Straight outta Detroit come these pasty-faced rock 'n' roll rappers with a taste for gore, a thirst for blood, and a love of clowns. Insane Clown Posse are an underground phenomenon that has only recently enjoyed nationwide success, due in part to their being dropped by Disney-owned Hollywood Records. Combining the shock-rock tactics of Kiss with the white-boy rap style of the early Beastie Boys, rappers Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J have carved out a massive following with their brand of horrorcore rap, carnival theatrics and wild live shows.
Formed in 1990 as Inner City Posse, ICP were originally a local gang-based posse, but they slimmed down to a duo by the time they recorded their '91 indie debut, Dog Beats. Although the clown makeup was already in full effect, the ICP manifesto had yet to begin. By the time the group recorded their official debut full-length as Insane Clown Posse, Carnival Of Carnage, they had formed a concept around their releases around the concept of Jokers' Cards and the Dark Carnival. The six Cards were supposed to symbolize a countdown to the end of the world, as ushered in by the Dark Carnival. This Apocalyptic vision may sound too dark for hip-hop b-boys, but the trailer-trash white kids in Detroit ate it up like candy and the group quickly became a local sensation. Influenced by the local marketing techniques of fellow Detroit rappers Kid Rock and ESham, ICP toured constantly, covered the streets in flyers, made a variety of T-shirts, and sold special tapes and singles to commemorate every major performance. They also became notorious for their onstage use of Fago, a cheap Detroit-based soda that leaves audiences and clubs sticky and sweet.
Ringmaster and a slew of EPs followed and continued ICP's tradition of Stephen King/ Clive Barker tales of horror mixed with old-school beats and rock guitars. The group made enough noise that Jive Records picked them up for their third and arguably best album, Riddle Box, which featured their underground hit "Chicken Huntin'." Though the album sold well in their stronghold areas, it wasn't a national hit and ICP were dropped from Jive. More touring and street marketing followed and eventually ICP were picked up by Hollywood Records. However, a widely-publicized split with the Mickey Mouse label on the release day of their album, The Great Milenko, found the group with an anticipated new disc on their hands and no label to release it. Smelling controversy in the air, Island Records bought out their contract, slapped on the tracks that Hollywood had censored, and finally released the album in 1998.
Featuring guest spots from Alice Cooper, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash and ex-Sex Pistol Steve Jones Milenko was the fourth Jokers' Card and ICP's heaviest, most consistent album. Despite virtually no radio airplay and no MTV play whatsoever, the album quickly went gold and secured these horrific, wacky clowns a permanent place in the annals of shock-rock history.
Finally, after years of hard work and underground success, ICP are a nationally successful outfit with a huge fanbase and theater-level tours. Their merchandising business makes a killing, and new albums of rarities (including the recently-released Forgotten Freshness) and hard-to-find EPs and singles continue to flood the market. And with Island re-releasing the group's entire Psychotic Records catalog, ICP fans are sure to have yet another clown-filled money pit to dump their parents' hard-earned cash into. But the question remains, will the sixth Jokers' Card really lead to the end of the world? We'll just have to wait and see....
