Despite all their hard work on the 4th Joker's Card, "The Great Milenko" is pulled from shelves on the day of it's release. Southern Baptist coalitions boycotted Disney on it's remote involvement with the Ellen television show, a sitcom depicting the lifestyle of a Lesbian. Disney, in a move to clean up it's act, finds out what Hollywood has been doing with ICP, and tries to sweep it under the carpet to improve company image. ICP, on the other hand, doesn't accept this. The ensuing label debate creates a huge scandal for Hollywood records, and this is perhaps one of the biggest times for publicity of ICP. Many people are hearing about ICP for the first time ever, in a media frenzy, and what they hear is: "novelty band 'Insane Clown Posse', consisting of two white rappers who look like KISS only in clown face paint, get dropped for trying to put out an obscene album through Disney". Naturally, considering the paradigms involved, this began a tsunami negative publicity, that exists to this day. The rap scene wouldn't take them in because the only other white rappers of the time were the Beastie Boys, and ICP in no way fit with them. The popular media wouldn't take them in, seeing them as a novelty act ripoff of KISS, and the same went for rock, who at the time rejected rap/metal fusion acts. Ironically, rap/metal fusion became the genre to take the music scene by storm a couple of years later with the rise of acts such as Kid Rock - who ICP worked with and influenced firsthand as peers in Detroit, as we saw in Carnival of Carnage - and Eminem - who has his own sordid history with the clowns.
Music labels left and right began a bidding war for ICP, expecting a huge public spike in sales for The Great Milenko re-release, after the media publicity boom. Reportedly, Disney wasn't interested in letting the trouble-making clowns go, they wanted to bury their careers to continue to cover up for the scandal, demanding 2 million dollars to release them. It's a famed story that Alex Abbiss (ICP's manager) walked into Disney corporate offices and threatened to "bring in the Juggalos to burn down Disneyland" if ICP was not released from their Hollywood contract.
The Great Milenko went on to become certified platinum entering it's second year, and gained the accolade of being the longest running hip-hop/rap album in Billboard history (I am uncertain if it still holds this record, but the official ICP website says it does, although that note might be dated). Keep in mind that during these years, ICP was still recieving no MTV video play, and no radio promotion, yet there was unprecidented steadiness in it's fan base, the Juggalos. It maintained much of it's support touring, and it's label payed for a MTV timeslot to air "Shockumentary", which put the controversial group on television for a short period of time. This was perhaps one of the few real efforts a recording label had taken to pay for ICP's promotion, illustrating how much of ICP's notoriety and fame either arose from little besides their own hard work and uniquely dumb luck. Another promotion avenue for ICP came during this downtime, through involvement with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. ICP, both die-hard wrestling fans, enjoyed the scene and it seems their fans typically shared the interest (despite having not been on wrestling television for a couple of years, Juggalo wrestling fans still carry Psychopathic signs to events to show their vocal support for ICP). Psychopathic Records grew as well, into a powerhouse that could provide the street team promotion needed to keep ICP afloat, as well as the merchandising and management of the Juggalo fanbase nationally.
However, things weren't all good. Many mainstream fans, who ICP found latched on to them simply because they were now "celebrities", began to pollute their crowds. ICP, being a street-based, underground band who were more on the level with their fans, began having serious problems with the new fans. They encouraged their Juggalos to either inform the new people or kick them out of the community, because they wanted to retain the same level of easiness and reliability with their fans as they had before. ICP vocally preferred the dedicated Juggalo over 10, or even 100 mainstream "fans", and often left stages and created scenes because of this growing problem. They simply wanted those who understood their viewpoints and the music.
Still sustaining their momentum from the big scandal, and having the strong support of their core Juggalo fans, ICP released the 5th Joker's Card album, "The Amazing Jeckel Brothers" while still on Island, in 1999. The unprecedented occurred - the Insane Clown Posse debuted on the Billboard charts at #4, just beneath Backstreet Boys, despite having never recieved MTV video play, and despite not having any radio singles, loathed by critics and the media alike, with absolutely no national advertising campaign or strategy outside their traditional street promotion techniques, and even still it was 2 years since the famed Disney/ICP scandal. This was a landmark event in the music industry that a band with no popular commercial backing could debut so high. The album shortly became certified platinum (rumors online quote the RIAA website in saying "Amazing Jeckel Brothers" is still gold, even though Soundscan results will prove that AJB clearly outsold the certified platinum "Great Milenko", and thus has already met the criterion for platinum status).
Limited respect was forced out of the music industry, when ICP was invited to play Woodstock '99, and Alternative Press featured ICP as their cover story - which became the best selling edition of AP ever. Insane Clown Posse brought up some new projects, such as the horrorcore duo Twiztid, and ICP began expanding to other avenues to promote themselves that didn't involve traditional methods such as: comic books, toy/clothing-based merchandising, the creation of a Juggalo wrestling promotion - JCW, and a full length feature film staring Psychopathic Records staff, "Big Money Hustlas" which featured such offbeat celebrities as Rudy Ray Moore (known better as black supercop "Dolomite"), The Jerky Boys, Harland Williams, wrestling legend Mick Foley, Fred "Rerun" Barry, and the Misfits.
The Amazing Jeckel Brothers is a story about two more creatures of the Dark Carnival, playing with your immortal soul, just as you might expect from yet another Joker's Card album. This time things are more plainly obvious than last time, but it's not yet totally clear what the big secret message of the Dark Carnival's tales are just yet. The Amazing Jeckel Brothers, Jake and Jack Jeckel, are a juggling duo. Jake the just and Jack the wicked both juggle your sins on display for you at the end of your life. In the song they illustrate what happens in this juggling act quite clearly... "Jeckel drop ball, Shangri-La dies / One for your greed, Two for your lies /" which says that the more sins you make, the more difficult the juggling act becomes. Overwhelm Jake and Jack with heavy sins, and they will fumble, and those who witness the Amazing Jeckel Brothers fumble in their act are sent straight to Hell. Those who witness it completed, who didn't bear too many heavy sins, go to heaven. The Amazing Jeckel Brothers can be thought of as part of your soul, the good and evil conflict happening within each of us at all times, and this Joker's Card is yet another way to think about the judgement before the pending doom of the final face of the Dark Carnival.
The Amazing Jeckel Brothers contains one of ICP's most popular in-crowd anthem songs, "Fuck the World". People often misunderstand this song. In it, Violent J curses virtually everything, high and low, absurd and plausible, saying "fuck" 93 (or more) times. The point of the song comes in at the very final phrase, after mindless cursing of everything under the sun, then J brings it all together in the very final phrase of the song... "and fuck Violent J". The point of the song being that you can curse everything in the world, but it the end it doesn't even matter. One of the album's weak points was an increase in the skit-based comedy, not for lack of humor, but for simply taking too much time up on the album. "The Shaggy Show", in the second half of the album, is a long skit-like comedy segment built entirely around Snoop Dogg's rather bland guest spot. "Bring it On", "Assassins", "I Stab People" and "Everybody Rize" compromise this album's standard killer clown fare, evenly distributed throughout the album to keep the album rolling through the skits. "Bitches!" features special guest Ol' Dirty Bastard of the Wu Tang Clan, and was an instant score with the Juggalo listeners. "I Want My Shit" is the lyrically creative tale of Violent J's 225-year old life as a wandering supernatural immortal, the chorus proclaiming "I want my shit! And I won't die, till I get it!".
Amongst the more serious, theatrical elements of the Amazing Jeckel Brothers is "Terrible", a song attacking popular media for having no real scope of what's really wrong with the world. The song attacked news stations which concentrated on President Clinton's sex scandals instead of real news, and it also criticized Christian groups whose protests help some controversial music groups instead of doing the world some real good. Shaggy 2 Dope's segment of that particular verse...
"La di da - we gotta protest that! Some rock and roll ninja bit the head off a rat! Let's march in his concert and chant him to Hell... 'cause he's so fucking Terrible! Meanwhile his record sales double and triple 'cause of you worrying about him rubbing his nipple. Religious? Shit, you helped them bands, instead of helping them poor people eating out of them garbage cans. When you're done with that bitch, come protest me, shit motherfucka, I could use the money."
"Play With Me" illustrates the bitter depression of love abandoned, sung from the perspective of a toy that gets locked away and never played with again. "Mad Professor" reflects the same theme, as Violent J plays the part of a child recluse who builds his own Frankenstein zombie in his basement. Like "Killing Fields" from "The Riddle Box", there is another more serious look at Hell on this album in the form of "Echoside", telling the story of damned soul Damian trying desperately to find a way out of Hell, but you can read the story yourself as I have lyrics available on my site. Of special note is the phrases played in reverse speak, which hint even further at the band's feelings about Hell: "Fuck the Devil! Fuck that shit! We believe in life legit. If you diggin' what we say, why you throw your soul away?"
ICP began having problems with Island, feeling the label didn't relate to ICP's plan of action, and wanted to get out of the contract with Island before releasing their final chapter to the Joker's Card saga. However, their contract with Island required a prerequisite number of albums before the group could be allowed an option out. So ICP put together compilation CD's and the double-album Bizaar/Bizzar combo to help satisfy the quota. While not part of the Joker's Card story, Bizaar/Bizzar served several purposes besides that of filling of the quota with Island. It had several songs reflecting changes in musical style, which would become foreshadowing for the final Joker's Card. The hit single on the double-album release was "Let's Go All The Way", a remake of an '80s pop song by Sly Fox, with lyrics rewritten to fit the Carnival's wandering theme.
"Let's Go All The Way" became popular with radio, and ICP even filmed a music video for the song, which aired on MTV, igniting another scandal, this time outside the public eye. ICP's new music video was given little real chance by MTV executives, and only played at 5 AM in the morning - this was despite having no graphic language or sexually suggestive content. The video depicted a group of diverse races marching unified to paradise, but was deemed "inappropriate" by MTV executives. This decision to hold back the video came at a time when MTV was drawing ire from parent's groups who slammed on MTV's sex-driven pop icons and music videos - yet videos like ICP's "Let's Go All The Way" were kept on the 5 AM timeslot. There were even reports of parents coming to like ICP for it's positive message in "Let's Go All The Way", which made many Juggalo fans feel as though the group was "selling out". ICP lashed out hard against those that felt this way, and this incident created something of internal division, but the main group of dedicated fans appreciated the new exposure and stood by ICP. ICP's video was even put up for TRL voting, on a write-in basis. There were several incidents in Times Square with massive crowds of Juggalos being dispersed (sometimes by anti-riot police forces) before the live filming of MTV's TRL top ten show. TRL officials eventually barred ICP's video from eligibility, due to "vote corruption", claiming ICP's fans were cheating to get their high vote tallies in online write-in forms (despite this not seeming really possible). ICP's video was soon taken out of MTV rotation.
This was a quiet time for ICP, as they pondered what to do next. Producing a supergroup album with other artists under their production wing, "Dark Lotus" had more thematic religious elements to it, helping build anticipation for the Sixth Joker's Card. ICP created an annual event in 2000 unheard of in modern music, a 3-day fan convention "Gathering of the Juggalos", where thousands of ICP fans and the curious come in to attend events of all natures - games, movies, rides, shows, musical concerts leading out the day, all sorts of festivities. The 2003 Gathering actually was held outdoors, and included such scenic events as skydiving, hiking and cliff jumping.
Some of the secrets had begun slipping out by this point. Each Joker's Card album was labelled "Dedicated to the Butterfly". Violent J explained this dedication, and it was reprinted with every copy of the Sixth Joker's Card. Here's the dedication explained as it was written in the booklet with the Sixth Joker's Card...
Violent J: "I was maybe 7 years old. My brother Rob was around 8 or 9 I guess. We were outside playing in front of our house in suburban Berkley, MI. I remember it was a regular summer afternoon, we were hanging out in the yard or whatever when my brother Rob screamed 'Joe I caught a giant butterfly! Hurry up and get the jar!' I grabbed the jar off the steps and ran over to him. Somehow, some way, he had actually managed to catch one of them big ass, pretty, orange, yellow and black butterflies right out of the air with his bare hands. Unbelievable. If you remember anything about being a kid, you remember them things are un-catchable. They'll fuckin' sit there and dance, slow motion, in the air style, right around your fuckin' face while you bust your ass trying to catch it. Somehow, on this regular summer afternoon, Rob happened to scoop it right out of flight with his bare hands. 'Hurry, get the jar opened up and ready, I can feel its wings trying to get away!'
Finally we had it safely and sound in the jar with the fresh poked holes in the lid and everything. We knew that we'd better let it go soon though. We looked at this creature as an animal more than an insect. Plus being that age, this animal was more than just a bug to us. It was our homie. We decided we would just have it spend one night with us and we'd let it go in the morning. Plus we figured a whole family of giant butterflies might even come looking for it if we didn't. I mean this butterfly was so big, and colorful in that jar. It even looked like it had fur on it. It was absolutely awesome.
That night, as usual it was hot as hell in our bed room, so we took the fan and pointed it right into the holes of the butterfly's jar. We didn't think much of it at the time other than hopefully the butterfly will be comfortable while he's spending this night with us.
The following morning, much, much, to our sadness, the Butterfly was dead. Our guess was it had to be the fan blowing on it all night. We didn't mean to harm this beautiful, giant Butterfly at all. We were painfully crushed.
We had a funeral right there in our backyard for it that morning. We buried it in this lil' empty box on top of some napkins and stuff. As we were paying our last respects to this butterfly, both me and my brother Rob made a vow - right then and there we made this vow: "One day, we will both make it to Heaven and apologize to the Butterfly, face to face."
We made that vow when we were just two lil' young-ass kids, but what better time than then? That was us at our cleanest and purest form. We were so loving, only because were were still so untouched and unscatched by the real world. That yard was the only world we knew back then. We didn't know any real negatives, or realties even, because they are kept from most young children. We were at our cleanest points that morning. Ready for the world with our first vow and goal to complete in life.
We didn't know the differences between white, black or Asian people, boys or girls, east sidaz or west sidaz, Jewish or Muslim people. None of that shit mattered to us then, and it still shouldn't. We just looked for smiling faces back then, and we still should.
Look at us all now. It was the world around us that instilled all the hatred and wacky beliefs upon us all. We become one with the world as we walked through it. Once we live some life, our souls ain't as clean anymore. We all got a lil' bit older, we didn't care as much anymore about butterflies or what colors their wings had. We learned who we are supposed to hate, who we should love and even flat out how we should be as people. All of which is taught to us by other people! And who the fuck are they? We spend our entire lives trying not to do what ever is considered "stale" by everybody else. Well fuck that! Consider us stale as fuck then. We some four-week-old, desert-dried-Wonder-Bread, stale-ass individuals then.
We will one day complete our vows before we pass. I want to be as clean as I was when I was 7. I want my own heart telling me what to do and how to live. We will rid our souls of this garbage that was pounded into it, and once again respect the beauty of some fresh ass shit like a Butterfly's wings. One day, we will get to Heaven and apologize to the Butterfly, just like we said we would. We're going to Shangri-La, baby. Sorry if that upsets you... wait, no we ain't! Fuck off if that upsets you. The bottom line is we want nothing more out of the rest of our lives but to see you Juggalos there in Shangri-La with us."
The Butterfly was one of the most speculated aspects of the first 5 eras of Joker's Cards. Once it was explained, what did it mean? In fact, what were all the 5 stories leading to? ICP went into hiding for 8 months, and planned the next course of action. After a long period of silence, during the 2002 annual "Gathering of the Juggalos", ICP finally came out with a new look, ready to reveal everything in the Sixth and Final Joker's Card.
Changing even their appearance for the first time in their 10-year history, ICP was ready to debut their final chapter of the story of the Dark Carnival. Finally liberated from Island Records, the plans were set, their fully-fledged self-owned national independent recording label, Psychopathic Records (now international with it's Europathic branch recently opened), ready to deal with the demand for the Sixth and Final Joker's Card from packaging to secured national distribution deals to a fully international tour ranging from Australia, the continental United States and into Europe... so it was time for ICP to announce the title of their final chapter, and explain what it's all about. Keep in mind, if you've read all this way, this album really makes or breaks their career, since the entire build, the riddles and subliminal messages and hidden religious themes, was all pointing to this finale.
The six and final Joker's Card was "The Wraith", but it wouldn't come in the form of one album as the other Joker's Cards did, it will come in two. All the other Joker's Cards in some way or another reflected some kind of warning about the judgement, because this was the big finale there was no reason to hide that theme in carnival riddles and circus pranks... that being said, the Sixth Joker's Card was the most obvious of the 6. "The Wraith" acts like all the other Joker's Cards, weighing the damned in after death, only this time around death isn't masked in a carnival theme, it's right out there where it's plainly obvious that ICP are talking about the grim reaper, the afterlife, and the known consequences in Heaven and Hell based on basic religious understandings. The Insane Clown Posse intends to tell the story of Heaven and Hell in two different album versions of the Wraith, one version for their beloved fans the Juggalos (the story of the path to Shangri-La), and the other version for the rest of the world (the story of the path to Hell's Pit). These two albums are the Wraith's exhibit of the afterlife, after which, the "end of time will consume us all" (we'll live out our lives, grow old, and meet the Wraith one day like everyone else).
The first album of the two-part story was released November 5th, 2002. "The Wraith: Shangri-La" capitalized on the history of the clowns, openly touching on why ICP used the violent rap style (which the band calls "The Wicked Shit"), and how it was used to relay a bigger message to the fans. Some of the tracks of Shangri-La illuminate the beauty and granduer of heaven, most noteably "It Rains Diamonds", where the chorus proclaims:
"It Rains Diamonds nightly, in my Shangri-La lit brightly. Who can miss this so inviting? Come stand on mountain-tops and Yell! [...] Diamonds drift upon the mist of forgetfulness, bringing a peace untold as I fade away to become what my eyes see - see into the eternity, of Shangri-La."
Tracks like "Murder Rap", a tribute to rap legends "Above the Law", were obviously saved for special mention on this album. More stories from the clowns abound, and even though they're in heaven, that doesn't prevent them from doing a little cartoon-style killing (the song "The Staleness" seems almost apologetic for the heavy, repeated themes of violence in their music). "Blaaam!!!" tells the story of Violent J after he got his hands on a wish-granting genie bottle, although his wishing doesn't go quite as planned. "Welcome to the Show", "We Belong", "Ain't Yo Bidness" (download - all downloads hosted on ICP's official website) and "Juggalo Homies" (download) are all upbeat variations of the Juggalo pride themes, reiterating how the Dark Carnival is something of a family of outcasts, and fitting the theme of the album, these outcasts are destined to reach Shangri-La together.
What's more important than some of these tracks are the ones on Shangri-La touching even harder on the Carnival mythology and the spiritual elements of ICP's music. "Crossing The Bridge" (download) is a song written from the perspective of a prayer to god from a simple man who simply wants to know "why?" The song's chorus emphasises the importance of acknowledging human brutality against the innocent, moving on to the second verse where it challenges religious orthodoxy in favor of a strong moral constitution. Here's a snippet of the second verse, with the chorus at the end, to help illustrate the song's point a little.
I never questioned the book, but let's say I live by the book. I never ate meat on Tuesdays, how much bigger would my wings look?
I try to pray everyday, but sometimes get lost on the way. I've seen the holiest spirit, so much to mislead the way.
I gave the visions I got, I've been told I'm gonna rot, inside the Devil's intestines... I'm still here holding my spot.
I've just been wondering "Why?" "... Why?" "... Why?" "... Why?" "... Why?"
I seen some children Crossing the Bridge. What kind of life did they get to live? What kind of choice did they get to make? What if it was a child's mistake?
Coming up to the end of the album the track "The Wraith" talks about death's job of collecting souls. Once again, the clowns come through on bringing their inflections out from obscurity of prior albums, for example one phrase of the song says: "Then again, 9 times out of 10, I wish he'd take me instead of some of these poor children we see." The song "Hell's Forecast" reminds listeners of Shangri-La that this isn't going to be the last album by far, as shortly after the track "It Rains Diamonds", "Hell's Forecast" predicts another kind of rain - the rain of dead bodies and the terror of Hell's Pit. Vivid imagery abounds, but the track is more a teaser for the darkness to come than a real exploration into it.
The finale of "The Wraith: Shangri-La" is it's last track, the mysterious track 17 (17 appears in ICP albums throughout their history, as I explained earlier, and has been the source of speculation amongst Juggalos for years). This track, "The Unveiling" says it's time to come clean about the prophecy and story of the Dark Carnival, they say there's no more need for reverse talking, subliminal messages or the riddles the group is so famous for. "The Unveiling" lives up to it's name by having ICP finally explain their own gimmick, and the importance of the story behind it. They explain in this simple song about how they used their trademark vulgar music (the "Wicked Shit", it's what they mean when talking about the "Hatchet" below) as a way to dress up a story of moralisticly religious overtones - that constant theme of the judgement that the Joker's Cards were based on. It all started with riddles and hints in "Carnival of Carnage" and worked it's way up to the more obvious themes displayed in "The Wraith". For some fans this was a surprise, for others they had seen it coming, but for mainstream publications it came as a total shock. All parties seemed to embrace the bold declaration, as critics this time around have been fairly positive for reviews of Shangri-La.
Here are the lyrics for the final song, so you can read them and come to your own conclusion:
Now we've been told this carnival shit has touched on many lives. People have fucking sworn to us, they too can feel it inside. What is it that draws you in, this magic that compels you? We've been waiting six fucking Joker's Cards to finally tell you. The messages and hints were there - although most never picked up on them. We snuck 'em in subliminally, with that 'wicked shit' around them. We mentioned more and more of this on every Joker's Card, the bottom line always the same, you ain't have to look hard.
We wickedly kick it, inflict it, you get it; get wit' it, and dig, we don't preach it flat out. Some ninjas don't wanna get with ya, they quick to forget ya, without the Hatchet, and get out. So we rose the Hatchet do or die, now Juggalo's standing tall. After all Six have risen the end of time will consume us all.
It ain't got nothing to do with us. It ain't Psychopathic Records. All we're doing is pointing shit out to you, we in this together. Who's behind the Dark Carnival, the Gatherings and the Hatchet? Who's behind Dark Lotus, the Circus and everybody at it? Who invented Juggalos and Juggalettes and fucking Faygo showers? What about that feeling you get when bumping our shit, who's behind the Juggalo powers? This ain't no fucking fan club, it ain't about making a buck. Don't buy our fucking action figures bitch, I don't give a fuck! It ain't about Violent J or Shaggy, the Butterfly or 17. When we speak of 'Shangri-La', what you think we mean? Truth is we follow GOD, and have always been behind him. The Carnival is GOD and may all Juggalos find him!"
The chorus rings "We ain't sorry if we tricked you" as it plays through a collage of the band's memorable songs throughout it's career, ending Shangri-La on a upbeat, momentous finale. Ultimately, the story of the ICP is a "take from it what you will" story, and really, only you can decide whether or not it was worthwhile message conducted by the greatest "behind-the-scenes" band to ever live, or a short-lived gimmick produced by talentless hacks. I hope that through this article, I managed to give you an intelligent view of who they are, so you can come to an informed decision yourself.
However, the story isn't over. While this newest revelation from the Insane Clown Posse marks a new age for lovers of their unique musical stylings, and a provides meaningful closure to the tale of the Joker's Cards, there is still an entire second half to the message of the Sixth and Final Joker's Card. If the story of the path to Shangri-La was what ICP's special message was to their fans, the Juggalos, then what does ICP have left to say... to the world?
If you read this far and it's actually changed your mind or made you interested in the music of ICP, be sure to check out the end of the Joker's Card saga and maybe even the end of ICP itself, what ICP claims will be the darkest most wicked and vile musical tale ever told... "The Wraith: Hell's Pit".
