Yet the kids still keep buying. To hype the release of ICP's fifth album, The Amazing Jeckel Brothers, Island Records spent a fortune on a promotional tour that took the Clowns through the heartland, stopping in the parking lots of those aircraft hangar-sized record marts to set up a giant cardboard maze. Crowds of Juggalos wandered through this thing encountering fun-house chills round every corner...until they got to the middle and the most frightening sight of all -- the Clowns themselves. ("Argh! Noooo!")
What does any of this have to do with music? Not a goddamn thing. And that's exactly the point. Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope are weak, stilted rappers; their grooves and musical backings are as hokey and hollow as old tracks by the 2 Live Crew; and their whole Dark Carnival-evil clown shtick (amusing for about two minutes: 1991's Carnival of Carnage) has grown far beyond tired and stupid. Then, of course, there's the hateful lyrical crap of tunes such as "B*tches." A pathetic package, greasepaint and all. I will, however, give them this: They're a pubic hair more tolerable than Limp Bizkit, because they at least have the brains to admit they're a joke.
Jim DeRogatis