One of the best parts about horror rap duo Insane Clown Posse is the history. Horror Rap, Juggalos, Faygo, Wet Tee shirts, Juggalettes, and even God have all contributed to the colorful Insane Clown Posse history, and a glimpse of the horror rap duo’s life and times was captured in a 1998 documentary called Shockumentary.
It was a time long, long ago in a far away place called Detroit. A time in Insane Clown Posse’s history when both Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J had dreadlocks, and both talked with an energy rarely seen since. A time when horror rap was on the up & up, when parents and consumer groups across the country couldn’t fathom why their children were becoming obsessed with horror rap.
In fact, Shockumentary asks many of the Juggalos it follows around how their parents feel about them listening to ICP. As you can imagine, the answer is always negative. The segment of Insane Clown Posse history documented in Shockumentary is interesting for other reasons, too, most notably because it was right before the music industries demise.
The years of 1997 and 1998 in Insane Clown Posse’s history provide a glimpse into the music business at its best, with the band selling tons and tons of merchandise and music at every show. Horror rap themes of death, evil, the paranormal, and more were (and still are) depicted on ICP’s merchandise.
One subject in the film even boasted that he could wear ICP shirts for one and a half to two months without having to repeat a single one.
Insane Clown Posse and Disney?
Also included this documentary on Insane Clown Posse’s history (then a brief one) is Shaggy and Violent J’s interpretation of the Hollywood Records debacle. It was in 1995 when Hollywood Records (a record label owned by Disney) signed ICP and released The Great Milenko.
The same day it was released, Hollywood Records pulled it from shelves because it wasn’t family music (horror rap is probably the opposite of family music), or as the guys in ICP see it, because the southern Baptist convention suckered Disney into pulling it. Amazingly enough, the album rose to the top of the charts even though it was only on shelves for a few hours. Understandably, they were none too pleased with the decision.
Whoever you believe, the band got a ton of free publicity from the ordeal and went onto sell plenty more records at a critical turning point in Insane Clown Posse’s history. It would later come out that not one person at Hollywood Records listened to ICP’s music before signing them.
Insane Clown Posse: Minding Their Own Business
Insane Clown Posse’s history has been littered with naysayers and negative criticism from the mass media, but they’ve never gone out of their way to bother anyone with their horror rap. The way Insane Clown Posse sees it, if you don’t like horror rap, don’t listen to them!
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Shockumentary is a documentary about horror rap duo Insane Clown Posse. Directed by Paul Andresen, it was released in 1998. To learn more about Insane Clown Posse History, please visit the Insane Clown Posse website at http://insaneclownposse.com/
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