Best is a subjective term when referring to music, which is one reason it’s so great. One person can think a band or song is great, and another person might think that song or band is the worst thing they’ve ever heard. There’s no science to what’s good or bad in music (regardless of what some theorists and tech entrepreneurs tell you), so everyone is free to enjoy whatever they want, including Juggalos.
Juggalos are no different with the ICP material they love or hate, but because ICP’s cult following is so strong, it’s rare that Juggalos come across an ICP release they don’t absolutely love. But can the same be said for clothing like ICP’s apparel? What about other Insane Clown Posse stuff like stickers and pins? Where does subjectivity come into play here?

When browsing the online ICP apparel store, hatchetgear.com, it becomes apparent pretty quickly that there is a sea of Insane Clown Posse stuff for Juggalos to choose from. Clothing, books, DVDs, bags, you name it. If a Juggalo would want it, it’s here.

Let’s start with the basic ICP apparel – shirts. Concert and band shirts have been around just as long as the concert and band have. Ever since the modern concert blew up in popularity in the late 50s and early 60s, collecting that unique concert t-shirt has almost invariably been part of the concert-going experience. The same can be said for Juggalos who attend ICP shows and gather Insane Clown Posse stuff – ICP apparel from Gathering of the Juggalos and all other ICP events is highly collectible.

Inside the ICP apparel store online, one can view each merch item individually. The shirts jump out on top, and at least on page 1, one can see just how creative the guys are with their ICP apparel. The first shirt is a Dark Lotus shirt depicting some sort of growling monster, the next an ICP shirt that is a sport shirt, followed by ICP shirts with different sleeve lengths and colors.

Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope want Juggalos to know how diverse their ICP apparel product offering is.  You have to click through a couple pages before getting to the ICP shirts that are ICP-album specific, but they’re there.  With all that said, the coolest piece of ICP apparel would have to be the blaze orange ICP old school family t-shirt, featuring an old picture of the group on stage and a hatchetman on the back. And it’s orange!

Aside from the shirts, this online store offers much in the way of general Insane Clown Posse stuff for the hungry Juggalo. To get a good idea of what Insane Clown Posse stuff I’m talking about, take a look at the accessories section in the online store. My favorite item here are the sunglasses. Who would have thought of ever designing Insane Clown Posse stuff for sun protection? Who knows, but it’s there, and is probably sold in large amounts to Juggalos at the annual Gathering of the Juggalos festival.

What is your favorite piece of ICP apparel? What about general Insane Clown Posse stuff? Do tell in the comments!

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Insane Clown Posse stuff is almost as ubiquitous as the band is. To learn more about it and which insane clown posse stuff is best, visit their online store, http://www.hatchetgear.com/bands/icp.html

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.

 

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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.

Everybody and their mother knows the answer to the question, “What is hip hop?” That’s what happens when people ask “What is hip hop?” for 30 years – eventually it will reach saturation, for better or worse. But while most of the world is fixated on this umbrella genre, there are many lesser-known micro-genres that have sprouted up in the same time period.
After all, when people keep asking “what is hip hop?”, some are not going to be satisfied with the answer and venture out to make their own version of the now famous genre. Juggalos certainly weren’t satisfied. Thanks to the musical innovators of the world, one such micro-genre with obsessive Juggalo fans is that of horror rap.

What is hip hop in its purest form?

 

The genre largely consists of synthesized drum beats and instrument samples that are looped in frequencies of 2, 4, or 8 measures. Sometimes the pattern changes up for a chorus, but more often they stay the same throughout. The trademark of hip hop is, however, in the vocal stylings. Hip hop artists do not sing, they rap, or talk quickly and rhythmically over the music described above.

Content can range from heavy to light, but most popular hip hop is on the light side. The darkest content in hip hop belongs to that in the micro genre of horror rap, lapped up by Juggalos.

What is hip hop’s relation to horror rap?

Horror rap is a hip hop micro-genre that separates itself with dark, sometimes even morbid, lyrical content. The most noted act to have success with horror rap is Detroit horror rap outfit Insane Clown Posse. One look at the evil clown face paint, listen to the disturbing lyrics, or experience with Juggalos at one of the group’s famous live concerts and you’ll have a very thorough understanding of what horror rap.

Analyzing this style of music would lead one to believe that, when unsatisfied with the typical answer to “what is hip hop?”, the horror rap founders believed it could be darker and less focused on care-free topics like materialism and braggadocio.

What is hip hop’s fan base like compared to horror rap’s fan base?

To start, the horror rap fan base (consisting primarily of Juggalos) is much smaller than that of general mainstream hip hop. Horror rappers appeal to their Juggalo fan base primarily through their content and legend, but also through interesting add-ons like mythology, customized horror rap music festivals, a family feeling, etc. What is hip hop and what are horror rap are two very different questions, the answers to both would best be explained by a demonstration of their various live settings. Juggalos and normal hip hop heads are very different people.

What is hip hop’s life span?

 

Time will tell, but good mainstream hip hop, the kind that the genre’s founders had in mind, hasn’t been on top of the charts in a decade, while horror rap is growing rapidly. Perhaps Juggalos could see a switch in the genres’ fortunes soon!

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Hip hop is a major musical form that has been around since the mid 1970s, and has given birth to micro genres such as horror rap, the genre preferred by Juggalos. To learn more about horror rap and Juggalos, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com

Before we pose the question, it’s best to define just what media type is being referred to with the term rare ICP. Because there are rare ICP merchandise items, rare ICP footage, rare ICP music, and other rare ICP or horror rap material in general, the media type is an important distinguisher.

Let’s begin with Rare ICP footage. This could mean concert footage, backstage footage, footage of the guys just hanging out before they were famous, or maybe even footage of the guys hanging out with members of their Juggalo fan base or Psychopathic Records’ horror rap entourage.  Some of the coolest rare ICP footage out there is of Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope just being themselves.

There’s a couple videos of J putting Shaggy 2 Dope’s makeup on for him before he learned to do it himself back in the early 90s, and one exceptionally rare video of the guys writing music in producer Mike E. Clark’s bedroom studio in 1994, without makeup or any other usual ICP horror rap decorations. That video only has 14,000 views on YouTube, has it been overlooked by Juggalos looking for rare Insane Clown Posse footage? Probably!

To Juggalos, or any fan of horror rap in general for that matter, the most inspiring thing about all the rare ICP footage is that it proves Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope haven’t changed one bit since they started in the early 90s. The rare ICP interviews will prove that their philosophy is still the same, and they were just as invigorated about it then as they are today. They still stick up for the less fortunate, and have never forgotten their roots.

On top of that, there’s some excellent rare ICP footage taken by Juggalos themselves, and not by a TV network or ICP insider. For example, a rare ICP concert footage google search will turn up fan-generated video of waiting outside in line for the group’s horror rap concerts, and some times even from inside the venue when the horror rap performers were actually performing. Another inspiring thing about these Juggalo generated videos – they show that the Juggalo has not evolved since the early 90s either.



Juggalos are still as madly passionate about ICP as they were in the early 90s, the only thing that’s changed is their age and the number of them in existence. Older Juggalos who may have retired from the horror rap scene would undoubtedly be impressed by the fervor that Juggalos still show in 2012, just like they did 20 years ago in 1991.

Rare ICP merchandise, while not as revealing per se, is still extremely valuable to Juggalos and all who follow the horror rap game. The Hollywood Records version of ICP’s 1995 release Great Milenko is rare because it was only on shelves for 6 hours before the record label realized what kind of music ICP was and pulled it. Another cool merch item is the Carnival of Carnage Crew BMX Jersey. ICP rolling papers and old, colorful t-shirts are other highly sought after rare ICP items for Juggalos.

 

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Horror rap enthusiasts will find some pretty appealing gems if they Google “Rare ICP.” To learn more about horror rap, Juggalos, and all things  rare ICP, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.

With Halloween right around the corner, many juggalos are rejoicing. Juggalos, to put it simply, are fans of the Detroit rap duo Insane Clown Posse, best known to the mainstream for their over-the-top murderous clown persona. As such, juggalos have a love of outrageous imagery and costumes, as well as horror-movie style imagery. So Halloween is right up the juggalos alley.

If you count yourself among this unique group, but haven't thought of a Halloween costume yet, there's no need to worry. There are a number of possible Halloween costume ideas for juggalos, and they're easy to get together. Here are five dress-up possibilities for juggalos.

A Juggalo: Juggalos are generally misunderstood by the mainstream public, and they're known for their crazy looks. So you could always just get out your juggalo face paint and be a juggalo!

Many other people use Halloween as an opportunity to dress crazy without a specific costume, so why not you too? You already have all the juggalo face paint and gear you need. You might even get an opportunity to educate people about juggalos if they notice your juggalo face paint and ask about your costume.

ICP themselves: A similar idea would be to dress up as Insane Clown Posse themselves. This time around, you can use your juggalo face paint to imitate one of the juggalo face paint styles they wear onstage.

Besides copying their juggalo face paint, you can style your hair like Shaggy 2 Dope or Violent J from your favorite time period in ICP's career. You get extra credit for rapping your favorite lyrics while in costume.

Boondox: Boondox is one of the Psychopathic Records artists most ripe for a Halloween costume tribute. Boondox is an up-and-comer but already beloved by fans for his crazy image, of a reanimated, murderous avenging scarecrow.

To get the Boondox scarecrow look, one of the most important parts is the clothes. You'll need old farmer-style rags, like a plaid shirt, old jeans, and work boots.

On top of that, Boondox also wears juggalo face paint. The Boondox juggalo face paint design is solid black on plain skin, usually, instead of a white background. Study photos of Boondox to get his juggalo face paint right. Finally, Boondox always wears a black or straw cowboy-style hat.

Blaze Ya Dead Homie: Another Psychopathic Records artist similarly theatrical to Boondox is Blaze Ya Dead Homie, whose persona is that of a reincarnated West Coast gang member. This one is slightly easier because he prefers typical hip-hop style clothing.

What makes him scary-looking is his juggalo face paint, which incorporates a design that looks like black juggalo face paint spilling over a white background. Again, study photos to get it right. He tops this off with a gangster-style backwards hat.

Other horror characters: Of course, your Halloween costume idea doesn't have to be directly juggalo-related. A big part of juggalo culture is a love of horror movies, so think about your own personal favorite horror movies for inspiration.

Try picking characters who don't need many props or special clothing to identify them to make your costume assembly easier. You could also always go for the generic serial killer or victim in a pinch.

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For countless photos of Insane Clown Posse and other Psychopathic Artists like Boondox, visit the web's epicenter of juggalo culture, the official Insane Clown Posse web site at http://www.insaneclownposse.com.

There you can get ideas for your own juggalo face paint and juggalo style for Halloween and beyond. 

Juggalos are among the most colorful musical subcultures going today. To explain simply what they are, juggalos are devoted fans first and foremost of the Detroit horrorcore rap duo Insane Clown Posse. ICP is known for performing in clown makeup as their name indicates, and many of their songs have a circus theme.

The term "juggalos" first came during an impromptu performance of the ICP song "The Juggla," when the group members called their audience "juggalos" during an impromptu ad lib.

The term "juggalos" stuck, and it's become a rallying cry for these devoted fans. Juggalos are also fans of other artists on ICP's Psychopathic Records, as well as similar underground rap and hard rock acts.

They favor a unique style influenced by hip-hop, as well as a grab-bag of other underground subcultures. Unlike other hip-hop subcultures, juggalos often sport rock-influenced hairstyles and wear bright colors and ICP-inspired face paint.

Most interestingly about juggalos as a group is the high visibility of females in the subculture. They're known as juggalettes, and they come in all stripes. You're equally likely to encounter a hot juggalette who emphasizes her sexiness, or a group of tough juggalettes who are proudly tomboyish. For juggalettes, just like male juggalos, individuality is key and almost anything goes.

But how can you dress like the juggalettes? First, you should probably attend a local event where you might be likely to encounter other juggalettes, like a concert by ICP or another similar group. If that's not possible, you can look up pictures of juggalettes online or befriend some online through forums and social networks.

Once you look around for photos of juggalettes, you'll see that there are no hard-and-fast rules. Juggalettes may even change their dress style from day to day depending on how they feel or what side of themselves they want to express.

If you want to dress like a hot juggalette, though, there are a few basics you can master.  Casual days are the easiest. To hang out every day, juggalettes might just choose baggy hip-hop style jeans, a T-shirt of ICP or another Psychopathic Records group, and maybe a treasured Psychopathic charm necklace.

Concerts and gatherings may call for a more hot juggalette look. There are a few variations here. A hot juggalette might again choose baggy jeans, but instead pair them with a sexier small top.

For a hot juggalette look, short, pleated skirts are also a popular choice. Often these are paired with knee socks and a collared shirt for a schoolgirl type of hot juggalette outfit. Other times, this might be paired with a mesh or lace top for a more goth or raver-influenced look.

Also important to a hot juggalette look is your hair. Some juggalettes favor bright, crazy, colorful hairdos made up of tiny braids or huge ponytails augmented by fake hair. You might dye your hair a crazy unnatural color. Other juggalettes prefer a more traditional feminine style with long, shiny hair. Either is fine and up to you.

Finally to top off your hot juggalette outfit, you might try ICP-style face paint. This is a popular look among juggalettes for big concerts and gatherings. You'll need grease paint rather than regular face makeup, and you should experiment with your design a few times to get it right.

Just as with every other element of your hot juggalette outfit, there are no set rules and you should let your personal creativity flow.

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Of course, the epicenter of the juggalos' subculture is Insane Clown Posse. To learn more about these leaders of juggalos and juggalettes, visit the official Insane Clown Posse web site at http://www.insaneclonwposse.com.

There you'll find the latest news on concerts and other gatherings where you'll encounter other juggalos and juggalettes.