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"The vision appeared as a caravan of strange and powerful beings, which he recognized immediately as the Dark Carnival."The Inscribed Chronicle Proceeds...The painted faces of the Insane Clown Posse haunt the media like an urban legend. They emerge like phantoms amidst rumors of horror and stories of violence, shrouded in secrecy and surrounded by speculation, only to disappear back underground, beneath the streets. It is this sense of mystery, and the Dark Carnival mythos which surrounds and empowers them, that has attracted thousands of fans worldwide--endearingly referred to as "Juggalos." To hear Juggalos tell it, ICP are the only band worth representing, far removed from "the most hated band in the world". But, with a career spanning over a decade of hip-hop's tumultuous history, have they earned their reputation?For those who seek the truth, the Insane Clown Posse (ICP) are a success story that baffles the so-called "experts," and defies all the rules of the music industry. Defiance has been a defining characteristic of ICP and Psychopathic Records since the beginning. Their tale begins with poor suburban kids lost in the streets of Southwest Detroit, and peaks with over ten RIAA certified albums and DVDs, including the Billboard Top 200's longest running hip-hop album--an unprecedented success for a group with no major label support, and no radio or MTV airtime. With little to no outside funding, and in spite of harsh criticism, they have managed to produce a feature film, almost a dozen music videos, a documentary film, live concert DVDs, interactive CDs, and a legendary stage show that includes theatrical sets, revolving costumes, giant crowd-spraying props, and thousands of gallons of Faygo pop. With the Hell's Pit album, they have achieved a certified World Record, for creating the first ever High Definition 3-D video! In their spare time, they show off their wrestling talent, in each of the major wrestling federations, and in their own Juggalo Championshit Wrestling circuit. Their activities culminate with the annual Gathering of the Juggalos--an ever-growing concert-festival extravaganza, which regularly sees over 7,000 in attendance. With all these commercial achievements, one might wonder where the bad rap comes from. Be warned, the story of how two kids in face paint went from small-time gang-bangers to monsters of the music industry is as amazing as the music itself...Joe "Violent J" Bruce and Joey "Shaggy 2 Dope" Utsler met as kids in a suburb north of Detroit. Neither had an easy life, and turned to wrestling to vent frustrations, indulge imagination, and express themselves creatively. In various backyard rings they developed the skills and showmanship that would eventually support their careers. This was years before they would ever get paid to perform, and by the late '80s, poverty and a difficult home life eventually drove Violent J to stay with his friend Rudy "The Rude Boy" Hill in the notorious ghettos of Delray, in Southwest Detroit. This was a neighborhood defined by poverty, neglect, and gangs--a virtual war zone right in the shadow of the Ambassador Bridge. Here, the boys learned the thug life, where survival meant having the muscle to back your mouth. They soon found themselves targeted as outsiders, and gathered up their own gang in response. By this time, they had embraced the sound of the streets, and started making their own rap music. They called their gang the Inner City Posse, and Joe, Joey, and Joey's brother John Utsler performed by that name at local clubs, often to be threatened or chased off by rivals. A self-produced album, Dog Beats, earned them some respect, but within two years increasing violence and jail time forced them to abandon the gang life. The music, however, stayed with them, and would soon explode with its own violenceWith the insanity and pressure of gang life closing in, the young ICP were stifled and ready for inspiration, and as it turned out, visitation. One fateful night in late 1991, Violent J's nightmares took a prophetic twist, and he witnessed a vision that would affect and guide his life for the next ten years. The vision appeared as a caravan of strange and powerful beings, which he recognized immediately as the Dark Carnival. Their forms resembled a traveling circus, but he could feel supernatural power behind the familiar images, and opened himself to receive their message. When he awoke, he understood little of the experience, but knew that he had been compelled to spread a message to those who, like him, needed the Carnival's attention. He knew this message would come through his music, and that it would materialize as six stories surrounding six characters, and that each one would offer a specific lesson--encouraging people to change themselves before it's too late. The images of these characters would be revealed over time, as Joker's Cards dealt by the Dark Carnival, and the last one would signal the end of it all. His friends and fellow ICP members felt the message immediately, and they soon applied the facepaint which would become the trademark for their new group, the Insane Clown Posse.The music business was a difficult place for the Dark Carnival, and the first Joker's Card took everything ICP had. To support their first studio effort, they recorded tracks with local stars Kid Rock and Esham, whose acid rap style had influenced their own. Ironically, they would still be working with Esham when he was signed to their own label ten years later. While struggling to start a music career on their own, ICP realized they needed a manager. Joe's brother, Rob "Jumpsteady" Bruce, recommended his old friend Alex Abbiss. Alex proved a shrewd businessman, and soon Psychopathic Records was born, operating out of Alex's Mom’s basement. A drawing Joey had scribbled on a napkin became the company logo, and the Hatchetman adorned its first Joker's Card in October of 1992 when Carnival of Carnage was released in Detroit.ICP and their crew spent long days printing up flyers and promoting themselves, and the heavy workload eventually drove John Utsler to leave the group. Their hard work was paying off, though, as more and more fans would turn up for shows and signings. The first Joker's Card caught on with many Detroiters who were desperate for its unique, unapologetic content, and the album and its follow-up EPs, Beverly Kills 50187 and A Carnival Christmas sold well. During a live performance of the track "The Juggla" Violent J addressed the crowd as "Juggalos." Hardcore fans in the audience responded to it, and they have claimed the name ever since. They also responded when the duo doused them with 2-liters of Faygo pop, which soon became another trademark of ICP's live shows. By the end of 1993, the suburban Detroit scene was primed for the second Joker's Card:The Ringmaster era solidified ICP as a strong local act, and they began selling out larger Detroit clubs such as St. Andrew's Hall and the State Theater. Their success in Detroit spilled over, and they began playing other cities around Michigan, and out-of-state in Toledo, Ohio. Constant performing and promoting in 1994 kicked album sales to over 100,000 copies (Ringmaster has since sold 500,000 albums, certifying it Gold). The momentum continued, and the song "Dead Body Man," from their next EP, Terror Wheel, even got some local radio play. The Juggalos had begun to gather, and Shaggy 2 Dope met their demand with a solo EP: Fuck Off. That year cemented two traditions for ICP, putting out side projects between Joker's Cards, and a devastating Halloween concert in Detroit, known as Hallowicked--which makes Devil's Night look tame every yearsign with. After being turned away by all the big names, they got an offer from Jive Records to release the next Joker's Card, Riddlebox, in 1995. At first the deal with Jive seemed fresh, and ICP got to make their first music video, for the remix of "Chicken Huntin'." They looked forward to seeing their music everywhere and taking time off from constant self-promotion. The Dark Carnival decided it was not to be. Jive made no visible efforts to promote the album, and only released it in Michigan. They just sat back, cashing in on the existing Detroit fan base. ICP were pissed, and decided to prove they could blow up outside of Detroit. Along with their homie, Billy Bill (who would become their tour manager) they gathered a crew and rolled the self-promoting engine to a city chosen at random, which ended up being Dallas, Texas. After just a few weeks running in the streets of Dallas, putting all their promoting experience to use, all the Dallas stores had ordered the album, and were selling 1,500 copies per week. ICP had proven that they could succeed beyond Michigan with the right exposure. Jive didn't seem to careThe crew returned home from Dallas to find that Alex had made a deal with Hollywood Records that would help get their next album away from Jive's staleness. Hollywood bought their contract from Jive, and got ready to blow them up nationally. In 1996, ICP went to Los Angeles with the full support of a major label, and Psychopathic Records got their first real office back in Michigan. It seemed like the stars were shining on the upcoming fourth Joker's Card: The Great Milenko. But that's not how the Dark Carnival works.With the support of A&R man Julian Raymond, ICP were mixing in a gigantic studio at Hollywood Records, and getting guest stars for the record like Alice Cooper and Slash from Guns & Roses. They also filmed a big-budget video for "Halls of Illusions," which went to #1 on The Box music video channel. Everyone was working hard, and ICP were set to release the best album of their career--when the house of mouse came crashing down. The first sign of trouble came when a review board representing Disney, parent company to Hollywood, made a few small requests. Requests like scrapping three songs and altering lyrics on the rest. With Disney threatening not to release the album, ICP reluctantly made the changes and prepared to go out on their first national headlining tour. Opening for them was an act they would see more of later, the House of Krazees. The in-store appearances leading up to the tour were all off the hook, and the Juggalos and ICP were stoked for the album's release. Finally, six years from those first days of hanging flyers in the streets of Detroit, a major ICP release arrived in stores nationwide.And stayed there for half a day. ICP were in the middle of an in-store signing when they found out that Hollywood had pulled the album from the shelves within hours of its release. The tour had also been cancelled and the label had officially dropped the band. They finished the in-store and headed home. Just before they sank completely into misery, Alex called with amazing news: he had called the L.A. Times with the story, a media frenzy had erupted, and a bidding war was beginning. The story came out that Disney was catching heat from the Southern Baptists, and made Hollywood axe ICP to appease them. The music business had caught wind of Disney's tactics, and the major labels wanted a piece of the action. The Dark Carnival had made its move, and ICP were drawn along with it.The bidding war got nasty. After meeting with several labels, including Interscope Records, ICP and Alex discovered that Disney wouldn't let them out of their contract, even though they didn't want the band. They wanted half a million dollars, which they felt they'd spent on the group, before they would let them release the album with another label. After mad amounts of negotiations with mad amount of lawyers, they finally cut a deal with Island Records, who put out the uncut version of the album.One of the first projects with Island was an hour-long documentary, called Shockumentary, which aired on MTV. It was practically the only time ICP would be seen on MTV, but it boosted album sales and helped ICP find more Juggalos across America. They went back on the road with House of Krazees, and discovered that more and more cities were down with the clown, and that there were now more Clown Towns than just Dallas, Toledo, and Detroit. Halfway through the tour, House of Krazees broke up, leaving two members behind. Those two members stuck with ICP and Psychopathic Records, and became Monoxide Child and Jamie Madrox of Twiztid. They were eventually signed to Psychopathic. With the tours in this era came two other firsts for ICP: their first tour of Europe, and Violent J's first panic attack. On stage in the middle of a show, he froze up and couldn't perform--Jumpsteady and Billy Bill had to carry him off stage. The experience forced him to face his demons and get help, and the whole thing brought him even closer to his audience. He refers to it in his lyrics, and helps them see that even the scary guy in the clown makeup is a fellow human being.Around this time ICP also started to put on wrestling shows back in Detroit, originally called Strangle-Mania. They would gather their wrestler friends and perform for Juggalo audiences, selling out the same venues their concerts did. Their increasing popularity resulted in a call to wrestle for the WWF, and they eventually wrestled in every major federation. After their stint in the majors, and realizing that fans would turn out to see them wrestle, they decided to start their own wrestling league. Juggalo Championshit Wrestling, or JCW, went on to become the third most successful wrestling league in 2000, and three volumes of JCW DVDs are still constant sellers.In between touring and wrestling, they started kicking out projects with Island. Inspiration for the Fifth Joker's Card had come, and in 1999 they finished work on The Amazing Jeckel Brothers. In addition to the Juggalo flavor, this album had guest stars such as Snoop Dogg and Ol' Dirty Bastard. On the day of its release, Jeckel Brothers hit the Billboard charts at an unbelievable number four! Kurt Loder even reported it on MTV, right before they decided to ignore ICP again. The album, however, climbed past the one million sales mark and was certified Platinum. They also went to New York and filmed a feature-length, straight-to-video movie, written by and starring the Insane Clown Posse: Big Money Hustlas. ICP and their whole crew got to do everything they ever wanted in a movie, alongside The Jerky Boys and Dolemite, and the Juggalos ate it up. Now they were wrestlers and movie stars, and becoming one of the world's most well-known but most-hated bands!In this era they played to their largest audience ever at the Woodstock festival, where the crowd went nuts over the Faygo spraying and on-stage wrestling effects. They also made their first appearance on the Howard Stern show. Howard loved their outspoken personalities and uncompromising attitude toward the music business, and has invited them back over a dozen times.Another major event that year was a massive 3-day music festival devised by Violent J. It had games, seminars, contests, sideshows, and concerts featuring musical guests and all the Psychopathic artists. It was the closest a Juggalo could come to the Dark Carnival on earth. It went down at the Novi Expo Center in Michigan, and was known as the first annual Gathering of the Juggalos. Thousands of Juggalos came from all over the world, and it would grow every year--in both attendance and flavor. In 2003 it became an outdoor event, and 2004 celebrated the fifth annual Gathering, with such stars as Bone Thugs 'n' Harmony, Ol' Dirty Bastard, and ICP's long-time homie, Vanilla Ice.By the early 2000's ICP had gathered several other new artists under the Psychopathic Records banner. Twiztid were gaining popularity with Juggalos, and to the horror-rap mix they added Blaze Ya Dead Homie and Anybody Killa. In addition to guest starring on each others' albums, all the Psychopathic hip-hop artists joined together to become the supergroup Dark Lotus.Amidst all this excitement, Psychopathic Records left Island and decided to remain independent. They signed a distribution deal with Sony's Red Distribution, but currently fund, record, and produce every album on their own. With determination and a reliable fan base, they have stayed in Red's top three sellers since signing on. A new era descended, with Psychopathic completely independent, and the Sixth Joker's Card looming on the horizon. In 2002, ICP went into hiding to prepare for it, and At the Gathering in 2002, ICP revealed the silhouette of a ghostly figure who would bring the sixth Joker's Card later that year. In November of 2002 it finally came, and the Sixth was revealed. The era of Joker's Cards would end as all things do, with the vision of Death, and the Dark Carnival's figure of Death was a faceless, beckoning reaper known as The Wraith. ICP realized that the only way to end the Dark Carnival’s lesson was to show how life would eventually end for those who had been listening, and show what would happen when they pass on to the other side. There were two alternatives, depending on how the person chose to live. First was the moral and righteous path, for those who made the positive choices in life: the path to the Dark Carnival's heaven, Shangri-La. The other was for those who festered in negativity, the path to Hell's Pit. The Sixth would be broken into two albums, and each would reveal one of these aspects.Up first was the Shangri-La album, which dropped the positive messages of the Dark Carnival, and carried some major revelations for Juggalos. It described the one message that unified all the Joker's Cards, and invited Juggalos old and new to find it for themselves. The album took the Juggalo world to new levels, and sold steadily. Realizing the depths of the Dark Carnival's influence, Violent J put out a tell-all autobiography for all those it had affected (or might come to affect). Behind the Paint details the history of ICP through the passionate voice of Joe Bruce, and continues to gain new readers.Other things were happening with Psychopathic Records, as the company blew up other media beyond music. The ICP Bootlegged in L.A. concert DVD quickly went Gold, and ICP and other JCW stars were licensed for the Eidos video game, Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home. Violent J even released a fan-favorite solo EP, Wizard of the Hood, which was one of the first Psychopathic albums distributed in the U.K. under Proper Distribution.With Psychopathic taking the music business by storm, and the Shangri-La album bringing positivity to the Juggalos, ICP turned around and went back underground to prepare for the coming of Hell's Pit, destined to be theIn August of 2004, Hell's Pit scorched the shelves worldwide and Juggalos everywhere got their wicked on. Included with painted cover artwork was a banner stating "That Wicked Shit," and Violent J himself describes it as the darkest, most painful work he's ever done. After the diamond rain of Shangri-La, this album was truly a return to the horror-rap ICP had pioneered. The message it contained was no less important than its counterpart, and to celebrate the close of an era, the album came with one of two special DVDs. The first one came with a live concert from Red Rocks amphitheater in Denver, and a twelve-minute music video for the song "Real Underground Baby." The song is a mix of hooks and beats from throughout the Joker's Card saga, and the video is a montage of clips from various ICP video, TV, and concert appearances throughout their career. The second DVD contained a short film for the song "Bowling Balls," which was filmed in High Definition, and designed to be viewed with 3D glasses. This earned ICP a world record, for the first video project ever to combine HD with 3D! That year ICP embarked on one of their most successful tours ever, alongside Mack 10 and their homie ABK.As Hell's Pit continues to fly off the shelves, the Joker's Card saga comes to a close, with its final fate revealed. ICP had predicted that the story would end with the coming of the Dark Carnival, and as Juggalos consider their own fate in either Shangri-La or Hell's Pit, they have only to look around to see the Carnival's presence. It can be seen on every painted face, thousands strong at every ICP concert. It can be heard bumpin' from every car sporting the hatchetman. It can be shared at hundreds of websites and events started by Juggalos. It can be felt in the souls of all those who have embraced its message. The Carnival has come, but it was also there from the very beginning..