmont Potion Castle
- A Dream Within a Dream, feat. Ash Tell Em, Christina Rotondo, & Liliia Kysil
- 99 Ways to Die in a Poem
- Amontillado (2026), feat. Watt White
- Wiggle Wiggle Worm (2026), feat. Jaret Reddick
- Mr. Raven (2026), feat. Gosh Diggity
- Flow Like Poe
- The Tell-Tale <3, feat. Mega Ran
- Lenore (I Miss You)
- Mr. Raven (2012), feat. The Dead Milkmen
Stream ‘The Edgar Allen Poe’ album on Spotify:
Cover photography by Sean Donnelly
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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