Anyone unfamiliar with Insane Clown Posse, Psychopathic Records, Juggalos or horror rap in general would probably be worried to see a band’s name associated with a weapon. But before you get all worked up and assume that Insane Clown Posse or Psychopathic Records sells ICP hatchets as merchandise to Juggalos at their shows, allow me to put your mind at ease.

 

When people refer to the ICP Hatchet, they are really referring to the famous hatchetman logo associated with the group (truth be told, it was originally drawn to represent the group’s label, Psychopathic Records, but we’ll get to that later) that was scribbled on a napkin by Insane Clown Posse founding member Shaggy 2 Dope more than 20 years ago.

 

To paint a picture, the hatchetman logo features a crazed, mohawked cartoon hoisting a hatchet (some claims it looks more like a meat cleaver) while running. This little guy comes in all shapes, sizes and colors, and more interestingly has been put to use in many creative ways by Insane Clown Posse’s army of fans, the Juggalos.

 

So if you were a Juggalo, how would you honor the hatchetman? Publicizing any affinity for ICP hatchets might send the wrong message, so let’s stick with the actual hatchetman cartoon for now.

 

Juggalo’s inventiveness in honoring this hatchetman hero truly is astounding. Scratching the tip of the iceberg are ICP hatchet tattoos, but such a tribute is not uncommon for fans and their favorite bands across all genres of music. If anything, inking yourself with a hatchetman tattoo is more unique than getting the lyrics to your favorite Juggalo song printed across your rib cage.

 

What’s more intriguing than hatchetman tattoos are some of the jewelry made in mass quantities featuring the ICP hatchet symbol.  Hatchetman pendants, hatchetman necklaces, hatchetman charms, hatchetman chains, and even clothing like hatchetman shoes really do exist, and moreover, are swallowed up by Juggalos left and right. If this doesn’t spell outjust how devoted Juggalos are to not only the ICP Hatchet symbol but also Insane Clown Posse in general, I don’t know what does.

 

But where did this ICP hatchet symbol originate? If you’re already a Juggalo, you’ll be even more enthralled with the ICP hatchet imagery once you learn its background.

 

Legend has it that the younger half of Insane Clown Posse, Shaggy 2 Dope, sketched the symbol on a napkin after a crucial meeting with their manager. It is now told that in that meeting both ICP members and their manager, Alex Abbiss, decided to form Psychopathic Records, a record label that would distribute and market all ICP material. Psychopathic Records is still Insane Clown Posse’s record label today, and wears the hatchetman stamp, be it for ICP hatchet imagery or the other horror rap artists it represents, with pride.  

 

In hindsight, it’s amazing to think how one quick sketch changed the course of so many Juggalo lives. That rudimentary image, printed on as much as it is, could very well be the number one marketing icon in ICP’s hatchet-gear arsenal. 

 

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The pairing of the words ICP and Hatchet does not mean the band has starting branding weapons. Instead, it is one image associated with the group and their record label. To learn more about Insane Clown Posse and ICP hatchet gear, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.

_ There are so many things that make ICP more unique than the next band. ICP album lyrical content, ICP merchandise, Juggalo face paint, and their own festival are examples, and that’s just naming a few. But where, in this writer’s opinion, ICP is more unique than almost any other band out there, is every time there’s a new ICP Joker card.
 

For the uninitiated, ICP Joker cards are the mythological, didactic attachment to every ICP album. Each represents and explains a different moral lesson, and spurs much conversation among Juggalos. So what about ICP’s new Joker Cards, and particularly that of newest offering Mighty Death Pop!?

 
Mighty Death Pop!, the latest ICP album, is due out in May of this year. How will the new ICP Joker’s card for this ICP album compare to the rest? Mighty Death Pop!’s Joker’s card meaning has not been revealed yet, but Violent J and Shaggy have said that, like all other Joker’s cards, the Mighty Death Pop! Joker’s card will teach Juggalos something about themselves.
 

However, they have said that the Mighty Death Pop!’s album content will reflect all the anger they’ve saved up from the “crazy dissing of ICP and Juggalos” over the years. By looking at the Joker’s image (it looks as maniacal as the rest), it would appear that they’re telling the truth with that ominous warning. All that is concretely known about the Mighty Death Pop!’s new ICP Joker’s card is that it is second in the second deck of ICP’s new Joker’s cards.
 

The last time there was a new ICP album, and hence a new ICP Joker’s card, the album was Bang! Boom! Pow! and its Joker card character was a “continuous explosion that stomps his way through the crowd blowing evil souls to Hell.” So if that card was less angry than this upcoming Mighty Death Pop! new ICP Joker’s card, then Juggalos should be prepared for possibly the nastiest Joker’s card yet.

 

Furthermore, whatever character or moral lesson this new ICP Joker’s card ends up resembling could say a great deal about the direction ICP plans to take the rest of their new Joker cards in this second deck. Being only the second installment of the second deck, any ICP albums to be released after Mighty Death Pop! will be judged by and compared to these earlier new ICP Joker cards.

 

All ICP albums have grit to them, which isn’t a surprise knowing who Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope are and where they come from.  But, it’s one thing to have grit naturally and a completely different thing to have that trait kick into overdrive when you have something to prove.

Because of the mainstream media’s backlash towards ICP (that’s intensified over the past few years), it wouldn’t be much of a surprise for their song content and Joker card content to be more ruthless than it’s ever been before.

 

The newest ICP album, Mighty Death Pop!, is out in May of this year, start getting excited now!

 

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The newest ICP Album, Mighty Death Pop!, is due out in May of 2012, and could possibly have one of the most ruthless new ICP joker card characters yet. To learn more about Mighty Death Pop! or any other ICP albums, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.

_ Anyone who’s familiar with Detroit Horror Rap duo Insane Clown Posse is also familiar with their well-known tiffs, chiefly the fellow Detroiter Eminem feud and also the Tila Tequila-ICP feud. In fact, it wouldn’t be that much of a shock if a lot of music fans first became aware of ICP through the Eminem feud and Tila Tequila-ICP feud. But what is it about ICP that makes them so divisive with their contemporaries? To find out, we must examine both the Tila Tequila-ICP Gathering of the Juggalos feud and the old school Eminem feud.

 

The Eminem feud goes way back to 1997, before Eminem was a household name and before the Gathering of the Juggalos had ever existed. Strangely enough, it was about 12 whole years before the names Tila-Tequila and ICP would ever be associated with one another.

 

The Eminem feud started because Eminem had included ICP as a guest act one of his EP release party fliers when he was an unknown MC in Detroit. Angry about not being consulted for such an appearance, Violent J rejected the offer to appear, which Eminem took as a personal offense and began insulting ICP with every chance he got.  Hence the Eminem feud began.

 

The two parties hurled insults back and forth for years, but realized they had bigger things to worry about in 2005 and resolved it all. Since, it has even been rumored that Eminem might even some day appear on an Insane Clown Posse track or at the Gathering of the Juggalos.

 

Fresher in the minds of Tila Tequila and ICP fans is the infamous Tila Tequila-ICP Gathering of the Juggalos incident of 2009. For some inexplicable reason, both Tila Tequila and ICP thought it would be a good idea for her to play the Gathering of the Juggalos horror rap music festival that year. Once rumors began circulating that Juggalos might pull something during her set, Violent J tried to get her to back out and said they would pay her regardless, but she was relentless in her desire to play the set.

 

The booing and object-hurling that resulted has gone down in Gathering of the Juggalos lore. To make matters worse, Tila Tequila proceeded to fabricate a story about Juggalos chasing her back to her trailer and rocking it back and forth. Needless to say, that did not happen at her Gathering of the Juggalos appearance, and has never / will never happen at any Gathering of the Juggalos. Not even if Eminem (feud now over) performed at the Gathering of the Juggalos.

 

After analyzing both the Tila Tequila-ICP feud and the Eminem feud, it becomes apparent that ICP is no more antagonistic than any mainstream rock act out there. Celebrity disagreements bubble into well-publicized grudges on a regular basis, ICP has just been victimized due to their genre of music and the high profile of artists they’ve fought with. Now getting up there in their years, it would be surprising if ICP partook in anything resembling the Eminem feud or Tila Tequila-ICP feud during the rest of their career, especially at an event as well-known as Gathering of the Juggalos.

 

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Insane Clown Posse has had their fair share of disagreements with other celebrities, as evident in their Eminem feud and the Tila Tequila-ICP Gathering of the Juggalos feud, but there’s more to each story than meets the eye. To learn more about Insane Clown Posse and their contemporaries, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.

_ It’s far from secret that the music industry has yet to find a constructive way to combat illegally downloading. The act has plagued the business since the days of Napster in the late 90s, and though major services like that one and Limewire have been shutdown or converted to paid subscription services, torrent sites are still very much a problem.  That said, if you’re a Juggalo, is it right to look for Insane Clown Posse torrents?

 
You love ICP songs, otherwise you wouldn’t be a Juggalo. Furthermore, it’s natural to be cost-conscious, so it’s safe to say you’re a Juggalo always looking for the best deals on ICP songs or albums. Where do you draw the line?
 

Such has been the debate in the music industry for more than 10 years now. Most business types proclaim that stealing is stealing (what Juggalos might refer to as Insane Clown Posse torrents) regardless of the price, and refuse to consider any argument that claims the more songs are illegally downloaded (for this example, let’s insert Insane Clown Posse torrents), the more artist merchandise and concert tickets will be sold.
 

The type of Juggalos who frequent Insane Clown Posse torrent sites for ICP songs on a regular basis are undoubtedly the type of Juggalo that would profess this argument, probably saying something like “the more ICP songs I get here (and if they’re free, they will get many), the more likely I am to see the same ICP songs in concert (paying for a ticket) and buy Juggalo merchandise.”
 

Many suits in the music industry would point out a fatal flaw in this argument – that these revenue streams have always been around, and it’s not the same for one to grow a little bit at the enormous sacrifice of another, i.e. concerts up a little, album sales extinguished. The overall net profit still ends up in the red no matter how you look at it, and that’s what these people are most concerned with.
 

But don’t think of it with an us vs. them situation. Think about the artist you’re torrenting, Insane Clown Posse torrents in this instance, and how you’re hurting them. Will ICP songs even exist in the future if they can’t afford to make them because Juggalos began stealing Insane Clown Posse torrents instead of paying for songs the right way?
 

Insane Clown Posse torrents aren’t the only alternative to expensive ICP songs and albums and Juggalos need to get their hands on. Thanks to digital retail outlets like iTunes, Juggalos can now buy ICP songs for 99 cents a piece, and albums for $9.99 a piece. That’s much better than the 90s hey day of $20.00 CDs.
 

If that’s still too much for you, try an online streaming service like Spotify or Rdio. These sites are 100% legal (Insane Clown Posse torrents are not), and free. You don’t have to pay a dime to listen to whatever ICP song you desire, and the artist still receives royalty payments on the other end. It’s a win win!
 

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Insane Clown Posse torrents are attractive, but hurt the artist financially. To learn more about ICP songs and Juggalos, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.

_ It’s far from secret that the music industry has yet to find a constructive way to combat illegally downloading. The act has plagued the business since the days of Napster in the late 90s, and though major services like that one and Limewire have been shutdown or converted to paid subscription services, torrent sites are still very much a problem.  That said, if you’re a Juggalo, is it right to look for Insane Clown Posse torrents?
 

You love ICP songs, otherwise you wouldn’t be a Juggalo. Furthermore, it’s natural to be cost-conscious, so it’s safe to say you’re a Juggalo always looking for the best deals on ICP songs or albums. Where do you draw the line?
 

Such has been the debate in the music industry for more than 10 years now. Most business types proclaim that stealing is stealing (what Juggalos might refer to as Insane Clown Posse torrents) regardless of the price, and refuse to consider any argument that claims the more songs are illegally downloaded (for this example, let’s insert Insane Clown Posse torrents), the more artist merchandise and concert tickets will be sold.
 

The type of Juggalos who frequent Insane Clown Posse torrent sites for ICP songs on a regular basis are undoubtedly the type of Juggalo that would profess this argument, probably saying something like “the more ICP songs I get here (and if they’re free, they will get many), the more likely I am to see the same ICP songs in concert (paying for a ticket) and buy Juggalo merchandise.”
 

Many suits in the music industry would point out a fatal flaw in this argument – that these revenue streams have always been around, and it’s not the same for one to grow a little bit at the enormous sacrifice of another, i.e. concerts up a little, album sales extinguished. The overall net profit still ends up in the red no matter how you look at it, and that’s what these people are most concerned with.
 

But don’t think of it with an us vs. them situation. Think about the artist you’re torrenting, Insane Clown Posse torrents in this instance, and how you’re hurting them. Will ICP songs even exist in the future if they can’t afford to make them because Juggalos began stealing Insane Clown Posse torrents instead of paying for songs the right way?
 

Insane Clown Posse torrents aren’t the only alternative to expensive ICP songs and albums and Juggalos need to get their hands on. Thanks to digital retail outlets like iTunes, Juggalos can now buy ICP songs for 99 cents a piece, and albums for $9.99 a piece. That’s much better than the 90s hey day of $20.00 CDs.
 

If that’s still too much for you, try an online streaming service like Spotify or Rdio. These sites are 100% legal (Insane Clown Posse torrents are not), and free. You don’t have to pay a dime to listen to whatever ICP song you desire, and the artist still receives royalty payments on the other end. It’s a win win!

 
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Insane Clown Posse torrents are attractive, but hurt the artist financially. To learn more about ICP songs and Juggalos, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.

_ Unfortunately, rap and hip hop artists fall victim to false labels more than any other type of musician. Furthermore, fans (like ICP’s Juggalos) of rap and hip hop artists whose lyrics are suspect to say the least, are especially vulnerable to these labels.

 

The question of ICP being a gang will probably be raised as long as people remember the band, but it’s not a fair question for Juggalos to have to deal with in the first place. Without further ado, let’s take a look at 5 reasons the answer to “Is ICP a Gang?” is no!

 

5. Is ICP a Gang? No, because it’s wrong to assume all rap and hip hop artists are gangsters.

 

To be fair, it’s easy to see why those of older generations assume that all rap and hip hop artists are gang members, because the genre didn’t do itself any favors early on. When rap and hip hop groups like N.W.A. consist of individual rap and hip hop artists that profess to be ex or current gang members to prove their street cred, it leaves a stain, and is just one reason people ask Juggalos, “Is ICP a Gang?” 

 

4. Is ICP a Gang? No, because both of these rap and hip hop artists saw the effects of that lifestyle when they were young and vowed to stay away.

 

Violent J dabbled in gang life when he was a teen, before Juggalos or ICP ever existed. The experience of threats and brief jail time were enough to convince him to look into his Juggalo future of rap and hip hop rather than gang life.

 

3. Is ICP a Gang? No, because the rap and hip hop group’s sometimes violent lyrical content is not serious.

 

When one interviewer acted incredulously when the band mates said they were legitimately spiritual, he pointed to their violent rap and hip hop lyrics in hopes of exploiting a moral imbalance. Violent J and Shaggy looked at him, also in disbelief, that he would think some of the topics in their songs are to be taken seriously by Juggalos or anyone else. If the lyrics were intended to be taken seriously, then there would be some weight to the question, “Is ICP a gang?”

 

2. Is ICP a Gang? No, because what kind of gangsters are into carnivals and Joker’s cards?

 

One of rap and hip hop duo ICP’s trademark accomplishments, and one that puts them squarely in the hearts of Juggalos nationwide, is the Dark Carnival myth they’ve created for their band and its fans. If the answer to “Is ICP a Gang” was “yes,” I think they wouldn’t have the time or interest to stitch together such complex stories for Juggalos or their rap and hip hop career like this one.

 

1. Is ICP a Gang? No, because there’s no proof of that claim. At all!

 

This list was designed to make the accusers of the world realize that most people who think ICP and/or Juggalos are a gang think it for no good reason. You shouldn’t have to hear it from a Juggalo, or any other rap and hip hop artist. ICP is not a gang, they are a horror rap music duo, and let’s focus on that!

 

Resource Box

 

Confused fans of rap and hip hop have been asking, “is ICP a gang” ever since they started gaining momentum with Juggalos in the early 90s. The answer is no! To learn more about The Insane Clown Posse, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.

_ Unfortunately, rap and hip hop artists fall victim to false labels more than any other type of musician. Furthermore, fans (like ICP’s Juggalos) of rap and hip hop artists whose lyrics are suspect to say the least, are especially vulnerable to these labels.

 
The question of ICP being a gang will probably be raised as long as people remember the band, but it’s not a fair question for Juggalos to have to deal with in the first place. Without further ado, let’s take a look at 5 reasons the answer to “Is ICP a Gang?” is no!
 

5. Is ICP a Gang? No, because it’s wrong to assume all rap and hip hop artists are gangsters.

 
To be fair, it’s easy to see why those of older generations assume that all rap and hip hop artists are gang members, because the genre didn’t do itself any favors early on. When rap and hip hop groups like N.W.A. consist of individual rap and hip hop artists that profess to be ex or current gang members to prove their street cred, it leaves a stain, and is just one reason people ask Juggalos, “Is ICP a Gang?” 
 

4. Is ICP a Gang? No, because both of these rap and hip hop artists saw the effects of that lifestyle when they were young and vowed to stay away.


Violent J dabbled in gang life when he was a teen, before Juggalos or ICP ever existed. The experience of threats and brief jail time were enough to convince him to look into his Juggalo future of rap and hip hop rather than gang life.
 

3. Is ICP a Gang? No, because the rap and hip hop group’s sometimes violent lyrical content is not serious.


When one interviewer acted incredulously when the band mates said they were legitimately spiritual, he pointed to their violent rap and hip hop lyrics in hopes of exploiting a moral imbalance. Violent J and Shaggy looked at him, also in disbelief, that he would think some of the topics in their songs are to be taken seriously by Juggalos or anyone else. If the lyrics were intended to be taken seriously, then there would be some weight to the question, “Is ICP a gang?”
 

2. Is ICP a Gang? No, because what kind of gangsters are into carnivals and Joker’s cards?
 

One of rap and hip hop duo ICP’s trademark accomplishments, and one that puts them squarely in the hearts of Juggalos nationwide, is the Dark Carnival myth they’ve created for their band and its fans. If the answer to “Is ICP a Gang” was “yes,” I think they wouldn’t have the time or interest to stitch together such complex stories for Juggalos or their rap and hip hop career like this one.

 

1. Is ICP a Gang? No, because there’s no proof of that claim. At all!

 

This list was designed to make the accusers of the world realize that most people who think ICP and/or Juggalos are a gang think it for no good reason. You shouldn’t have to hear it from a Juggalo, or any other rap and hip hop artist. ICP is not a gang, they are a horror rap music duo, and let’s focus on that!

 

Resource Box

 

Confused fans of rap and hip hop have been asking, “is ICP a gang” ever since they started gaining momentum with Juggalos in the early 90s. The answer is no! To learn more about The Insane Clown Posse, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.

_ Say what you will about Detroit’s infamous horror rap duo Insane Clown Posse, but many revere them as music marketing geniuses. The same cannot be said for many of the suits promoting traditional hip hop artists’ material.

 

The success these guys have seen over the past 20 years is ridiculous, especially when you take into consideration that they are not traditional hip hop artists, and that their acquired-taste horror rap music receives very little attention from the mainstream that prefers traditional hip hop artists. However, it receives much attention from those who it’s directed towards: Juggalos.

 

So how have they done it?

 

If you take a look at some of the most successful artists (even hip hop artsts) throughout the last 20 years, you’ll realize that most of them have at least one trait in common: They were all outcasts before they hit the big time.

 

Kurt Cobain, Eminem, even Lady Gaga provide an experience for their fans to latch onto and feel belonging. ICP and their Juggalo fan base are no different.  Unlike many hip hop artists who aim at what is stereotypically “popular” with their content, ICP and its Juggalo fan base enjoy being “misunderstood” by the mainstream and capitalize on the sentiment via horror rap.

 

From their ridiculous lyrics, Juggalo face paint, laundry list of appealing merchandise – action figures, backpacks, comic books, Joker’s cards – these guys have built their brand to last even past a time when horror rap no longer exists.  

 

Think about it. How many other groups – not just hip hop artists, all groups in general – have fans that enamor them so much they’ll paint their faces and dress like them? ICP does. How many acts have fan bases with their own slang language? ICP’s Juggalo fans do. Juggalos are so close to one another that they congregate annually at ICP’s Gathering of the Juggalos music festival. No other hip hop artists’ fans do this.

 

Here, among other things, both Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope even hold seminars for Juggalo fanatics on a number of different topics, most of which relate to their horror rap act in some way, shape, or form. Most hip hop artists don’t have their own festival and record label, let alone the accessibility to their fan base like ICP does.

 

This type of ICP to fan accessibility at the Gathering of the Juggalos isn’t limited to just ICP either. Other horror rap musicians talk with fans too, most of which belong to ICP’s record label, Psychopathic Records.

 

Things to takeaway from the school of ICP branding include their merchandise diversity, their accessibility to fans, and their outsider mentality. If you’re interested in starting any type of hip hop career, horror rap or non, don’t follow the same route most hip hop artists take of lusting after mainstream materialism and wealth.

 

Ironically, it’s probably smarter to follow the marketing strategy of horror rap duo Insane Clown Posse, whose Juggalo fans are quite possible the most fiercely loyal in all of hip hop.

 

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Horror rap outfit Insane Clown Posse, are on a smaller scale than most mainstream hip hop artists but have arguably the most devoted fan base in their Juggalo followers. To learn more about their marketing machine, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.

_ Back in the day, Insane Clown Posse concerts took place in a small corner of their native Detroit. There were no ICP tours, the term Juggalo hadn’t been born yet, and the Internet was so infantile there couldn’t have been more than one or two hip hop sites.
 

Some 20 odd years later, ICP tours a good amount, Juggalos are everywhere, and the Internet is so enormous that more hip hop sites than we can count thrive featuring new artists and content every day.
 

However, painting Insane Clown Posse’s progress like that is myopic. Just because the band has gotten exponentially larger does not mean that their image and message have stayed the same, nor does it mean that Juggalos of the early 90s are the same as Juggalos today. In fact, many Juggalos contest that being a Juggalo in 1993 was much more real, and meant way more, than being a Juggalo does in 2011.

 
The possible reasons for this are many. With as many ICP tours having taken place since the band’s inception, the number of Juggalos has ballooned. And, just as with any movement, sentiment, especially radical sentiment like that spawned by ICP, tends to dilute with larger numbers.
 

Furthermore, once a movement or idea hits the Internet (possibly a hip hop site in this case), there’s no controlling where it goes or how it’s interpreted. Hip hop sites have shed some light on the Juggalo phenomenon, but most of ICP’s Internet presence has to do with ICP tours or mainstream scrutiny. After all, part of being a Juggalo means being misunderstood by the outside world!
 

This all begs the question, if Juggalos were clamoring for more after the earliest ICP tours, how did Juggalos receive this latest fall ICP tour?
 

According to horror hip hop sites, the fall ICP tour was consumed with as much fervor as ICP’s tours were 20 years ago. Even websites that don’t have a history as general hip hop sites, like Ticketmaster.com, have glowing reviews from Juggalo attendees.
 

One in particular says he had literally the best time of his life when the last ICP tour terminated in Detroit for Hallowicked. Other fans gushed about the other Psychopathic records artists that tagged along on the fall ICP tour, with a few mentioning they played most of their greatest hits.
 

So, while many hip hop sites frequented by Juggalos of past and present still play host to the argument that being a Juggalo present at an ICP tour date doesn’t mean the same as it did in the early 90s, the general consensus among modern Juggalos is that life as a Juggalo is just fine.

 
In fact, ICP’s tours have invaded so many venues across the country, some of them become known as hip hop sites beyond the night that Insane Clown Posse plays their set.

 

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The Insane Clown Posse is horror rap duo that’s been going on tour since the early 90s, catching the attention of die-hard Juggalos and previously oblivious hip hop sites everywhere they go. To learn more about ICP Tours, the ICP hip hop site or Juggalos in general, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.

_ If I were to tell you that Juggalettes listened to Psychopathic Records and lived in a family underground, you’d be a combination of befuddled and intrigued. First, what is a Juggalette? Second, why would anyone listen to records that make them turn psychopathic? Third, what kind of family lives underground? You’re not talking about the mole people, are you?
 

Sadly, I am not talking about the mole people. However, I am talking about another little-known American subculture: Insane Clown Posse! From labeling their fans as Juggalos and Juggalettes and naming their fan collective a family underground to creating their own record label (called Psychopathic Records), Insane Clown Posse is more than a horror rap duo; it’s a movement.

 
Lets break these three things down, starting first with Juggalettes. Legend has it that Violent J jokingly referred to the fans at an early ICP show in the 90s as Juggalos, and the name stuck. It wasn’t soon after that female Juggalo fans differentiated themselves from the generic Juggalo term by adding Juggalette to the ICP lexicon. 

 
Affectionately referred to as “lettes,” Juggalettes are put on display regularly in ICP culture, whether that means oil-wrestling at the annual Gathering of the Juggalos (and Juggalettes) festival that features Psychopathic Records artists, parading down the runway at this festival’s Juggalette model contest, or plain showering in the same orange Faygo pop as their Juggalo counterparts.
 

Together, Juggalos and Juggalettes make up the family underground, who are most concentrated at the annual Gathering of the Juggalos festival. Who plays at this music festival? Psychopathic Records artists, of course. Formed by ICP in the 90s, Psychopathic Records is a record label that signs like-minded horror rap artists like Twiztid, Boondox, Dark Lotus, and more.
 

It’s safe to say that Psychopathic Records will never reach the same establishment status of famous major record labels like Universal and Warner, but it’s equally safe to say that Psychopathic Records has no interest in reach that status. Psychopathic Records exists to put out music for Juggalettes and Juggalos and anyone else in the family underground that would be hard to find anywhere else.
 

Lastly, let’s dig a little deeper into what a family underground means. For starters, it’s nothing like your family or my family. But, because the bond between Juggalos and Juggalettes is so close, it only makes sense for them to refer to themselves as a family….underground. A Family Underground was even the name of an ICP documentary a few years back. But where does the underground part come from?
 

Well, because ICP’s musical genre – that of horror rap – is separated from mainstream hip hop by light years, it’s safe to say that those who follow it and the Juggalo / Juggalette culture feel distant from mainstream culture as well. The family underground is where those with these traits in common can connect and form lifelong friendships.
 

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The words Juggalette and Juggalo might sound like gibberish at first, and even when you learn they’re relation to Psychopathic Records and a Family Underground, the story seems even stranger. To learn more about this American subculture, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.