You can’t consider yourself a real Juggalo if you haven’t heard by now that Insane Clown Posse will be releasing their 12th studio album, The Mighty Death Pop!, on August 14th, 2012. Of course, with the release of The Mighty Death Pop!, will come a new Joker’s card for all Juggalos and Juggalettes to explore.

The most noteworthy fact about the Mighty Death Pop! Joker’s card so far is that it will be the second card in the second deck of Joker’s cards. However, that being said, it would appear so far that the second deck of Joker’s cards will not be that different than the first deck of cards, because card #1 in deck #2 of Joker’s cards dealt with the same themes known to Juggalos in the first deck of Joker’s cards.

The Dark Carnival (mythology surrounding ICP albums and Joker’s cards) is without a doubt one of a kind. You’d be hard pressed to name five other artists that have designed their own mythology to attract new fans and keep them interested, as ICP has done with Juggalos.

All cards to date, and presumably the Mighty Death Pop! Joker’s card, deal with themes of justice and repercussion for individual actions. ICP’s Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope express these messages in these forms because they know that medium is one which today’s fans will understand.

Music fans of 2012, especially Juggalos, are in no mood to listen to preaching in music or otherwise. However, this clever approach gets Juggalos interested in the band’s message in an obsessive manner. They hope to continue this trend with The Mighty Death Pop!’s Joker’s card, something most Juggalos are salivating over.

The first unique thing to note about Mighty Death Pop!’s Joker’s card is that there are two of them. Yes, The Mighty Death Pop! will be the first ICP album on which Juggalos can enjoy two separate cards.

While the first Mighty Death Pop! card was nothing too unusual (face of an evil Jester), it looks more fierce than its predecessor in Bang! Boom! Pow!’s Joker’s card, a continuous explosion to clear evil souls out of carnival grounds. The Mighty Death Pop! card is more ornate as well, and if you can take that to mean they spent more time on Mighty Death Pop! than Bang! Boom! Pow!, that would be a positive as far as most Juggalos are concerned.

The second Joker’s card revealed for The Mighty Death Pop! is another evil face on a ticking bomb. The unmistakable symbolism here is that Mighty Death Pop! is going to be more intense than previous albums, and probably blow up when it hits stores in August. This kind of tease from a card always gets Juggalos riled up and excited for the next release. Has it done so for you?

Resource Box

Joker’s cards are one of the most important staples in Juggalos’ appreciation of ICP. To view merchandise containing ICP’s past and present  Joker’s cards, please visit http://hatchetgear.com/bands/icp.html. 

 
 In its 30+ year history, rap has come along way. It’s gone from being an insignificant micro genre to one that’s enjoyed heavily all around the world. It’s gotten so big that it has many sub genres of it’s own at this point, and is blanketing enough to exist in the mainstream and underground.

If underground rap is one of your favorite types of music, then there are other types of rap and hip hop out there that you’ll probably enjoy as well, one of which being horror rap. If you like horror rap, then you’re automatically a fan of horror rap duo Insane Clown Posse.

Insane Clown Posse’s Horror Rap Roots

 

If you know anything about the Insane Clown Posse, it’s that they don’t come anywhere close to mainstream sounds in any of their horror rap music. From the beginning, Detroit’s Insane Clown Posse (originally Inner City Posse) has been rooted in underground rap, choosing to rhyme about underground rap / horror rap themes revolving around violence, death, evil, Satan, suicide, and more.

Insane Clown Posse Dark Carnival Mythology

But there’s more to Insane Clown Posse than their brutal lyrics. For one, they have an entire mythology surrounding their work called the dark carnival. This concept of a limbo period before departed souls are dumped to hell is weaved throughout all of Insane Clown Posse’s albums.

While many underground rappers can claim insider themes for their die-hard fans, few if any have the same complexity and allure of horror rap duo Insane Clown Posse’s dark carnival and subsequent Joker’s Cards. No, these aren’t the same useless Joker’s Cards in your standard 52-card deck, they’re synonymous with the albums Insane Clown Posse releases and each contain insight into the band’s moral philosophies.

Insane Clown Posse Costumes

Another thing underground rap lacks in comparison to Insane Clown Posse’s brand of horror rap? The costumes. Horror rap acts can be spotted a mile away in their trademark evil clown face paint, a style that without doubt adds mystique to their performances. If traditional underground rapper garb isn’t hellacious enough for you, check out an Insane Clown Posse concert and see what you’re missing.

Gathering of the Juggalos and Juggalo Family

While some of the above mentioned comparisons, there is one aspect of Insane Clown Posse’s horror rap family that knows no comparison: the annual Gathering of the Juggalos horror rap music festival. Can any mainstream or underground rapper out there say they have their own music festival? Or beyond that, their own music festival created by its own record label? We think not.

And as any Juggalo will tell you, Juggalos far and wide share a family mentality and bond that’s competitive with that of any artist around.

So if you’re tired of the same old underground rap and are looking for something new and refreshing, try the Insane Clown Posse. With family ties, face paint, mythology and a huge annual festival, Insane Clown Posse and their horror rap brand of music is if nothing else at least guaranteed to bring a breath of fresh air.

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Insane Clown Posse is an underground rap duo consisting of Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. They are one of the most unique bands in America. To learn more horror rap, underground rap or Insane Clown Posse visit ICP's website at http://insaneclownposse.com/