Shaggy 2 Dope’s History in Insane Clown Posse Videos

Chances are slim that either Violent J or Shaggy 2 Dope, the men behind Insane Clown Posse’s empire, ever thought they would create something so large it could spawn a motion picture. Yet that’s exactly what has happened. Insane Clown Posse’s video empire may be substantially smaller than its musical kingdom, but that doesn’t mean Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J don’t view Insane Clown Posse videos like Big Money Rustlas as being of negligible importance. It’s much easier for Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J to get their message across when they have the assistance of a visual medium, like Insane Clown Posse videos such as Big Money Rustlas or any of the band’s music videos. There isn’t on Juggalo out there who will tell you they only enjoy ICP in an audio, not video too, one reason why feature films like Big Money Rustlas are produced in the first place. So what role has Shaggy 2 Dope played in bringing Insane Clown Posse video to Juggalos worldwide? In the 90s, when music videos were in their heyday, Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J shared screen time equally. Both were usually depicted as ruthless horror rappers with few cares in the world. That said, even though Shaggy 2 Dope may have shared equal screen time with Violent J, that does not mean he is featured during that screen time. In fact, because Violent J is usually the first rapper heard on all Insane Clown Posse tracks, he is the first seen in all Insane Clown Posse videos. There are some Insane Clown Posse videos where Shaggy 2 Dope doesn’t utter a line, but is in the shot nonetheless, even if he’s just in the background chillin’. The same is not true for ICP films like Big Money Rustlas. There are rare instances where Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope are pitted against each other in the plot of an Insane Clown Posse music video, but it would be looking to far into these circumstances to say Shaggy 2 Dope or Violent J is more often than not the scapegoat when these things happen. When the medium shifts from Insane Clown Posse videos that revolve around songs to feature films like Big Money Rustlas, Shaggy 2 Dope’s role shifts yet again. In Big Money Rustlas, a film that takes place in a dusty western town, Shaggy 2 Dope returns from years of exile to take back the city in the name of his assassinated father, but must conquer Violent J’s character and underling assassins too. It’s difficult not to root for Shaggy 2 Dope’s character in Insane Clown Posse videos like Big Money Rustlas, but even though he plays the protagonist in Big Money Rustlas, the sample size is not large enough to imagine his protagonist ways remain consistent in other Insane Clown Posse videos. The truth is, he and Violent J’s characters are about split when it comes to good / evil. Resource Box Insane Clown Posse videos like Big Money Rustlas position Shaggy 2 Dope’s character in a positive light, but does this theme hold true for other Insane Clown Posse videos? To learn more about feature films like Big Money Rustlas, please visit http://hatchetgear.com/bands/icp.html.

Horror Rap on Film: Shockumentary and other ICP Videos

Horror rap, by its very definition, is not for the faint of heart. How many music fans could honestly say they’d prefer to be scared while listening to music rather than enjoy it sonically? Juggalos will argue the case that they can do both, which may seem absurd at first, but the claim can be legitimized thanks to an early Insane Clown Posse movie, Shockumentary. Shockumentary rhymes with documentary for a reason – it’s a documentary of the rise of ICP in the early 90s. This Insane Clown Posse movie does not have a plot or anyone acting in it. If that’s what you’re looking for, then this writer would recommend the Insane Clown Posse movies Big Money Rustlas and Big Money Hustlas (both with plenty of Psychopathic Records artists cameos). Instead, the ICP video Shockumentary is an ICP video depiction of the fans and horror rap movement of the time. Rarely has any Insane Clown Posse movie, or any other musician documentary that’s not an Insane Clown Posse movie, provided such a candid insight into the behind the scenes life of some of music’s biggest stars. In fact, most viewers might be surprised that Shockumentary was an Insane Clown Posse movie intended to market the band to those who had never heard of them. I say that because much of the video focuses on parents’ disapproval of their children listening to the group’s horror rap music and message, but then again, this exact point is the reason why the group blew up to begin with. Kids love to do anything their parents hate! Shockumentary was so successful that it helped boost the sale of ICP albums from 17,000 a week to 50,000 a week. One of the reasons Shockumentary was such a success, aside from the reasons listed above, is for the fact that it was aired on MTV for its release. Now remember, MTV may not be very influential any more, but in the late 90s it was dominant. Getting exposure on MTV for anything was bound to skyrocket your career. Even if you’re the Insane Clown Posse and you’re demographic is nothing like the demographic that watches MTV. How many one-time haters were converted once they saw the Insane Clown Posse movie Shockumentary or any other ICP video on MTV? Probably many. What else has MTV done for the career of ICP? Most obviously, they’ve featured a number of ICP videos (music videos, the kind that are traditionally intended to market albums) back in the day when MTV still played videos. Some of the most popular ICP videos are living on YouTube today, first and foremost being “Miracles” and “Hokus Pokus.” What was your favorite ICP video? Did you ever watch it on MTV? Where else do Juggalos watch ICP videos? Resource Box The smash success of Insane Clown Posse movie Shockumentary brought ICP from a lesser known, Midwestern act, to international fame. After a series of other Insane Clown Posse movies and ICP videos on channels like MTV, the group is now immensely successful. To learn more about Insane Clown Posse movies like Shockumentary and ICP videos, please visit http://www.hatchetgear.com/bands/icp.html?media_options=105.