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.
Resource Box:
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.
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.
Resource Box:
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.
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