Insane Clown Posse – “The Naught” review

Detroit horrorcore duo, Juggalo Championship Wrestling founders & the longest reigning 2-time JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions Insane Clown Posse have officially unveiled their 17th studio LP & the final Joker’s Card of the 2nd Deck. Consisting of JCW Commissioner Violent J & the shortest reigning JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion Shaggy 2 Dope, many don’t know that 3 other members came & went during the first 5 years of the group’s inception. Not only would The Duke of the Wicked & the Southside Strangla go on to create seminal wicked shit albums like The First 6, they also gained an extremely loyal fanbase in the process & their self-owned Psychopathic Records became an independent hip hop powerhouse as the label’s roster continued to grow until they wanted to focus more on their own legacy. Commemorating the 25th annual Gathering of the Juggalos or the Gathering of Legends kicking off tomorrow & The 2 Day War between JCW & Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) beginning later this weekend, The Naught will explore the afterlife in a concept differing from The Wraith’s exhibitions of Shangri-La & Hell’s Pit.

The title track produced by Shaggytheairhead after the intro opens with a trap song breaking down the titular character’s meaning whereas “Watch Me” reunites with longtime collaborator Mike E. Clark talking about the wicked shit splitting your shit up throwing it back to the Bang! Pow! Boom! & The Mighty Death Pop! days instrumentally. “Everybody Dies” moves forward with a 6-minute rap rock-influenced Violent J solo cut picking up where Everybody Rize” off my 3rd favorite Joker’s Card The Amazing Jeckel Brothers left off just before the semi-boom bap influenced “Happy Fun Day” uses wordplay for the Duke to ask what exactly others find wrong with him in having bloody fun referencing former ECW World Heavyweight Champion, ECW World Television Champion, IWGPタッグ王座, WCW Hardcore Champion & 2-time WCW World Tag Team Champion Bam Bam Bigelow.

“Only Wicked Shit” goes for an EDM trap direction thanks to Brian Kuma so both of the clowns can represent their style of music they’ve been making for over 3 decades & after the “Flashback” skit, “Dead Kelly” blends these bells & hi-hats together to tell the story of the titular character. Shaggy 2 Dope getting his own track with the carnivalesque “Here We Go” looking to tear the place down alongside the rest of his hatchet family while the playfully humorous “Cinnamon Pigtails” describes a tale of Violent J meeting a woman on Instagram who turned out to be a catfish.

Devereaux helps ICP dabble with trap metal on “I’m Still Breathin’” talking about their gratitude of being alive despite the chaos in the world while “Pop Out” continues the 2nd half of The Naught with another 2 Dope solo joint that DJ Clay makes more trap oriented than the last one angrily making the speakers jump while the disco rap-inspired “Throw ‘Em Up” after another “Flashback” skit talks about throwing your hatchets up. Violent J responds to 1 Man Kru’s disses these past couple years by calling him a “Softy Pillow Man” using a prominent tuba within the beat leading into the occult “I’m Fallin’” talking about them thinking no one should try to die.

Expressing some kind of resolution from the conflict inferred from the rest of The Naught, the iconic Toto single “Africa” gets heavily sampled throughout “While It Lasts” ending the 2nd Deck of Joker’s Cards structured similarly to “Low” off Fearless Fred Fury where the Duke’s singing during a good bulk of it & Shaggy drops off a brief rap verse. Wasn’t one of my favorite songs off FFF personally but “While It Lasts” is conceptually stronger than “Low”, basically talking about enjoying the time we all have on this planet.

Common complaints regarding Yum Yum Bedlam from what I’ve heard amongst juggalos is that it felt like a mixtape than a Joker’s Card or the producer tags, neither of which I had any issues with personally because I appreciated it being the first female character in the Dark Carnival mythology & it’s themes of loyalty. The Naught however has to be my 3rd favorite Card of the 2nd Deck, with #2 being Bang! Pow! Boom! & of course The Mighty Death Pop! at #1. The production feels like a throwback to the carnival sound even with Kuma & Mythic Mindz finishing the 71% that Mike E. Clark had yet to complete because of him moving & the clowns themselves answering the question of if one was ever alive at all if there’s no afterlife when we die.

Score: 4.5/5

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3-Headed Monster – “Rampage” review

This is the sophomore full-length album from horrorcore supergroup the 3-Headed Monster. Consisting of Detroit pioneers Esham & Violent J alongside Ouija Macc hailing from Las Vegas, all 3 members each have a distinctive history of their own. The first being the unholy godfather of the wicked shit founding Reel Life Productions, the other co-founded Psychopathic Records as 1/2 of the Insane Clown Posse whom the Boogey Man was once signed to from 2002-2005 & Ouija became the hatchet’s biggest solo act in 2017 following ICP severing ties with their former protégés the demented duo Twiztid earlier that same year despite them departing Psychopathic only 5 years before that to form Majik Ninja Entertainment now continuing to gradually build Chapter 17 Records as a dominant subsidiary of the label that runs beneath the streets as he’s been their only current artist other than the wicked clowns themselves since the pandemic. But as they begin the 2nd leg of their tour promoting their full-length debut Obliteration from over the summer displaying 3 generations of hip hop’s most underappreciated subgenre, the trio’s continuing their Rampage.

The intro begins with all 3 members aggressively going back & forth with each other on the mic over a rugged trap instrumental for a couple minutes proclaiming their greatest joy in life is to crush & destroy whereas “Bulldozer” works in a shimmery backdrop & hi-hats from Shaggytheairhead cautioning that everyone’s in danger. “End of Days” gives off a more cavernous trap vibe thanks to Devereaux making it clear that there ain’t no heroes in this saga just before the “Bepis” goes into atmospheric territory so Ouija Macc can whip up a solo joint & his rhyme schemes throughout are some the craziest he’s ever jotted.

“Sinister Super Sinister” by Violent J continues to demonstrate the talents of each member of the supergroup as he hops over a trap-rock crossover declaring himself to be exactly that leading into Esham’s solo cut “Cult Leader” diving headfirst into boom bap territory with some keyboard embellishments asking if one wants to lead a cult of their own. The 3-Headed Monster reunited as a unit for the chaotic trap banger “Red Pavement” looking to leave the haters laying, but then “Cobblestone” finds Ouija on his own again blending a suspenseful loop & hi-hats talking about them Sin City killas being at your neck.

The song “Pillow Talk” by Violent J goes for a more subdued trap sound proclaiming he gets down all the time killing for real & love how his new chick never asks why his clothes are bloody even though his raspy delivery is a little off-putting while “Dinero” by Esham talks about the money over a groovy sample flip. The title track though rounds out the trio’s sophomore effort with a 5 & a half minute trap heater taking away all the sunshine & rain in favor of smoke & fire instead.

The 3-Headed Monster’s formation has to be my personal favorite thing that Psychopathic has done all year even though I stand by me being happy to see them pumping out music at the rate they’ve been doing so all year, but I actually might like Rampage better than Obliteration by a hair. They’re stepping up their chemistry together on top of getting a couple chances to shine individually again & I love how the production sounds harder than our introduction to them over the summer.

Score: 4/5

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Insane Clown Posse – “WOH the Weepin’ Weirdo” review

The Insane Clown Posse are a horrorcore duo, the founders of Juggalo Championship Wrestling & the longest reigning JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions from Detroit, Michigan consisting of Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope. However, very few know that 3 other members came & went during the first 5 years of the group’s inception. Not only would The Duke of the Wicked & the Southside Strangla go on to create seminal wicked shit albums like The First 6, but they gained an extremely loyal fanbase in the process & their self-owned Psychopathic Records became an independent hip hop powerhouse as the label’s roster continued to grow. I was a bit worried about their latest album Yum Yum Bedlam given that the prelude EP Yum Yum’s Lure was panned by fans when it came out a couple Juggalo Days back but when Halloween came around, they proved me wrong with what I believe to be my 3rd favorite card in the 2nd deck. They then began a trilogy EPs last year called the Seeds of Yum Yum by letting Wicked Vic the Weed blossom during the first quarter of the year & Pug Ugly the Stink Bud at the Gathering of Dreams, but took a break to J can put out his sophomore full-length solo album Bloody Sunday on this year’s Juggalo Day & even 2 Dope’s 3rd EP The Quest for the Ultimate Groove on the 6th year anniversary of F.T.F.O.M.F. (Fuck The Fuck Off MuthaFucka). But ahead of the 6th Joker’s Card in the 2nd Deck, they’re closing out the trilogy on their 19th EP.

“Out the Sky” after the intro is a ruggedly futuristic opener produced by Chapter 17 Records/PSY in-house producer Shaggytheairhead with Violent J referencing to lucha libre popularized by the Lutteroth family-owned Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) & it’s rival promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) owned by the Peña–Roldán family whereas “Elly May” has that old school carnival sound courtesy of none other than Mike E. Clark so both of the wicked clowns can toss the mic back & forth with one another telling the story of the titular character. “Keep on Choppin’” dives into rap rock turf as the Duke dismembers bodies while the track “Banshee” gives off a more thunderous approach instrumentally so both of them can talk about piledriving motherfuckers through a table. And until the Mike P. remix of “Something to See”, the final song “Average Joey” is a Shaggy 2 Dope solo cut with a somber boom bap beat knowing he can’t be fixed that’s on par with the material on Quest for the Ultimate Groove.

It’s been almost 3 years since the Yum Yum era began & not only would I consider WOH the Weepin’ Weirdo to be a solid closer to the Seeds of Yum Yum trilogy, but it has me anticipating the 6th & final Joker’s Card of the 2nd Deck even more. Much like Pug Ugly the Stink Bud, the production is a mix of ICP’s past & present sounds as both of the Clowns play to their strengths in the midst of reminding everyone how strong their chemistry is over 3 decades deep in the game for those who thought they were disbanding. The Yum Yum era will always hold a special place in my heart because the first time I went to a Gathering was in 2021 only 2 months before the album came out on Hallowicked even though I’ve been down with Psychopathic since they were a roster full of artists in 2011 as a 14 year old outcast starting high school.

Score: 3.5/5

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3-Headed Monster – “Obliteration” review

The 3-Headed Monster is a horrorcore supergroup consisting of Esham, Violent J & Ouija Macc. One of them being the unholy godfather of the wicked shit founding Reel Life Productions, the other co-founded Psychopathic Records as 1/2 of the Insane Clown Posse whom the Boogey Man was once signed to from 2002-2005 & the other has become the hatchet’s biggest artist since Twiztid departed over a decade ago to form Majik Ninja Entertainment now continuing to gradually build Chapter 17 Records as a subsidiary of the label that runs beneath the streets as he’s been their only current artist other than the wicked clowns themselves since the pandemic. But as they head out on the road earlier this week fresh off Bloody Sunday & Detritus alongside the preparation of Purgatory next month, they’re announcing the formation of the trio & even unleashing a full-length debut.

After the intro, the first song “Fire Breathin’” opens things up with a hardcore hip hop anthem produced by Dead Heat advising to run from the 3-Headed Monster itself whereas “Crushin’” blends trap with rock & these grueling bells during the hook talking about squashing on all y’all motherfuckers. “Clownzilla” gives off a more suspenseful trap groove courtesy of Shaggytheairhead so J can himself the Godzilla of juggalos just before “Juggalos 4 Jesus” gives off a cloudier route thanks to Devereaux with Ouija heavily calling back to “24/7” off 4th album Closed Casket which is widely considered by suicidalists to be his best even though I’d put KKKill the Fetus above it personally.

“Don’t Sell Your Soul” switches things up with a jazzy boom bap ballad as Esham solely reminds the world to never sellout leading into “The Biggest” weaves these chilling horn melodies likening themselves to 30 gorillas referencing WCW original Giant González. “Leave That Dope Alone” is another Esham solo cut works in a soul sample with these kicks, snares & twinkling keys so he can get on his hustler shit à la Dead Flowerz that is until Violent J singlehandedly covers “Possum Kingdom” by The Toadies which really isn’t a surprise to me considering the Duke’s love for rock music. Especially with Zug Izland’s debut album Cracked Tiles turning 20 this year & that being one of the most underrated Psychopathic albums of all-time in my humble juggalo opinion.

Meanwhile, “Kiccin’ the Bass” dives into the wavy trap territory including a chopped & screwed samples of “What’s a Juggalo?” off their 1997 wicked shit masterpiece as well as this reviewer’s personal favorite Joker’s Card The Great Milenko & even “Dead Body Man” off my 2nd favorite Card Riddle Box for the hook so Ouija can shine with his own solo cut talking about being born as a corpse that they called a disgrace that is until “Shaggy Shit” pops up as a brief Shaggy 2 Dope interlude. The final song ends the album “Rubble” finds the 3-Headed Monster reuniting once more with monster movie soundtrack flips spitting that hardcore shit one more time & the Mike E. Clark remix of “Fire Breathin’” is most certainly on par with the original.

If you call yourself a fan of the wicked shit, then you’d know how much of a big deal this album is considering Esham’s influence on ICP & eventually ICP’s on Ouija. We knew they were going on tour together too, but the formation of 3-Headed Monster & Obliteration as their debut is as enjoyable as the Quest for the Ultimate Groove that Shaggs went on last weekend. Each member’s generationally distinctive styles are all well displayed & to hear their chemistry together is quite fascinating.

Score: 4/5

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Violent J – “Bloody Sunday” review

Violent J is a 50 year old MC, producer, professional wrestler/manager, Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) Commissioner & the longest reigning 2-time JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champion from Detroit, Michigan notable for forming the Insane Clown Posse & co-founding the label that runs beneath the streets Psychopathic Records with Shaggy 2 Dope. He’s also released a few EPs & a full-length on his own within the last 3 decades, with my personal favorite of the handful being Wizard of the Hood. The last we heard from the Duke of the Wicked solo-wise was the Brother! EP on New Year’s Eve 2018, but J is making up for the 3-month delay of his sophomore solo album by giving it to the fans as a Juggalo Day treat.

The intro is an occult trap opener produced by Devereaux with J confessing he doesn’t want to be alive anymore whereas the title track gives me a more slower albeit still morbid approach to the beat thanks to Brian Kuma talking about a never ending cycle. “Clown Blood” returns to trap territory with J showing off some crazy flows as he describes the clown blood flowing through him leading into “In the Hole” blending some hi-hats & synths talking about where your soul will suffer.

Meanwhile on “Pitch Dark”, we have J over a more rugged instrumental describing total blackness just before “No Friends” is a decent guitar ballad about being friendless. “Scatterbrain 2” is a trap-flavored sequel to “Scatterbrain” which has always been one of the best songs off Eye of the Storm in my opinion & picks up where the predecessor left off wonderfully referencing both former 2-time SMW Heavyweight Champion & ECW World Tag Team Champion Tracy Smothers and WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 3-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion Rick Rude until Mike E. Clark returns to lace “The Stiff” with his uniquely quirky sound asking if he made a friend until the end or fucked up again.

“Horrendous Ways” jacks for beats as the Duke of the Wicked asks why great lives end in the titular fashion while “Something’s in My Room” takes a turn into boom bap describing the titular being in his room staring at him. The song “The Hurter” has a more carnivalesque flare to the instrumental courtesy of Shaggytheairhead describing the titular character while the penultimate track “A Harrowing Time” is a bassy trap cut about Satan calling him. “Some Good Pussy” though ends the album with a shitty country rock ballad about a man being unhealthily obsessed with a bitch.

Wizard of the Hood is such a classic EP & I know The Shining gets a bit of mixed reception with a lot of juggalos that I know personally, but it’s most certainly no question that Bloody Sunday stands as Violent J’s finest solo album to date. It’s a lot more darker than the previous efforts that he’s put out on his own, he sounds focused & the production is a healthy mix of both the old & new sounds throughout the 3 decades that he’s been in the game.

Score: 3.5/5

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Insane Clown Posse – “Pug Ugly the Stink Bud” review

This is the 18th EP from Detroit horrorcore duo, Juggalo Championship Wrestling founders & the longest reigning JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions the Insane Clown Posse. Consisting of Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope, but very few know that 3 other members came & went during the first 5 years of the group’s inception. Not only would The Duke of the Wicked & the Southside Strangla go on to create seminal wicked shit albums like The First 6, but they gained an extremely loyal fanbase in the process & their self-owned Psychopathic Records became an independent hip hop powerhouse as the label’s roster continued to grow. I was a bit worried about their latest album Yum Yum Bedlam given that the prelude EP Yum Yum’s Lure was panned by fans when it came out last Juggalo Day but when Halloween came around, they proved me wrong with what I believe to be my 3rd favorite card in the 2nd deck. Last we heard from them was Wicked Vic the Weed during the first quarter of the year & are now continuing the Seeds of Yum Yum trilogy in the form of Pug Ugly the Stink Bud.

“I’m Ugly” kicks off the EP with a horn-laced instrumental from Mike E. Clark & Violent J describing how unattractive Pug Ugly the Stink Bud truly is whereas “Abbracadabbra” has a more carnivalesque sound to it as 2 Dope joins the Duke talking about making hoes disappear. “Pug Ugly” takes a funkier route so the Wicked Clowns can vividly describe how gross the world is just before “Scrub Gang” is a piano/hi-hat infused ballad out to all the scrubs out there. The spooky atmosphere of “I’m Afraid” is pretty cool with J & Shaggs confess their fears while the 80’s Rock Ballad” is a country rock jam that’s slightly better than their “After Murder Sunrise” loosie that came out back in March & the Mike P. remix of “Queens” is inferior to the O.G. with it’s more electronic-centered sound.

As decent of a beginning to the Seeds of Yum Yum trilogy that Wicked Vic the Weed was, I think I might like Pug Ugly the Stink Bud over here a tad bit more. The production is a refinement of the Carnival sound that the predecessor had brought back & the duo sound as focused as they did at the beginning of the year. Here’s to WOH the Weepin’ Weirdo being a potentially dark conclusion to the Yum Yum era this Halloween.

Score: 3.5/5

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Insane Clown Posse – “Wicked Vic the Seed” review

The Insane Clown Posse are a horrorcore duo, the founders of Juggalo Championship Wrestling & the longest reigning JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions from Detroit, Michigan consisting of Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope. They originally started as a quartet alongside John Kickjazz & Kid Villain, but both of them left before their full-length debut Carnival of Carnage dropped 3 decades ago & Greez-E only stuck around their best EP in my personal opinion: Beverly Kills 50187. Not only would The Duke of the Wicked & the Southside Strangla go on to create seminal wicked shit albums like The First 6, but they gained an extremely loyal fanbase in the process & their self-owned Psychopathic Records became an independent hip hop powerhouse as the label’s roster continued to grow. I was a bit worried about their latest album Yum Yum Bedlam given that the prelude EP Yum Yum’s Lure was panned by fans when it came out last Juggalo Day but when Halloween came around, they proved me wrong with what I believe to be my 3rd favorite card in the 2nd deck. Here we are 365 days later & they’re actually kicking off The Seeds of Yum Yum trilogy by letting Wicked Vic the Weed be the first in season.

After the repetitive “Wicked Vic” intro, the first actual song “Send in the Clowns” starts off the EP pretty well with J & Shaggs talking about “When makin’ sense makes no sense at all is when you hold the grease paint stick & draw that smile” on top of a playful trap beat whereas “Clown Bounce” is a boom bap-flavored dance tune reminiscent to “Clown Walk” off Forgotten Freshness 4 or even the cringey “Cha Cha Slide” cover “Chop Chop Slide off my 2nd favorite card of the 2nd deck: Bang! Pow! Boom!.

“Mutilator” has a bit of a rock feel to it with the wicked clowns letting listeners in on what it is to be such while the song “Hyde Park Pedaler” goes back to quasi-boom bap turf as Violent J tells the story of the titular serial killer. The actual closer is a cover of the Duran Duran track “Hungry Like the Wolf” except it’s inferior to the rendition that Twiztid happened to do for their 13th album Mad Season a couple years back as for Brian Kuma’s remix of “Ain’t No Time”, it’s alright.

To start off the trilogy, it’s pretty decent. In comparison to the more personal subject matter that the album had to offer, this EP finds J & Shaggs mixing that old school carnival sound with the new sounds they’ve been dabbling in & there’s even some wicked shit laced in as well. Let’s just see how Pug Ugly the Stink Bud & WOH the Weepin’ Weirdo play out.

Score: 3/5

Insane Clown Posse – “Yum Yum Bedlam” review

This is the highly anticipated 16th full-length album from Detroit horrorcore duo, Juggalo Championship Wrestling founders & the longest reigning JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions the Insane Clown Posse. Consisting of Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope, but very few know that 3 other members came & went during the first 5 years of the group’s inception. Not only would The Duke of the Wicked & the Southside Strangla go on to create seminal wicked shit albums like The First 6, but they gained an extremely loyal fanbase in the process & their self-owned Psychopathic Records became an independent hip hop powerhouse as the label’s roster continued to grow. They dropped a prelude EP earlier this year called Yum Yum’s Lure to widespread backlash amongst the juggalos, so J & Shaggs decided to redo the whole album from scratch & drop it in time for the 28th annual Hallowicked show.

After the intro, the first song “Here Comes the Carnival” kicks off the album celebrating the titular mythology that ICP is known for over a feel good rap rock instrumental from Brian Kuma whereas “Wretched” follows it up with a morbid trap banger produced by Devereaux about Violent J being fucked up in the head. The wicked clowns later go back & forth with each other for the highlight “Clown Drippin’” basically putting their own spin on swag referencing former IWGPヘビー級王座 as well as 10-time WWE world champion & former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, but then “Gangsta Code” reuses the beat Mike P. made for “Movin’ On” off of Boondox’ 4th album Abaddon talking about living & dying by the streets.

Meanwhile on “Queens”, we have the clowns delivering an ode to all the juggalettes out there over a mystical trap beat from Mythic Mindz just before “Panic Attack!!!” works in a guitar for J to talk about going off the walls mentally for 7 minutes. “Fuck Regret” creepily declares remorse as the Devil’s work, but then “Insomnia” takes a more cloudier route detailing J’s struggles with such as announced at the Gathering a couple months back.

“Heart & Soul” is a wack cover of the T’Pau joint of the same name while “The Drunk & The Addict” goes back to the trap direction with the help of Shaggytheairhead telling the story of ICP themselves being dependent on booze & drugs. “Don’t Touch that Flower” sees Str8jaket bringing in an acoustic guitar advising to be cautioned by the Yum Yum Flower while “Slap Nuts” is a more heavier cut talking about cats falling for their jokes.

I love how J uses “Bitch I’m Fine” as a chilling way of responding to those worried about his heart failure diagnosis while the song “Carnival of Lights” is a warm look at the camaraderie of the juggalo family. The penultimate track “Ain’t No Time” vulnerably addresses an ex of his over a guitar while “Something to See” ends the album on a sweeter note looking back on their careers up to this point from their music to their wrestling career since they’ve previously appeared in ECW, WWE, WCW, ROH & TNA on top of their JCW accolades.

Despite all the ups & downs we’ve experienced to get here, Yum Yum Bedlam has to be my 3rd favorite Joker’s Card in the 2nd Deck right behind Bang! Pow! Boom! & The Mighty Death Pop!. Sonically, it’s really cool to hear them fuse the rock elements from The Great Milenko & mixed them together with some of the more trap-flavored cuts from Fearless Fred Fury. Conceptually, the themes of loyalty are displayed with an incredibly unique & profound perception.

Score: 3.5/5

Insane Clown Posse – “Yum Yum’s Lure” review

The Insane Clown Posse are a horrorcore duo, the founders of Juggalo Championship Wrestling & the longest reigning JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions consisting of Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope. There have been a total of 6 members in the group since its inception in 1989, but has been boiled down to J & Shaggy since the release of their 1992 debut album Carnival of Carnage. Together, they would create an empire whether it be subsequent albums like Riddle Box & The Great Milenko or expanding the self-owned Psychopathic Records as a force to be reckoned with in the underground by signing artists from Twiztid to more recently Ouija Macc. Now I wasn’t the biggest fan of ICP’s previous full-length album Fearless Fred Fury back in 2019 because I felt like it was rushed, however I do respect how angry it was. But as they gear up for the next joker’s card Yum Yum Bedlam, the wicked clowns are preluding it by dropping Yum Yum’s Lure on Juggalo Day.

After the “Bewitching” intro produced by 1 Man Kru of the Keepaz of the Krypt, the next song “Loyalty” finds J & Shaggy detailing what it means to be faithful over an ominous piano instrumental whereas the track “Afraid of Life” might be one of the worst ICP songs I’ve ever heard, as they talk about preferring to be a zombie phantom over a rock-flavored beat from Alien Ant Farm of all people.

The song “Smell of Rain” talks about women consuming them including a reference to 新日本プロレス founder, 3-time IWGPヘビー級王座, 10–time G1クライマックス winner, WWE Hall of Famer & unrecognized WWE Champion アントニオ猪木 over a happy go lucky instrumental from Shaggytheairhead while the track “Ding Ding Doll” tells the story of a boy who buys a cursed Ecuadorian pull string doll from the dark web & the doll comes to life to wreak terror over a pillowy beat over a pillowy beat.

The song “I’ve Had It Worse” talks about how life sucks for everyone over a skeletal trap instrumental from the homie Devereaux while the penultimate track “Candyman” is a solo Shaggy cut with some of his most cringey lyrics on top of a more playful Mike E. Clark beat. The EP ends with “Clownheads”, which is a bloated & redundant advertisement for their Clownhead Paintings.

Coming from a Detroiter who’s been down with the clown since I was in middle school, I think the House Party Peep Show EP is much better because this is just as bad as The Calm & Eye of the Storm. I think the production is decent, but the execution on a good portion of these songs are terrible in my personal opinion. Really hope these songs aren’t on Yum Yum Bedlam & hopefully that album isn’t as disappointing as the material we got on here.

Score: 1/5

Insane Clown Posse – “ICP’s House Party Peep Show” review

This is brand new EP from Detroit horrorcore duo, Juggalo Championship Wrestling founders & the longest reigning JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions the Insane Clown Posse. Consisting of Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope, a lot of cats don’t know that 3 other members came & went during the first 5 years of the group’s inception. Not only would The Duke of the Wicked & the Southside Strangla go on to create seminal wicked shit albums like The First 6, but they gained an extremely loyal fanbase in the process & their self-owned Psychopathic Records became an independent hip hop powerhouse as the label’s roster continued to grow. They did a series of Paetron streams to commemorate what would’ve been the 27th annual Hallowicked show & to give back to everyone subscribed, the wicked clowns gifted them an exclusive 6-track EP.

The EP kicks off with “The Blob”, where Violent J tells the story of a killer blob from another galaxy over a dire beat from Devereaux. The next song “My Forehead” is literally J & Shaggy talking about how big Violent J’s forehead is over an old school instrumental from none other than Mike E. Clark while the track “Cartoon Goon” finds the duo going back & forth about an illustration that will seal your fate over a vilainous beat from Shaggytheairhead.

The song “Mighty Mote” sounds like a leftover from the Fearless Fred Fury sessions as J talks about a kid getting revenge on everyone from his step-dad to his school busdriver to the electronic/trap fused production while the penultimate track “The Ceremony” is a beautiful dedication to Shaggy, Billy Bill & Jumpsteady backed by an uplifting trap beat. The EP closes out with “Live Dead Forever”, which is easily the most wicked joint on the entire thing referencing the late Luke Perry only a month after his son Jack became the current AEW World Tag Team Champion.

For the 4 month wait, it was well worth it in my opinion. Violent J is still one of the greatest storytellers in hip hop history, Shaggy 2 Dope even though he only has very few verses on here is just as skilled & I do like how the production range from the touching “Medals” & the vintage “My Forehead” to the trap-flavored “Mighty Mote”. Safe to say it’s giving me hope for Yum Yum’s Lure next Wednesday as well as Yum Yum Bedlam later on in the year.

Score: 3.5/5