Tried seeing if anyone else has covered this topic or not, and the closest I could find was this. So apparently nobody has noticed, or if they have perhaps they're too nervous to broach the subject. I know I am. I'm a 'lettie, I love Psychopathic Records and many of their artists, most notably ICP and Twiztid. They inspired the name of my blog plus my dream of one day making the Dark Carnival a reality. Despite all this, I can't help but feel at times they're a bit brainwashy, and that Joe Bruce (Violent J) and Joey Utsler (Shaggy 2 Dope) contradict their God-loving messages by having Satanic-sounding Madrox and Monoxide (who have songs such as When I Get to Hell) on their label. Again, I love the music that Twiztid creates...but I notice things. Or perhaps I think too deeply into this shit.
It took me years to even call myself a "Juggalette". The title sounds silly and to call oneself a certain name just because you're into a certain bands music, to me, is equally silly (Beliebers, anyone?) Apparently it was the fans who gave themselves the titles, on account of the song The Juggla from the album Carnival of Carnage. The frequent talk of Juggalo's and Juggalette's and varying "follow us" mantras seemed quite brainwashy to me.Yet their humour, funny noises (I have a weakness for funny noises in songs), carnival theme, oddball way of thinking, and underlaying positive messages in many songs (for those not familiar with the band, look up Rebel Flag, Pass Me By, Take Me Home, Hellalujah, Halls of Illusion, Let's Go All the Way, anything off The Wraith: Shangri-La, Miracles...just to name a small few) pulled me in. I like that most of their violent lyrics were directed toward people who cause suffering for others....their Joker Cards and Dark Carnival represent justice in the afterlife. I wasn't one of the many J's disappointed when Thy Unveiling revealed that they were down with the G-O-D (to quote the movie Saved)...my reaction was "Really??? That's the big secret? I figured that out when I first got into them!!" while Juggalo's across the world cried about having been deceived and threatened to turn their backs on J and Shagg's. Those were probably the Juggalo's who give the rest of us a bad reputation, those who nearly killed Tila Tequila despite J's pleas for the crowd to be on their best behaviour before she even hit the stage, who are quick to riot and act like...well, fucking idiots.
True, ICP has some songs that are purely entertainment and don't seem to hold any message other than, well, as one title states quite clearly: Fuck the World. Another being I Don't Care. Which are probably songs that Juggalos like the one above identify with all too easily.
At this present moment in time, surrounded by distractions (a very demanding and annoying pregnant cat, and a sister watching brain-sucking South Park), I can't recall the lyrics or songs that 11 years ago I felt were washing brains, however now educated on conspirational behaviours I notice other things I previously thought nothing of.
On their first Jokers Card; the Carnival of Carnage, they recorded a song called Wizard of the Hood. The story of the song is exactly as it indicates. Years later, Violent J (Joe Bruce) released his first solo album bearing the same name. Each track of the album portrays another "chapter" (for lack of a better word) of his trip through Oz. It's a brilliant written and imaginative cd, featuring Monoxide as The Scarecrow, Jamie Madrox as the Tin Man, Blaze as the Lion, ABK, and Shaggy 2 Dope as The Wiz. There are two bonus tracks, one of them entitled Multiple Myselves where J and his various personalities pour their heart(s?) out.
ICP has constant mentions of the number 17. They explain that when their first album dropped, 17 people bought it the day it was released. On every album, J has a dedication to The Butterfly. In his autobiography Behind the Paint, as well as in the booklet for The Wraith: Shangri-La, Violent J explains. Long story short, when Joe Bruce was seven years old, he and his older brother Rob (Jumpsteady) caught a giant, beautiful butterfly and put it in a jar with holes poked in the lid. It was a hot night, so they pointed a fan into the holes to keep the butterfly comfortable. They had intended to let their new friend go in the morning, but wanted it to spend just one night with them. It broke their hearts when in the morning they discovered their buddy was dead. They were devastated and felt awful for having accidentally killed it. They made a vow to each other that when they made it to Heaven that they would apologize to the butterfly face to face. In the meantime, until he makes it there, J dedicates every album he drops to his butterfly.
I hate that my mind is generally suspicious, because over-all I believe that Violent J is actually an angel born into human form so therefore doesn't realize it. I believe that he has a good heart and is a good man. Perhaps you think I'm stupid, how can a man who portrays himself as a self-described wicked clown and goes by the stage name Violent J be an angel? I can't explain such logistics in a way that make sense to others. If you aren't familiar with his work, how he routinely pours out his heart to his beloved Juggalos, as well as into his work, its unlikely that you'd understand. Although one small example I can give is when he started making awesome money, he bought (or built, I'm not 100% on that detail) an apartment building...for low income people in his hometown of Detroit. Not your typical rap-star move. But J's not your typical rapper.
Perhaps the Oz thing, the butterfly and 17, the black and white face paint, and him and Shags being a duo is just coincidence. They were doing all this before they were briefly signed to Disney-owned Hollywood Records. Plus Insane Clown Posse started as a much larger group, originally called Inner City Posse. Him and Shags were the only two who stuck it out and changed their groups name.
Perhaps its pure coincidence that they later signed on Jamie and Paul (Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child) who were having issues with their own group, the House of Krazees. Jamie and Paul became Twiztid. Some referred to them as clones of ICP. Twiztid addressed such comments in their song Frankenstein "I'm not a clone, I'm a Frankenstein. Created through the visions of a mastermind. This song, this face, this rhyme is mine, but y'all don't notice."
As J and Shags signed more artists to their Psychopathic Records label and their fanbase grew, their own Juggalo world began to form. Now they have more artists and albums than I can keep up with, as well as their annual Gathering of the Juggalos (which I sadly have yet to attend and it doesn't appear I'll be able to anytime soon)...an epic days-long party with all their artists putting on concerts, as well as other artists performances, autograph signings, dating games, mud wrestling, and other various events such as backyard wrestling. Oh yeah, and they have their own wrestling league, too: Juggalo Championshit (not ship) Wrestling. Brutal, brutal matches. Not for the weak of heart.
Twiztid and ICP are the two biggest, most notable groups off Psychopathic. The contrasts yet similarities between the two duos remind me of the mantra As Above, So Below. ICP rap about Heaven and trying to get there. Twiztid rap about their inevitable trip to Hell and how we should be afraid of them, how we shouldn't want to be like them. Jamie's soul-baring lyrics indicate a deeply depressed individual who feels that his fans don't truly hear what he's trying to tell us...though he is much appreciative of all that he has. Some lyrics from various songs imply that maybe there is more going on behind the scenes than the typical Juggalo would believe...some from Afraid of Me seem, to me, quite telling:
"[Monoxide Child]
Can you keep a secret?
Well I'm afraid of the world because they want me to die, can you believe it?
But I'm still alive... and been floating since '95
With my chin held high but I'm so dead inside
Let the problems just roll and put them back into a pile
Because it's just a bunch of shit that I can't deal with right now
And I'm tired of always guessing and messing it up again
And the next day it's even deeper and I'm steady sinking in
[Jamie Madrox]
I took a look at myself and came to grips with what I found
It was a vision of a child, disturbed and broke down
No soul, no heart because I gave it away
No time for feeling sorry, I'll grieve another day
And all those tears are stored in storm clouds
That hover above me and cover the ugly
Continued to haunt me when I was feeling low
That's the same reason I hold on and never let go"
Twinning, the number 17, butterflies, Oz, duality, talk of being wizards into black magic and voodoo, claiming to see shit that most of us never see, is it really just for the entertainment factor? Psychopathic Records claims to be the label that run beneath the streets, yet almost everybody by now has heard of at least ICP and Twiztid. You can find ICP merchandise in almost any store that sells band merchandise. Violent J has a son, they call him JJ, who appears to be in preparation to become the head of Psychopathic and all that his father has created when his dad eventually retires, or dies. He's only 7 or 8 years old, yet he's already participated in many a JCW match and has recorded his own music video, Bad Bad Man, under the name of Violent JJ. JJ also has a little sister named Ruby. Violent J and Michelle "Sugar Slam" Rapp, the mother of his two children, had picked out their daughters name before she was even born. Coincidentally, she was born with hair to match her name.
