Say what you will about Detroit’s infamous horror rap duo Insane Clown Posse, but many revere them as music marketing geniuses. The same cannot be said for many of the suits promoting traditional hip hop artists’ material.
The success these guys have seen over the past 20 years is ridiculous, especially when you take into consideration that they are not traditional hip hop artists, and that their acquired-taste horror rap music receives very little attention from the mainstream that prefers traditional hip hop artists. However, it receives much attention from those who it’s directed towards: Juggalos.
So how have they done it?
If you take a look at some of the most successful artists (even hip hop artsts) throughout the last 20 years, you’ll realize that most of them have at least one trait in common: They were all outcasts before they hit the big time.
Kurt Cobain, Eminem, even Lady Gaga provide an experience for their fans to latch onto and feel belonging. ICP and their Juggalo fan base are no different. Unlike many hip hop artists who aim at what is stereotypically “popular” with their content, ICP and its Juggalo fan base enjoy being “misunderstood” by the mainstream and capitalize on the sentiment via horror rap.
From their ridiculous lyrics, Juggalo face paint, laundry list of appealing merchandise – action figures, backpacks, comic books, Joker’s cards – these guys have built their brand to last even past a time when horror rap no longer exists.
Think about it. How many other groups – not just hip hop artists, all groups in general – have fans that enamor them so much they’ll paint their faces and dress like them? ICP does. How many acts have fan bases with their own slang language? ICP’s Juggalo fans do. Juggalos are so close to one another that they congregate annually at ICP’s Gathering of the Juggalos music festival. No other hip hop artists’ fans do this.
Here, among other things, both Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope even hold seminars for Juggalo fanatics on a number of different topics, most of which relate to their horror rap act in some way, shape, or form. Most hip hop artists don’t have their own festival and record label, let alone the accessibility to their fan base like ICP does.
This type of ICP to fan accessibility at the Gathering of the Juggalos isn’t limited to just ICP either. Other horror rap musicians talk with fans too, most of which belong to ICP’s record label, Psychopathic Records.
Things to takeaway from the school of ICP branding include their merchandise diversity, their accessibility to fans, and their outsider mentality. If you’re interested in starting any type of hip hop career, horror rap or non, don’t follow the same route most hip hop artists take of lusting after mainstream materialism and wealth.
Ironically, it’s probably smarter to follow the marketing strategy of horror rap duo Insane Clown Posse, whose Juggalo fans are quite possible the most fiercely loyal in all of hip hop.
Resource Box
Horror rap outfit Insane Clown Posse, are on a smaller scale than most mainstream hip hop artists but have arguably the most devoted fan base in their Juggalo followers. To learn more about their marketing machine, please visit http://insaneclownposse.com.
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