Maj's blog: "just random things"

Who R ICP Who are ICP? There is more to the Insane Clown Posse than facepaint. In this section you will be able to learn more about Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope and the history behind the Insane Clown Posse and Psychopathic Records. You will be able to find out about the Six Jokers Cards, the albums that each contain a specific message for the world. A discography of ICP's biggest album releases is available, loaded with track listings and a brief background about each album. History! "The vision appeared as a caravan of strange and powerful beings, which he recognized immediately as the Dark Carnival." The Inscribed Chronicle Proceeds... The painted faces of the Insane Clown Posse haunt the media like an urban legend. They emerge like phantoms amidst rumors of horror and stories of violence, shrouded in secrecy and surrounded by speculation, only to disappear back underground, beneath the streets. It is this sense of mystery, and the Dark Carnival mythos which surrounds and empowers them, that has attracted thousands of fans worldwide--endearingly referred to as "Juggalos." To hear Juggalos tell it, ICP are the only band worth representing, far removed from "the most hated band in the world". But, with a career spanning over a decade of hip-hop's tumultuous history, have they earned their reputation? For those who seek the truth, the Insane Clown Posse (ICP) are a success story that baffles the so-called "experts," and defies all the rules of the music industry. Defiance has been a defining characteristic of ICP and Psychopathic Records since the beginning. Their tale begins with poor suburban kids lost in the streets of Southwest Detroit, and peaks with over ten RIAA certified albums and DVDs, including the Billboard Top 200's longest running hip-hop album--an unprecedented success for a group with no major label support, and no radio or MTV airtime. With little to no outside funding, and in spite of harsh criticism, they have managed to produce a feature film, almost a dozen music videos, a documentary film, live concert DVDs, interactive CDs, and a legendary stage show that includes theatrical sets, revolving costumes, giant crowd-spraying props, and thousands of gallons of Faygo pop. With the Hell's Pit album, they have achieved a certified World Record, for creating the first ever High Definition 3-D video! In their spare time, they show off their wrestling talent, in each of the major wrestling federations, and in their own Juggalo Championshit Wrestling circuit. Their activities culminate with the annual Gathering of the Juggalos--an ever-growing concert-festival extravaganza, which regularly sees over 7,000 in attendance. With all these commercial achievements, one might wonder where the bad rap comes from. Be warned, the story of how two kids in face paint went from small-time gang-bangers to monsters of the music industry is as amazing as the music itself... Joker cards The Insane Clown Posse claim that they were visited by the spirit of the Dark Carnival and were shown six revelations in the form of Jokers Cards; the first Jokers Card being unleashed on the world in 1991. Each Jokers Card is more than an album... each has a specific message telling the world to change their evil ways before "the end consumes us all". Will this be the end of the Jokers Cards, of ICP, or "the crumbling of time itself"? No one can be sure. 2004 marked the unveiling of the last of the Jokers Cards, the culmination of the Six. A Calm has settled on Humanity, but they have little time to prepare for what is next in store for them from the Insane Clown Posse! carnival of carnage Welcome to the show, the traveling ghetto. No longer will the ghetto just be that slum that you keep your kids away from, that slum that you drive through pointing and gawking at. No longer will the ghetto just be a slum that you hear about on the news. If someone from this hell hole wanders into your neighborhood he is quickly noticed and harrassed and shunned back into the home you've given him. As you watch the kids play in the park on your street you never even think about the kids in the ghetto. If you don't care, who does? Years of breathing the souls of rotted minds has created a bad case of 'Ghetto Insanity'. You walk their streets and are stared at as a freak show, less than human, an ogre walking the streets paved with gold. If those of the ghetto are nothing more than carnival exhibits to the upper class, then let's give them the show they deserve to see. No more hearing of this show because you can witness it in your own front yard! A traveling mass of carnage, the same carnage witnessed daily in the ghetto, can be yours to witness, feel and suffer. No longer killing one another, but killing the ones who have ignored our cries for help. Like a hurricane leaving a trail of destruction, the Carnival of Carnage! The ringmaster! The day has come, the time of reckoning. Who will perish in dreaded hell and who's soul will be content within the pleasures of heaven? Looking past the words spoken with a wicked tongue and looking past the evil deeds done in one's life, but instead looking into the conscious of man. What is the real evil that seems to plague mankind? Who are the real demons that walk this earth? Is it those whose minds have become devious because of a lifetime spent inside of a caged hell, or is it those who invented this caged hell years ago and done nothing to help destroy it yet? Who's guilty, Frankenstein or the doctor that created him? The sword, or the man who has slain with it? Which is the real evil, the man who kills another for food or the man who does not share his food to avoid the killing? While you sit in judgement of a criminal, you may very well be the one who's guilty. Guilty of greed, deception and hate. Those who are rejected at the gates of heaven, shall be dragged off into the pits of hell. Viciously torn from this life by the non-living, the phantoms of the dead. These beasts take the form of a demented carnival, that of a wicked, dark, circus, led by one. One who was created by your own evil ways. One who will judge your very fate. The one known only as... The Ringmaster. The riddle box! Time flows like a dark horde, consuming all in its path. Man lives his life in the blink of an eye. Just as day becomes night, all life fades into death. In death each person will be judged for his deeds performed while alive. There are the few who walk a life of purpose, and there are those who trod the path of greed, their souls host to demons. Time slows near each person's end. Those whose deeds were evil grasp onto life as long as they can because, though they don't know what awaits them in the afterlife, they feel for them it is a horror beyond words. Time stops in this world, as the heart becomes still and the soul leaves the body. In the afterlife time is eternal, and even death is but a new beginning. For you see, when you step into death your soul steps upon the floor of a dark chamber and you look to see it empty, except for a strange looking box on an old wooden table. On the front of the box, you will see a painted question mark faded with time and a twisted crank handle on its side. Turning the handle, a sharp melodic tune will fill the air. For the evil ones this sound will be a deafening noise reverberating off the walls and building into a climatic terror. But the surprise is when the music stops as you slowly turn the handle... and then the top of the box pops. For the few, they will see a vision of God with a golden light warming their souls as they step forth into eternal peace. For most they will see a fog seeping from the box, stripping their sanity, as they witness an image of hell, spawned and formed fromtheir own evil; a hideous reflection of their demented souls. The floor of the room begins falling away as they plummet into a bottomless pit full of shadowy creatures, forever to be lost in a sinister void. What will be in store for you is the mystery, but if you take a look within yourself you will find the answer. For now, you still have time to change the outcome of... the mighty Riddle Box. the great milenko From deep within the Netherworld of shadow walkers comes yet another exhibit of the Dark Carnival. He is the master of the art of using magic without magic. He is a Necromaster... the craft of using magic through the dead. Dead meaning both physically and mentally. This spectacle shall be witnessed only by those who are meant to see it. Look deep inside of your soul and ask yourself... Do you hold a ticket to witness the show? The answer lies within yourself. He is the fourth to rise. He feeds upon one's own greed. He is powered by one's own jealousy, lust, and temptation. To envision yourself with something that rightfully does not belong to you... that is the illusion cast by him. To act upon this vision and seek it out at the expense of another... that is the magic cast by him. Continuous dreamers of profit at the cost of another are pledged and haunted by his wizardry. Others are content and satisfied with what they can achieve by themselves and have not the urge to tamper with another's well being for quick gain. They see him only as a hoax and see no illusions or magic by he. It is simple... He is you. His illusions are your evil thoughts. Your evil acts are his magic - yesterday, now and forever. You and he are the fourth to rise... You and he are the master of Necromancy... You the dead and him the magic. Together, you and he are The Great Milenko. The amazing jeckel brothers His evil influence flows from the city streets like red molten ooze, filling every alley and gutter. There are those who are burnt by it, like the charred remains of a napalm strike. He moves in silence, yet with his heat comes ear-shattering screams as the masses are scorched in his choking smoke of corruption. His fire consumes like a lethal injection flowing through the veins of a dying convict. Hosts of small red ants crawl in the wake of his presence, biting and stinging flesh. His holocaust fills the woods of hope and prosperity like a wave of hungry piranhas on a newborn lamb. He goes by many names, but for now let it be spoken like the force of a fireball bursting into a crowd. He's Jack, pure and simple... Jack Jeckel. The wraith A pressence can be felt by those who have followed thy epic saga as told by thy Insane Clown Posse. It is a presence that is synonymous with thy crumbling of time itself. Thus emerges a being so powerful that he can exist between both the land of thy living, and that of the dead. He goes by many names but is known to thy living only as Thy Wraith. He walks upon worlds forgotten, and descends from Heavens; fade into gray to witness thy death of all mortal things, so that he may guide thy departed upon thy path that they have chosen. Only now will we truly understand thy meaning of thy saga, for this saga all along, each Jokers Card, is actually none other than... thy echo of our lives. Discograhpy The Insane Clown Posse can trace their musical history all the way back to the early 90's and it is not just limited to the six Jokers Cards. This discography breaks down all the major releases that ICP has put out over the years; it gives a brief description of the album as well as a full track listing. Although this online discography only spotlights the major releases, it is not your only source for a musical history of the Insane Clown Posse. For the full-length flavor of all the projects that Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope have partaken in, just check out Behind the Paint. This autobiography not only includes a full discography but highlights the career of the Insane Clown Posse, in the words of Violent J himself! PR interview Parents, teachers, music industry professionals, and even Juggalos often have the same questions about ICP and their wicked style of music. Psychopathic Records appreciates the value of free speech and individual opinions, and would like to address some of the most common questions about ICP with these official responses from our P.R. department: 1. Who is the target audience for ICP? ie age, race, class "Target Audience" is far too limiting and boring a term to use when describing ICP fans. Because ICP's music is so unique and distinct, and not promoted through public forums like radio or MTV, the audience tends to find the music rather than the music finding an audience. We see ICP fans as being open-minded, creative individuals, who seek out something more from their music, and find it in the unique message and musical style of ICP and the Dark carnival. We target no specific age, race or class; we look more for people who sympathize with what ICP do, and enjoy expressing themselves through this music. It's more a personality type than a demographic. 2. Does ICP promote violence and drugs? Like any art form, music is a forum for the free expression of ideas and experiences, and ICP utilize that freedom to the fullest. They use their Insane Clown personas to reflect on the insane world around them, and this world is indeed filled with violence. Their music is an expression of their experiences and ideas, and a reaction to violent emotions, not an endorsement of the violence itself. For instance, when ICP tell stories of violent acts, they are just stories—expressing an emotional response not intended to be seen as an actual suggestion. The Insane Clowns carry out violence in songs, so their audience can vent vicariously. The content of ICP's music is meant to be entertainment, and as such it is no worse than a typical Hollywood blockbuster, or violent video game. Unlike gangster rap, which encourages imitation, ICP offer pure, carnival-based fantasy entertainment. If they were genuinely promoting, or carrying out, violence in such a manner, they would be the "Next in Line for a Lethal Injection Posse" and not the public figures they actually are. The emotions and the sentiments are real, the violence is not. As for drugs: this is rock and roll, so… no comment. 3. According to one fan, juggalos are known to smoke marijuana. Is ICP aware of this, do they promote it, and do they care whether or not their teenage fans are using marijuana? Juggalos are known to smoke marijuana? Well, teenagers are known to smoke marijuana. Fans at rock and hip-hop concerts are known to smoke marijuana. Musicians of all types, from Willie Nelson to Snoop Dogg are known to smoke marijuana. Musicians are also known to record songs about what they believe in. Is that promotion or expression? You tell us. Of course ICP care about what their fans are doing, and hope they are never endangering themselves or others, but they also expect them to make their own choices. There are no requirements to being an ICP fan, and they will do what they will. Smoking marijuana or doing drugs is in no way a required part of being a Juggalo, and in their 10+ year career, ICP have never promoted nor endorsed any hard narcotics. Anything else is simply free expression. 4. There are some juggalos that have disciplinary problems at school. Is this a direct effect from listening to ICP? As stated in the answer to question 2, ICP's music is an expression. Much of what they express is a reaction to negative emotions or negative stimulus, and they provide an outlet for these reactions through song lyrics. It is only natural that someone who is already surrounded by negative emotions or stimulus would be attracted to ICP's music. While listening to ICP music may be one way to address their feelings, certain individuals may vent in other, less healthy ways beyond the music. It is unfortunate that music is sometimes not enough for these troubled individuals, but their actions are in no way a result of the music. If anything, it is a sign that these individuals have needs far beyond what an album can give-and they need to be helped as individuals, rather than judged by their choice of music. 5. What is ICP's definition of a "true" juggalo? Only a "true" juggalo can answer that, but as stated previously, there are no requirements to being a Juggalo. We don't care if you spend a dime on merch, or if you know the words to every song. If this music touches you, and you get some positive experience from it, we would be honored to have you consider yourself a Juggalo. 6. Is ICP aware of the term "juffalo" or "juggahoe" used to describe "fake" or "posing" juggalos? What do they think about the use of the term and the term itself? While we certainly appreciate our fans' loyalty to us and to one another, we must reiterate this statement: "There are no 'rules' to being a Juggalo." If one fan feels another has betrayed or wronged him/her personally, that is for them to resolve. We judge individuals on their own merits, regardless of their music preference. If someone is doing something a fan would rather avoid, than our advice is to avoid it. 7. What is ICP's advice to juffalos? If you need to hate on Psychopathic music to feel good, or for attention, then you still need Psychopathic. Embrace it or forsake it, don't waste time with anything less. Life's too short. 8. How serious does ICP want their fans to take being a juggalo? As seriously as they take anything that interests them or brings them happiness. As seriously as our artists take recording and performing it. 9. What is ICP's advice to juggalos facing problems at school with grades and fights and problems and at home? Music is a great outlet for frustration and grief, but it is only one outlet. Fortunately, our fans tend to have a bond between one another, so that they can usually find someone to share emotions and experiences with. They can find each other and communicate online, by phone, at concerts, and any number of ways. Sometimes, though, even this is not enough, and in those cases, sometimes they gotta look somewhere else. To those Juggalos we say this: "Sometimes your choice of music makes you a rebel, and that's cool, but sometimes you gotta swallow your pride and seek help from those who are out there to give it. Teachers, parents, counselors, the clergy, and reach-out organizations may not understand completely, and they may not be Juggalos, but it's their job to help if you let them. Never let being a Juggalo keep you from being a better Juggalo." 10. One of the rumored reasons that teenagers want to become Juggalos is to fit in and get cheaper marijuana (since it is also rumored that juggalos smoke marijuana). What advice can Psychopathic give to fans concerned about this? Sounds like "juffalos." See questions 6 and 7, but here's some further advice: Anywhere you go, you gotta look out for people tryin' to play you. Learn the difference between a friend and a user, and between love and infatuation--which can apply both to relationships and other interests like music--and you'll do alright. We hope this addresses the most common issues surrounding the social impact of ICP's music on their fans. Please note, these words are written by Nathan Extra, (P.R., Psychopathic Records) and approved by CEO Alex Abbiss. They are not ICP's words, and should not be quoted as such. These are sentiments shared by all at Psychopathic, and are written by long-time Juggalos, but any quotations should be credited simply to Psychopathic P.R., and any questions regarding this interview should be referred to the label and not the artists. Versions of these questions were originally submitted as an interview by Emmanuel Davila for The Lane Warrior. Thank You. stay tuned for more to come lol