At first glance, the song “17 Dead” by Insane Clown Posse might appear to Juggalettes and Juggalos to be about some sort of killing spree or other massacre. It could refer to a shooting, or a bad car accident, or a 17 year old who died. However, it is none of the above. ICP’s “17 Dead” is really just another one of the group’s morbid horror rap songs that Juggalos and Juggalettes can’t get enough of.
Consider the following “17 Dead” excerpt when looking for meaning in “17 Dead.”
I woke up next to a dead body / roll it out the way and jump out of bed / strap on my kicks and step out of my room / cuz somehow there’s another stiff in the bathroom / dead fucks all over the grass / I’m a kick somebody in they dead ass.
It’s difficult to determine if the guys in ICP are trying to portray themselves as the murderers of these 17 dead or if they’re just observing the aftermath of some massacre that left 17 dead. So if that’s really all there is to “17 Dead”, then why is the song such a hit with Juggalos and Juggalettes. The answer is simple.
Juggalos and Juggalettes are fans of more than just ICP; they’re also fans of ICP’s genre of music – horror rap. And horror rap is filled with these types of rhymes and verses, that’s kind of the point. Don’t ever assume that ICP’s J and Shaggy 2 Dope are serious when writing lyrics like this for Juggalos and Juggalettes, they think it’s nothing more than fun and games to write gruesome lyrics, and their Juggalo and Juggalette fans feel the same way. Nothing to get bent out of shape over!
However, the astute Juggalos and Juggalettes reading this will know that there is some reasoning to part of the title in “17 Dead”, the number 17. That number wasn’t chosen randomly, instead it’s a very important number in Juggalo and Juggalette culture. You see, 17 dead was the number of records that ICP sold on the first day their first album, Carnival of Carnage, was released.
It goes without saying that 17 copies isn’t much, but I’m sure the guys wouldn’t have really cared how many they sold on that first day if they knew how many copies of all their albums they would be selling 20+ years later to adoring Juggalos and Juggalettes! If you look closely, you’ll see mentions of the number 17 in many ICP songs, and sometimes the numbers mentioned, if not 17, add up to 17 when combined.
So remember, just because horror rap isn’t known for its metaphors or hidden symbolism doesn’t mean that innovative groups like ICP will slip a little clue into their music every once in a while! It’s this kind of tactic that keeps Juggalos and Juggalettes glued to every ICP release for a long, long time.
Resource Box
Insane Clown Posse has written many gory songs over the course of their career, songs like “17 Dead”. To learn more about ICP’s songs like “17 Dead”, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.
Consider the following “17 Dead” excerpt when looking for meaning in “17 Dead.”
I woke up next to a dead body / roll it out the way and jump out of bed / strap on my kicks and step out of my room / cuz somehow there’s another stiff in the bathroom / dead fucks all over the grass / I’m a kick somebody in they dead ass.
It’s difficult to determine if the guys in ICP are trying to portray themselves as the murderers of these 17 dead or if they’re just observing the aftermath of some massacre that left 17 dead. So if that’s really all there is to “17 Dead”, then why is the song such a hit with Juggalos and Juggalettes. The answer is simple.
Juggalos and Juggalettes are fans of more than just ICP; they’re also fans of ICP’s genre of music – horror rap. And horror rap is filled with these types of rhymes and verses, that’s kind of the point. Don’t ever assume that ICP’s J and Shaggy 2 Dope are serious when writing lyrics like this for Juggalos and Juggalettes, they think it’s nothing more than fun and games to write gruesome lyrics, and their Juggalo and Juggalette fans feel the same way. Nothing to get bent out of shape over!
However, the astute Juggalos and Juggalettes reading this will know that there is some reasoning to part of the title in “17 Dead”, the number 17. That number wasn’t chosen randomly, instead it’s a very important number in Juggalo and Juggalette culture. You see, 17 dead was the number of records that ICP sold on the first day their first album, Carnival of Carnage, was released.
It goes without saying that 17 copies isn’t much, but I’m sure the guys wouldn’t have really cared how many they sold on that first day if they knew how many copies of all their albums they would be selling 20+ years later to adoring Juggalos and Juggalettes! If you look closely, you’ll see mentions of the number 17 in many ICP songs, and sometimes the numbers mentioned, if not 17, add up to 17 when combined.
So remember, just because horror rap isn’t known for its metaphors or hidden symbolism doesn’t mean that innovative groups like ICP will slip a little clue into their music every once in a while! It’s this kind of tactic that keeps Juggalos and Juggalettes glued to every ICP release for a long, long time.
Resource Box
Insane Clown Posse has written many gory songs over the course of their career, songs like “17 Dead”. To learn more about ICP’s songs like “17 Dead”, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.
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